As we approach the end of another transformative year, we find ourselves filled with gratitude for the incredible support we have received. Your generosity has been the driving force behind our successes, enabling us to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those we serve. We would like to take this moment to say THANK YOU to our dedicated and passionate community for all that you do to help us make progress possible for everyone living with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Offering newly diagnosed families and individuals care kits that include useful resources and educational materials to help with their T1D journey, the Bag of Hope is for children under age 11; the Teen No Limits care kit is for youth ages 12-17; and the Adult No Limits care kit is for those age 18 and older. In 2023 the chapter delivered a total of 333 newly diagnosed care kits to families and individuals in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Our chapter launched a new outreach program for newly diagnosed families and individuals to build relationships with Outreach Ambassadors, who provide additional resources and support from their personal experiences. The focus of this new program is on initial outreach to those recently diagnosed with T1D who have requested a Bag of Hope or care kit. We are grateful to our 10 Outreach Ambassadors and Lara Riley, serving as Outreach Ambassador Chair, for helping with this important new program.

Our Chats from Home program—informal virtual gatherings for individuals and families in Greater New England—continued this year. These meetings are organized by age level for parents and caregivers to connect with others in a similar stage. There is also a group for adults living with T1D! While some participants are only a few weeks in to their T1D journey, others have several decades of experience. We are grateful to all of our participants who have joined us so far for their willingness to share their stories and offer support to their community. Thank you to our volunteers, Brian Colton, Melissa Colton, Amanda Gilchrist, Noah Gardner, Elise Scalfani, and Cathy Walter, for hosting and selecting guest speakers to join our Chats.

Thank you to our volunteer sub-committee, Crista Bode, Shari Cashman, Kristine Cauti, Amanda Gilchrist, Sarah Malloy, Jaleen Siekman, and Cathy Walter, for organizing two informative sessions throughout the year for school health teams. We encourage you to share our webinar recordings with school nurses in your community and other members of the school health team, including principals, guidance counselors, coaches, psychologists, and social workers. The sub-committee also had the opportunity to join school nurse conferences in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, connecting with more than 500 school nurses.

Past Webinars:

• “Real Talk with TAC: Teen Reflections and Perspectives on Living with Type 1 Diabetes” (April 4)
• “Type 1 Diabetes Toolkit for the School Year: Basics and Beyond” (November 14)

Learn more at jdrf.org/greaternewengland/p/virtual-education-series.

In March, we were back at the Sheraton Boston Hotel for our annual TypeOneNation Summit Boston. More than 300 attendees joined us from across Greater New England. Thank you to all our speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and attendees who joined us at the event!

Our Mission Address, “Improving Lives”, was presented by Anastasia Albanese-O’Neill, Ph.D., APRN, CDCES, JDRF Director, Community Screening & Clinical Trial Education, Mother of a Child with T1D. Our Keynote Address, “Mission: Diabetes Control”, was presented by April Blackwell, NASA ADCO Flight Controller, Aerospace Engineer, Writer, and Blogger, Living with T1D since age 11. Other educational sessions included: “Beep or Buzz? Human Factors in the Cockpit vs. Diabetes Devices”, “From Surviving to Thriving with T1D: Tops and Tricks for the First Few Years”, “I’m Hungry! Nourishing Kids with T1D” “T1D Prevention and Cure: Why Screening Matters”, “Whose Diabetes is it Anyway”, and a new bonus session “Meditation and T1D: Bringing Wisdom to Life with Diabetes”.

Save the date for next year’s Boston summit on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place and stay tuned for exciting news regarding a new TypeOneNation in Manchester!

JDRF was once again proud to be an official Partner of John Hancock in the Marathon Non-Profit Program for the 2023 Boston Marathon® held on Monday, April 17. Special thanks and congratulations to our nine Team JDRF runners who raised more than $236,000 for JDRF’s mission!

