— More than 160 children and celebrity advocates gathered on Capitol Hill to advocate for type 1 diabetes research —

Danielle, 16, of Madison was one of more than 160 youth delegates from all 50 states and 6 countries gathered in the nation’s capital in early July for the JDRF Children’s Congress, a bi-annual event to urge continued research funding for type 1 diabetes (T1D). The delegates, all living with T1D — ages 4 to 17 — traveled to Washington for the July 8 – July 10 gathering, which was led by Children’s Congress Chair, Katama Eastman, and her family from New York.

Celebrity T1D role models attended the entire event, sharing powerful experiences of living with T1D with both delegates and with Congressional representatives. Children’s Congress ended with a critical and emotion-filled Senate hearing on Capitol Hill for the Special Diabetes Program (SDP), which has provided $150 million annually toward T1D research and is essential to JDRF’s mission to create a world without T1D. The program began in 1997 and has contributed nearly $2.8 billion toward T1D research.

Danielle, the JDRF Western Wisconsin Chapter Delegate, said of her experience on Capitol Hill, “I really enjoyed meeting directly with members of Congress! Being able to share my personal T1D stories and experiences to help stress the importance of the SDP was great and I think it helps them understand what’s important to people they represent.”

We’d like to say a huge thank you to Danielle and her mom, Val, for attending JDRF 2019 Children’s Congress! It was a fantastic event and helped to push forward legislation regarding the SDP. There is still work to be done, but thanks to events like this, we are getting closer to a cure.

“Going to Washington D.C. is very impactful because it shows members of Congress and other officials that real people benefit from the the SDP.  Having over 160 children living with T1D in a Senate hearing sends a powerful message!”

Catch up on what you missed
For full JDRF 2019 Children’s Congress Coverage, check out the links below:

• Press Release
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Blogs
• Key Media Coverage:
  o Washington Post’s Reliable Source
  o ABC News (Interview with Victor Garber)
  o Bloomberg Law (“Research at Risk”)
  o CSPAN (“Actor Victor Garber Tells Congress to Tackle High Cost of Insulin”)
  o Wake-Up Call with Katie Couric

The Work Continues
Our work at JDRF is not over. JDRF needs your help to build on the progress made at Children’s Congress. Sign up to become an advocate today, respond to alerts, and ask your friends to share in our mission and advocate for all people with T1D.

JDRF 2019 Children’s Congress was supported in part by:

Premier Sponsor – Novo Nordisk
Supporting Sponsors – Delta Tau Delta, Merck, PhrMA
Elite Partners – Ford, Marshall’s