Promise to Remember Me

The Victory Lap

Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

You came. You saw. They promised. The 2008 Promise To Remember Me has officially wrapped up as JDRF’s most successful to date, with an incredible 374 personal meetings taking place in congressional districts across the nation. Kudos to you, JDRF advocates, for making this program a huge success.

Some snapshots to take away from this program include:

*You successfully met with nearly 70 percent of our national elected officials – and all in less than a year. To look closer, you met with 68 percent of the Democrats and 72 percent of Republicans. You met with an amazing 90 percent of the Senate Finance Committee, a key group for our immediate and future needs, as well as with 75 percent of the House Energy Committee, another key group.

While many of your meetings took place at district offices, you were more than creative in finding great locations to meet up with your elected officials at. Some of you sat down for picnics with them; others met up at public appearances. And just to prove how flexible we are, some of you went all out, meeting elected officials at birthday parties and in one case, in the lobby of a hospital while the Congressman’s grandchild was being born upstairs. These locations prove not only that you are resourceful: they also prove that when JDRF advocates call, elected officials respond—no matter what else is going on in their lives.

Your determination was remarkable as well. We started out back in August with a bang, scheduling an impressive 39 meetings in a month that Promise had never taken place in before. And you kept pushing. As the months went on, your work level increased and increased. Rather than burn out, you thrived. Our final Promise month, April, brought in a total of 68 meetings on its own. Talk about finishing up with a flourish.

But the most important thing about Promise is quite simple: These meetings mattered. And continue to matter. With the renewal of our Special Type 1 Funding still in the works, this was – and is – a year that we need to grab and keep hold of the attention of every single elected official in Washington. What better way to have done that then to have spread across the country and met with such a high percentage of them? As we work toward that goal and our elected officials are called on to make decisions, you can be sure that JDRF – by way of your face and your voice – will be foremost on their minds. After all, you came to meet with them. You saw them face to face. And they, across the board, Promised to Remember You.

Thanks for everything you do and congratulations on a successful campaign!

Tom and Lorraine

Free

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hello fellow JDRF Supporters,

It’s been an incredible time since I last touched base with all my JDRF friends. I’ve been just about around the world, getting to share my music with millions of people. How cool is that?

Even though I’ve been on the road, you folks and the great work you are doing for the Promise to Remember Me Campaign have never been far from my mind. One of my favorite songs to perform is called “Free.” I love it not just because it’s a beautiful melody, but because the lyrics make me think of all you, and all we have done as a team and how we won’t give up until we’ve reached our goal: a cure for diabetes. Listen to the chorus:

You'll be free

Nothing's impossible

Free (alright, alright)

You've achieved the unexplainable

Free

I believe that miracles

Happen to those

Who refuse to be told

They can happen when we least expect

So we let ourselves be free.

When Tom, Lorraine and I decided to set out goal for this Promise campaign at 400 meetings, a lot of people thought that might just be impossible. But we didn’t because we knew that you – our teammates in the battle for a cure – can and will achieve the seemingly impossible, the unexplainable, so that we can move toward the miracle of a cure.

And you are doing it. As of this week, we’ve completed 321 meetings. That means 60 percent of Congress have met with you face to face, heard your stories and yes, promised to remember us all when it comes to supporting whatever we need on Capitol Hill for a cure. And you keep pushing and working toward our goal.

I know you know that nothing is impossible. I know you understand that, one day, we will achieve a mighty goal and we will all be free of diabetes.

Keep up the good work and know that every time I open a set, every time I sing a song and every day I work at living with diabetes, I remember you, the people who are truly working toward a world free of diabetes. Pull out your Elliot Yamin CD and play this song for inspiration. Or go to YouTube and download it to your IPod to play on the way to your next Promise Meeting. And know that, each and every day, I am thankful you are part of the Promise to Remember Me Campaign.

Best,

Elliott Yamin

The Finish Line

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We’re more than half way to the finish line on Promise to Remember Me 2008, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to sit back. In fact, anyone who has run a marathon or watched a basketball game (and who hasn’t been watching basketball these past weeks!) knows, it’s the effort you put into the last mile or the last two minutes that really shows what you are made of.

With just weeks left in PRMC, we all need to dig deep and find that extra surge of energy to catapult us across the finish line as winners: winners who not not only made 400 In-District Congressional meetings happen, but who left a mark that led to the renewal of our Special Diabetes Funding.

Thankfully, we’ve all trained well and are ready for our late-game push. For those of who attended Government Day, you know the vital importance of finding our way across the finish line. For those of you who have attending phone call trainings, read the weekly email blasts or spoken with your chapters about this, you too understand why we have to dig deep.

So now it’s time to do it. If you’ve been making calls and working on meetings all year, bravo for you, and we know you can find that extra boost of adrenalin to make this happen. Review what you’ve done and look at what you can try for again. Like the quality athlete who has hit a few three pointers but missed some others, embrace your confidence and go at one again. Call the office that have put you off; explain that more than half of Congress had made visits happen; their office needs to as well.

If you’ve been on the bench for this, we’re ready to call you in.