• Melissa Bollerud
• Allison Byrne
• Bill Cosper
• Jim Gagnon
• Laura Keenan
• Emily McConnell
• Julianne O’Connell
• Scott Wegrzyn
• Neil Wallack

We also extend our deepest appreciation to our longtime volunteer coaches, Mary Tolland and Neil Wallack, for imparting their wisdom and experience, and supporting our runners through every step as they trained for the 26.2-mile course.

On Saturday, May 13, more than 750 guests joined us at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport and virtually throughout the world for the 41st Annual JDRF Greater New England Gala—One Night. This exceptional evening celebrated the collective efforts of the entire community to raise $2.4 million for T1D research! It was incredible to bring the entire chapter footprint together for this memorable return to the ballroom. The energy and enthusiasm felt throughout the night was palpable, and we are so grateful to all of our incredible sponsors, families, and friends of JDRF for their generosity.

Hosted by our outstanding emcees, Vanessa Welch and Mark Ockerbloom of Boston 25 News, JDRF Greater New England was privileged to recognize this year’s honorees, Liz Chang and Joe Wallace, for their passion, support, and steadfast commitment to JDRF’s mission. Over the past nine years, their Reach the Beach relay team, Agony of Duhfeet, has raised an astounding $1 million. Their team demonstrates the power and strength our personal and professional communities can bring to our collective efforts to find cures for T1D. We are truly grateful to Liz and Joe for sharing their story, and for their inspiring Fund A Cure speech, evoking generosity and hope that evening and beyond.

The evening would not have been possible without the astounding support of our JDRF partners. We are grateful to our corporate sponsors, especially this year’s Corporate Champion Award recipient, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, for their consistent and generous support of JDRF. We offer very special thanks to our extraordinary One Night Gala Committee led by Gala Chair, Jaleen Siekman, Vice Chair, Dawn McGrew, Procurement Chair, Maureen Conway, Volunteer Chair, Teresa Miller, Marketing and Communications Chair, Jamie O’Riordan, and Guest Experience Chair, Sherri Panaro, for their remarkable efforts in making the evening both successful and memorable; our Corporate Development Committee, led by Chairs, Bill Power and Michael Stanley, for their steadfast commitment to engaging generosity through our corporate partners; and to the Greater New England Community Board, led by President, Colin Motley, for their leadership and encouragement throughout the year. We share much appreciation for the unparalleled talent and passion Brian Smith and his team bring to this event each year through the production of the beautiful videos shown throughout the evening. Many thanks to Hannoush Jewelers for providing the stunning diamond tennis bracelet for our raffle, and the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport for welcoming us to their beautiful new space. A huge thank you to our vendor partners Bailey Print Management, Boss Band, Boston GIF, Cramer, Encore, Exquisite Events, Greater Giving, OneCause, and Portrait Simple for bringing our ideas to life, assisting in the look and management of the evening’s program. We would also like to recognize Kevin Trimmer Photography for beautifully capturing the special moments throughout the night, which may be viewed by visiting kevintrimmer.instaproofs.com/JDRF-Boston-Gala-2023. Lastly, thank you to the 130 event volunteers who assisted the JDRF Greater New England staff and Gala Committee leading up to, during, and following the event. We are truly grateful to everyone who provided their time, talent, and treasure to ensure this year’s Gala was a complete success!

On Sunday, June 4, the Greater New England Chapter hosted our first JDRF T1Day Out: A Community Fair at the Bolton Fairgrounds in Lancaster, MA in partnership with the JDRF One Walk Launch Day. It was a wonderful day for the Central Massachusetts community where they were able to connect with others, meet industry and community partners, enjoy some family-friendly games, and visit our Rufus Clinic!

There are no days off for people living with T1D and from June 7-11, a team of runners from across the country participated in the 365: No Days Off for T1D event to support JDRF. 365 days of the year T1Ds and their family members are focused on staying healthy while living with T1D. To recognize this, JDRF challenged participants to take no days off from running, walking, or staying active every day during the five-day challenge. Thanks to Hayley Bartlett, Jennifer Becker, Scott Desatnick, Erin Dickinson, Sue Drouin, Elisabeth Green, Kirsten Dinsmore, Caroline Knowles, Tracy Quarella, and Jamie Warren from our chapter who raised more than $6,700 toward this effort!

