This year, the 28^th Annual Promise Gala looked a little different than we were used to in Pittsburgh. Normally, we would be celebrating a night of fundraising in person, dancing the night away with delicious food and drinks, entertainment, and so much more. This year, we held the 2020 Promise Gala: Safe at Home. Although unique and initially unexpected, the evening brought the Western Pennsylvania community together to raise an impressive $740,000 for critical T1D research.

On May 13^th, we opened our online silent auction with nearly 70 unique packages including sports memorabilia, beauty and fashion items, and exciting experiences! Then, on May 15^th, we gathered together via YouTube and Facebook Live to hear great messaging, including remarks from JDRF’s CEO, Dr. Aaron Kowalski, Ph.D., the Corporate Chair of event, President & CEO of MSA Safety, Nish Vartanian, and our chapter’s Board President, Joe Dowd.

Following that was an incredibly moving story told by Ethan Stenger, an 11-year-old living with T1D for more than 7 years. He highlighted the highs and lows of life with T1D, and why it is crucial to keep our mission moving forward. If you missed the Promise Gala, you can watch it by clicking here!

If you’d like to donate a 100% tax-deductible gift that goes directly to helping people like Ethan, click here to donate to Fund a Cure. We could not be prouder of Ethan and the community that rallied with us to make this virtual event a success!