Fresh voices are more than welcome, and it’s not too late to be part of the winning team. If you need advice, ask us. If you know the drill and are ready to step in, just let us know and we’re happy to have you on the team.

Think of all the great victories you’ve seen in your life: really, almost all of them come down to the wire. Heartbreak Hill at the Boston Marathon. Overtime in the NCAA. Shoot outs in the NHL. It’s the stuff great wins are made of. Let’s do the same here and give it all we have to make Promise to Remember Me 2008 a recordbreaker, a success and most of all, a victory in our race toward a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

Best of luck!

Tom and Lorraine

An Airport Greeting

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

While sitting in Reagan National Airport for our delayed plane to take us back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I was talking to Mike Crowley, and Suzy Jablonowski (my mom). We were exhausted from our busy day on Capitol Hill during Government Day. We had meetings with our Senators and Representatives throughout the day, talking with them about the importance of the multi-year extension of the Special Diabetes Program – H.R. 2762. One of our meetings was planned with Representative Paul Ryan (R-1-WI). I say, “was planned”, because he actually was not able to meet with us due to snow in the Milwaukee area. We were able to meet with his Legislative Director, Matt Hoffmann. Although this meeting went well, nothing compares to meeting with Mr. Ryan himself, so my plans were to make my Promise To Remember Me Meeting with him when I returned home!

As I said, we were waiting at the airport, when an idea came to me. What if Rep. Ryan would get off the plane that we were waiting for? What if I would be able to talk with him right now? So, the plane lands, and the three of us were standing and watching all of the passengers get off. Easily 10 people were already past us, and I concluded that my plan was wrong…. When sure enough, around the corner comes Representative Paul Ryan with one of his assistants!

I really didn’t want to intrude on his time (knowing he was already running late) but I just had to. We stopped him and introduced ourselves telling him we were with JDRF and met with Matt earlier in the day. He apologized for not being able to make the meeting. After this short-lived meeting in the lobby of the airport, we were able to snap a picture and say our good-byes. But not without asking him to Promise To RememberMe. This was by far an amazing way to end a very successful trip to Washington D.C.!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Congratulations on a great Government Gay! It was an extremely busy weekend, but one we hope you will look back on with fond memories of new friends you made on and off Capitol Hill! The GR office is still tabulating the meeting confirmations, but the effort everyone displayed trying to set our Promise record was incredibly overwhelming.

Since today is Valentines Day, Tom and I scribbled down a quick poem that we would like to share with all of you on this fun day.

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

Our Promise goal is in sight,

All because of you.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thank You for All You Do!

My Promise Visit With Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-12-OH)

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I have always wanted to attend a Promise to Remember Me Meeting. When my mom and I saw that this meeting fit perfectly into our schedule, was close by, and was convenient for us, I jumped on the opportunity and looked forward to going. When the day of the meeting came, I was excited, knowing it was going to be an experience I would never forget. Before I left, I gathered a picture of myself and glued it to construction paper. On the construction paper I wrote “Promise to Remember Me” at the top and then followed with my name, age, school, activities, and saying I was an ambassador for JDRF along with the words THANK YOU.

My grandpa and my father attended the meeting with me. The office was very nice, having pictures of Representative Patrick Tiberi (R-12-OH) himself, the White House, and other charities and groups he supports. His office staff was very friendly and assisted us to make us feel as though we were at home. When Rep. Tiberi came in we all stood up and shook hands with him and his assistant. His assistant took notes throughout the meeting about topics we discussed such as diabetes in school, sports, the Special Diabetes Program, the statistics surrounding diabetes and its effects.

We then went around the room sharing our personal story of diabetes and life, saying how it affects us, the complications we endure, our feelings about diabetes and hopeful plans for the future. As a Quad, Zone, and OhioState swimmer I talked about swimming and how I constantly have to keep an eye on my blood sugar levels, making sure they do not go too low, even though it seems as though they always do! I shared that diabetes could be frustrating in school as I never want to fall behind in my classes due to my disease. I also shared that I have also been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, meaning I must eat a gluten-free diet. This means I am allergic to wheat, flour, oats, barley, malt, or grains. I told Rep. Tiberi that Celiac Disease needs a “trigger” to be brought on and that diabetes was perfect to act as that trigger. My father and grandfather also pointed out that diabetes does not only affect the diabetic himself, but the family as well. Then parents had their turn to make any comments. The table was then open for discussion as Rep. Tiberi asked us questions he had regarding the disease and to clear up some voting procedures he had performed earlier.

After answering questions and having open talk on diabetes at the table, Rep Tiberi asked for his camera crew to snap a few photos of him with the kids and then him with the families. For the Promise to Remember Me website, a picture was also taken and is now posted there. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and meeting and talking to Rep. Tiberi. It is satisfying to know that I may not only have helped my life and the future it holds, but thousands of other children dealing with the devastating disease of Juvenile Diabetes. We are very grateful that Rep. Tiberi took the time to listen and hopefully “Remember Us.”

-Tanner Barton

12yrs.