JDRF kicked off the summer on Capitol Hill from July 9-11 for the JDRF Children’s Congress where Delegates met in-person in Washington, D.C. for three days of community building, advocating for the T1D community, and cultivating the next generation of grassroots leaders. Out of 163 Delegates from nearly every state and JDRF’s international affiliates, we were luckily enough to have eight amazing young women represent us locally. Thank you, Anna Bode (MA), Elise Cataldo (NH), Amanda Conley (NH), Emmie Gilchrist (MA), Hannah Guevremont (RI), Aurora King (VT), Maria Muayad (ME), and Kate Putnam (MA), for testifying, sharing your stories, meeting with Congress and the FDA to raise awareness and build support for issues critical to the T1D community!

On Monday, July 17, more than 230 golfers, sponsors, and volunteers joined us for the 22nd Annual JDRF Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Classic and raised a record-breaking $200,000! We are so grateful to all of our extraordinary sponsors, families, and friends of JDRF for your generosity and ongoing commitment to our mission. It was incredible to see everyone out on the course, enjoying the sunshine, having a memorable and successful day at Quidnessett Country Club. Players enjoyed on-course games, raffles, and the silent auction. The event featured an exciting Meet or Beat the Marker, Hole-in-One contest, and various treats from our generous Snack Hole Sponsors.

We are so thankful for the ongoing commitment of our Presenting Sponsor, NEFCO Fire Investigations, and to all our incredible sponsors and in-kind supporters. We offer very special thanks to the extraordinary Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Committee, led by Golf Chair, Chris Librizzi, Fund A Cure Speaker, Ava Librizzi, Procurement Chair, Michelle LeBeau, our emcee for the evening, Nick Coit of ABC 6, and our amazing event volunteers. We are truly grateful for their support, energy, and time to ensure this year’s tournament was a huge success!

From North Kingstown, Rhode Island to Burlington, Vermont the following weekend, the chapter kicked off the 2023 JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes season in our own backyard! Team Greater New England was recognized as the Top Recruiter at the Burlington ride, with 16 first time riders. Whether you’re a beginner or expert rider, the experience is life changing. Congratulations to Adrian and Leslie Gonzalez who were both recognized as top fundraisers. A special thank you as well to Adrian’s corporate team, Logistics Leaders for T1D Cure which was recognized as the top corporate fundraising team at the event.

Our chapter team also joined the unforgettable weekend Rides in La Crosse, WI from August 10-13, Grand Rapids, MI from September 7-10, and Amelia Island, FL from November 30-December 3. We also had several riders take advantage of JDRF My Ride, where they participated anytime, anywhere. We look forward to cheering on our Death Valley, CA riders in the new year as this stunning location suffered catastrophic rainstorms in August and had to be postponed.

Our 56 riders with Team Greater New England have raised more than $185,000 to date! Thank you to our Top 10 Riders. (Note: funds raised as of 11/29/23.)

1. Brenda Morris
2. Leslie Gonzalez | Logistics Leaders for T1D Cure
3. Adrian Gonzalez | Logistics Leaders for T1D Cure
4. Gregory Goulette
5. John-Michael Girald
6. Paul Dadak
7. Micah Waldman
8. Claire Devlin
9. Michael Schiller
10. Virginia Hughes

In addition, Greater New England team member, Brenda Morris, received the Promise Jersey, one of the program’s highest honors, at the La Crosse Ride. The Promise jersey is awarded at JDRF Destination Rides to someone that puts others before themselves and has shown unwavering dedication to JDRF and the Ride to Cure Diabetes. This jersey recognizes a person that does not have T1D but has made a promise to continue riding and fundraising until there are cures.

Many thanks to our coaches Doug Cornelius, Don Cummings, Frank Dougherty, and Cathy Ryan for their continued dedication and commitment to the Ride program!

