Our guest contributor, Paul Willems, had the opportunity this month to catch up with JDRF Board of Directors Member, Kristin Ausloos.

It’s been said that leaving something you love is certainly not easy, and that could also be said for Kristin Ausloos, who is in the midst of her last year on the JDRF Board after joining as a member in 2013. An audit manager at the time, Kristin told me that since involvement as a board member at a non-profit was “strongly encouraged,” she jumped on board. However, she did not have a direct connection to the world of Type 1 until last year, when a friend of her son was diagnosed. “Pierson’s diagnosis hit home, as he was the same age as our oldest child, Brady… I was now seeing first hand how this was impacting a family that we saw on a regular basis.”

Looking back on her time on the board, Kristin recollected to me her times as a part of the JDRF Gala, both as an attendee and committee member. “The event is top notch when it comes to ambiance, entertainment, auction items, etc.,” she told me, “but my favorite part was the Fund-A-Cure speech as it reminds everyone why we are at the event and what JDRF stands for.” Kristin said that she has felt blessed to be a part of JDRF and to have contributed in her own way to finding a cure for Type One diabetes.

As for what she hopes to leave behind for those in the future? As Kristin told me, it’s simply how special the organization and being a part of it is, as well as wanting people to feel the same feeling she does to “be a part of something that is truly making a difference in people’s lives.”

Kristin, from all of us at JDRF, thank you for all that you have done as a Board Member and we hope to have you as a part of the organization in the future!