Eight local youth living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) will join a delegation of their peers and celebrity advocates in Washington, D.C. this summer from July 9 – 11 at JDRF 2023 Children’s Congress.   

Congratulations to our chapter’s delegates who were chosen to represent JDRF Greater New England by the JDRF Volunteer Selection Committee!  

• Anna Bode, age 9 – Arlington, MA
• Elise Cataldo, age 15 – Hooksett, NH 
• Amanda Conley, age 16 – Derry, NH 
• Emmie Gilchrist, age 7 – North Reading, MA 
• Hannah Guevremont, age 17 – Pawtucket, RI 
• Aurora King, age 12 – Swanton, VT 
• Maria Muayad, age 10 – Yarmouth, ME 
• Kate Putnam, age 14 – Watertown, MA 

Founded in 1999—and inspired by our chapter’s own Thom Solo when he was 9—Children’s Congress is one of the key drivers that advances JDRF’s Advocacy agenda. This event typically happens every other year, but it was canceled in 2021 due to COVID-19.  

Natalie Stanback, JDRF 2023 Children’s Congress Chair, along with her daughter, Nadia, who was a JDRF 2019 Children’s Congress delegate, and her husband, Isaiah, a former NFL wide receiver, will lead 165 delegates from all 50 states, along with five countries, to tell Congress what it’s like to live with T1D, and what they need to do to help. 

This year, the focus will be on the Special Diabetes Program (SDP). This program currently provides $150 million annually to T1D research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the country’s premier medical research agency. The SDP also complements JDRF’s research efforts, allowing JDRF and the NIH to collaborate to advance T1D research as quickly as possible. This program is set to expire in September and renewing it is JDRF’s biggest priority—and the #1 job for the delegates. The delegates will also speak to the rest of JDRF’s advocacy agenda, which includes our efforts around insulin affordability. 

During this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, delegates form lifelong friendships, meet T1D role models, develop leadership skills, and leave Children’s Congress empowered to use their voices for the change that will improve their lives and the lives of all people affected by T1D. 

Visit https://cc.jdrf.org to learn more about Children’s Congress and meet the delegates!