Team JDRF runners experienced a magical weekend during runDisney events while helping to turn Type One into Type None. Our 2023 team raised more than $10,000. Thank you to Abbegail Adams, Paul Donnellan, Carol Gray, Carrie Giardino, Stephanie Harrington, Julie Orlando-Gibson, Parker Slate, Cheryl White, and the Friedman Oliveri Family. We also look forward to cheering on our runners who are participating in the 2024 Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend from January 3-7, and the 2024 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend from February 22-25.

The 51st running of the ASICS Falmouth Road Race took place on Sunday, August 20. JDRF is proud to be an official partner the Numbers for Nonprofits program. Thank you to our 14 runners who raised more than $45,000 for Team JDRF!

• Cristina Aguayo-Mazzucato
• Carolynne Benedetto
• Adele Cattier
• Jennifer Cattier
• Brae Eddleston
• Michael Falkson
• Olivia Greene
• Julia Gregory
• Anthony Mabardy
• Caroline Olwell
• Eliot Pluss
• Evan Samson
• Colleen Simmons
• Johanna Tolman

Team JDRF then started their adventure for the 2023 Ragnar Reach the Beach Relay. We are truly grateful to have welcomed back both team Agony of Duhfeet and team Sistas with Blistas who began this grueling relay at Attitash Mountain Resort, NH on Friday, September 15 and finished the race at Hampton Beach, NH on Saturday, September 16. These teams not only collectively ran more than 600 miles but also raised nearly $58,000 for T1D research.

As summer turns to fall the Greater New England Chapter gears up for the annual JDRF One Walk in Boston, Northern New England, and Rhode Island. This year was an incredible success this fall, as thousands of supporters and hundreds of volunteers came together as a community to celebrate, connect, and inspire hope! Teams had the option to Walk Your Way or join us at one of our three sites, where the energy was contagious. Across Greater New England we saw more than 9,000 walkers lace up their sneakers to support JDRF’s mission! A big thank you to this year’s Presenting Sponsor, Reliable Diabetes Care, who was present at all three of our sites. Lastly, thank you to all of our fundraisers, especially our Top 10 Teams, who have raised more than $977,000. (Note: totals pulled 11/29/23.)

Boston:

1. ANNA’S ALL-STARS
2. Newton Knocks Out T1D!!
3. Val’s diabetes defeaters
4. Compass T1D Warriors
5. Team Zac
6. Katie’s Cure
7. Miles for Miles
8. Arielle and Emma, Diabesties
9. Team Metro
10. Cousins for a Cure

Northern New England:

1. Color ME Cured
2. Tim1Dom
3. Osborne Sullivan United
4. LilyBird 2.0
5. Team Diabadass
6. 4SweetCaroline
7. Griffin’s Groupies
8. Maddie’s Diabuddies
9. Brookie Cookie
10. Chalmers Family

Rhode Island:

1. Mady’s mad-dogs
2. Awesome Annie!
3. CAM’S CREW
4. Hannah’s Knights
5. Team Hamilton
6. Team Jake
7. Ethan’s Adventure
8. Team Quinnie Minnie
9. Team Super Jack
10. Diabeats

Our deepest thanks to our One Walk Committee members, Crista Bode, David and Paula Boulanger, Brian Colton, Jason and Stacey Gay, Renee Masiello, Teresa Miller, Traci Pena, Mike Ravid, Cindy Wright, led by Walk Champion Noah Gardner, for your steadfast dedication and passion for Walk!

National Diabetes Awareness Month (NDAM) kicked off with our Greater New England NDAM campaign where we highlighted storytellers and advocates who shared their experience with T1D. These individuals were featured on our social media channels as they shared their stories and fundraised for JDRF during the most crucial month of the year. Every dollar raised goes toward our mission to improve lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat T1D and its complications. Thank you to our storytellers and donors for helping us to move Forward as 1 toward our goal by raising nearly $3,000.

