2023 JDRF Children’s Congress
As the calendar turns to July, JDRF Wisconsin starts counting down the days until our Children’s Congress delegates take on Washington D.C.!
Every two years, more than 150 children living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) gather in Washington, D.C. to meet face-to-face with some of the top decision-makers in the U.S. government. The children, ages 4-17, represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The delegates in JDRF’s Children’s Congress enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help Members of Congress understand what life with T1D is like and why research to fund life-changing therapies until a cure can be found is so critical. They speak up on behalf of the millions of people living with T1D and the families and friends who love them.
Meet the Wisconsin delegates:
Meredith is proud to use her voice to raise awareness about T1D. For many years, she has participated in JDRF One Walk, volunteered at the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes, met with Members of Congress as an Advocate, and serves as a JDRF Youth Ambassador. Meredith also planned a Diabetes Awareness Week at her school and has given speeches about T1D to Lions Foundations all over Wisconsin.
Mira is active in clubs at school including Key Club, DECA, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and participates in cross country. Mira also enjoys volunteering with younger children at her church, traveling, reading, and serving as a JDRF Youth Ambassador. Mira would like to attend college and sees herself doing something related to science and healthcare, which was inspired by her T1D and her desire to impact the T1D community.
Shortly after his T1D diagnosis, Talon got a diabetic alert dog named Hero and was interviewed on local news channels about life with T1D and Hero. Since then, he has done many presentations about T1D at JDRF Promise to Remember Me meetings, at his school, Girl Scout meetings, and local Lions Club events. Talon also has a TikTok account with his mom where they share videos and answer questions about T1D. Talon completed his first JDRF Ride last December and hopes it’s his first of many!
If you ask Silvia what they look forward to, they’ll be quick to answer “changing the world” and at age 9, they’re well on their way to doing just that! Silvia is no stranger to educating people about T1D. They run a lemonade stand to raise money for T1D research, and also made a video to educate their peers about life with T1D to assure them that they are just as cool and powerful as any other kid!
To learn more about the delegates attending Children’s Congress or the program itself, visit cc.jdrf.org