On World Diabetes Day, November 14, communities across the globe illuminated major landmarks in blue to raise awareness for type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Thank you to all of the local landmarks across the Greater New England area who were lit blue: Memorial Bridge (Portsmouth, NH/Kittery, ME), 888 Boylston Tower, Boston City Hall, Boston Harbor Hotel, Boylston Plaza, Longfellow Bridge and Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge (Boston), Fore River Bridge (Quincy, MA/Weymouth, MA), John E. Cox Memorial Bridge (Lowell, MA), Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge (Shrewsbury, MA/Worcester, MA), Patriots Place (Foxboro, MA), Sakonnet River Bridge (Tiverton, RI) and the Rhode Island State House Special thanks to our local community for visiting the landmarks and sharing photos with our chapter!

We were thrilled to continue our partnership with the Rhode Island World Diabetes Day committee in 2023! This year’s festivities kicked off with a four-week Road to Wellness Challenge, encouraging Rhode Islanders to Recommit to Wellness by focusing on a different area of wellness each week. Choosing one new goal to work on each week to help you Recharge, Refuel, Relax, and Restore your health. The challenge, which launched at JDRF’s 2023 One Walk, culminated in the Rhode Island World Diabetes Day Celebration, hosted by the Rhode Island Department of Health and State Representative Grace Diaz, on Tuesday, November 14. The event featured a keynote address from Sam Choy, Chef and Restaurateur and allowed Rhode Islanders living with both type 1 and type 2 to connect with peers and professional organizations, including JDRF!

This year was filled with countless community events where the Greater New England community came together. In January, JDRF partnered with Maine P-PODs for their Type 1 Diabetes Summit where families networked with others in the community including vendors and providers, listened to great guest speakers, and participated in a Q&A session. Families Dined for Diabetes and supported JDRF while enjoying a night off from cooking. Others rallied all summer long at the local minor league baseball parks for our JDRF Summer Series. There were adult and teen meet ups, craft fairs, hockey tournaments, and more—you relished every chance to get together.

Lastly, thank you to all of our volunteers for their endless contributions over the year. From connecting with newly diagnosed families seeking a mentor, to sharing your stories as our Cure Champions every month, to stewarding our corporate partners like Marshalls who has partnered with JDRF since 1994, to articulating the financial, medical and emotional costs of the disease with members of Congress during Government Day. You are a critical part of the strength of this community and help us make progress towards cures. We’re so grateful to have your incredibly generous support; we couldn’t do any of this without you.

This year, because of you… 

• A drug, Tzield™ (teplizumab-mzwv), the first disease-modifying therapy for individuals at-risk for developing T1D, was approved by the FDA for use in delaying the onset of clinical disease in at-risk individuals aged 8+
• A JDRF-funded study found that children and teens newly diagnosed with T1D who took verapamil—a drug already approved to treat high blood pressure—were making more insulin one year after diagnosis than those on the placebo
• A new tool to accurately diagnose T1D in adults who were misdiagnosed with T2D which can lead to tragic consequences
• Newly-Approved Artificial Pancreas (AP) Systems and Algorithms such as iLet® Insulin-Only Bionic Pancreas System for ages 6+, Medtronic MiniMed™ 780G AP system for ages 7+, and Tidepool Loop, an algorithm that will allow for interoperability of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and insulin pumps 

Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a New Year filled with hope, health, and happiness.

From all of us at JDRF Greater New England, thank you for another unforgettable year!

P.S. If JDRF is part of your year-end giving plans, gifts can be made online at jdrf.org/donate or postmarked by December 31, 2023 and sent to JDRF Greater New England, PO Box 5009, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5009.

The JDRF Greater New England office will be closed for Winter Break beginning at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 22 and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2.

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Thank you to our Chapter Partners—our year-round corporate supporters:

Thank you to our Newly Diagnosed Care Kit Distributors:

Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital

Joslin Diabetes Center, Adult Clinic and Child Life Services

Massachusetts General Hospital for Children

Tufts Medicine, Melrose Wakefield Endocrinology

UMass Memorial Health Diabetes Clinic, Child Life Services

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, Diabetes Services