Dublin, Ohio

A Father’s Perspective

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Since the beginning of August, JDRF Government Relations Advocates have been scheduling and organizing meetings between families affected by juvenile diabetes and their members of Congress. These meetings have an enormous impact on our legislators. Most importantly, it gives us an opportunity to meet other diabetic children and their parents; and to hear first hand how people cope with this disease day to day.

Although our legislators have busy schedules, and a multitude of important concerns, I believe that these unique meetings with our children create unforgettable impressions. Impressions made during these crucial meetings have ultimately resulted in support for legislation that will help find a cure. One example would be the FY 2008 Medicare bill, which included 150 million dollars, earmarked for the Special Diabetes Program.

I realize everyone has a hectic and often unpredictable schedule much like the leaders were trying to snap a photo with. However, these meetings ARE making a difference and we applaud your for your continued support. We set an ambitious goal of completing 400 meetings by May 1^st, 2008 and I can’t wait to join volunteers from coast to coast to celebrate OUR accomplishment that day.

Thank you for all that you do!

My Promise Meetings

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

My Promise Meetings by Cameron Crouse, age 7 Alabama

On my Promise to Remember Me Meetings I met with Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Congressman Artur Davis. (D-7-AL) I went with my Mom and my friends. When I met with Rep. Davis I took him my Walk to Cure Diabetes Cameron's Crew Shirt and the blue CURE diabetes bracelet. I wrote him a letter that said I've had diabetes for five years. In person I thanked him for helping to cure diabetes. He said he would work hard for legislation that would help cure diabetes. He also told me that in my lifetime we would cure diabetes. I liked meeting with Congressman Davis.

When I met Senator Shelby I also took him a Cameron's Crew walk shirt, a school picture, and a CURE diabetes bracelet. There were other kids at the meeting who had diabetes. Senator Shelby said he was glad to be able to help. He thanked me for coming to meet him and for fighting for a cure.

I had fun meeting with my legislators about curing diabetes. I hope that diabetes gets cured in my lifetime. I feel good to know that I helped.

Happy New Year!

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Happy New Year!

With 2007 an incredible Promise success thanks to all your hard work, we are excited to see what kind of success the New Year can and will bring for this vital and exciting campaign.

Let’s review: in 2007 we launched the Promise campaign earlier than we ever have before (and you rose to the occasion; even though it was the lazy days of August, you were far from lazy, racking up the number of meetings right from the start). By early fall we were crossing over the 100 meeting line months before the campaign usually even begins. As the leaves fell, you not only put out the calls for meetings, you came through, and by the time the holidays approached, we were nearing the 200 meeting mark -- more than the entire campaign has been in some past years. You did this with focus and purpose: there is no question that we won the renewal of the Special Diabetes Program thanks in great part to all these meetings.

Now, it’s time to step up for 2008 and the second half of the Promise to Remember Me Campaign. Because like our loved ones who battle diabetes, we can never rest from our mission. The time is ripe now to reach out and make those meetings happen. If you have yet to join in or set up a meeting, start the New Year off doing just that. If you’ve been trying with no success, keep in mind that our legislators are starting a fresh calendar too. You should find when you reach out that, with the winter break behind them, their staff is more willing and able to find a time to make your Promise Visit fit in.

Your legislators will be at home in district until Jan 14. There’s a good chance you can fit a meeting in during this time if you make a request quickly. And if that doesn’t fit, they’ll have another break at home around President’s Day from February 16th-24th, which may sound far away, but really now is the time to book that too. Remember, these meetings are to be with the elected official and is good for them too: what better way for them to start a new year than to meet with kids they help every day?

So we ask you to start this New Year knowing how very much we appreciate your hard work and understand the amazing positive implications it has had on the future of diabetes research. And being who we are – a group completely dedicated to not stopping until we’ve cure diabetes – we ask you to keep on moving as well. Our goal is 400 meetings by campaign’s end this spring. Let’s come in ahead of time and past that goal.

After all, we are the people who will be known for curing diabetes. We don’t back down.

If you have any questions or need help, just contact us. We have a team of key volunteers and staff who can help you with anything you need.

Best,

Tom Glass

Lorraine Steihle

SDP Passes!

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Greetings JDRF advocates!

We hope all is well and you are finally able to enjoy some well deserved down time over the holidays. Please remember that the congressional recess starts today, December 21^st and will run through January 14^th.

This week, Congress extended the Special Diabetes Program (SDP) for one year at 150 million dollars. While we were seeking a multi-year renewal and an increase in funding to $200 million each year for the SDP, given today’s budget climate and all the politics surrounding this bill it’s a massive success that we remained in the larger Medicare package at all. Plus, this allows us the opportunity to come back next year and continue to try for our multiyear renewal. Without your 188 completed Promise meetings, continual participation in action alerts and overall dedication to this cause the renewal may never have happened.

Since the bill passed unanimously in the Senate and overwhelmingly in the House we do have a shift in messaging for scheduling Promise meetings. When speaking to schedulers we ask that you request a meeting to thank your representative for their support of the SDP. Please click here to see how your House member voted or email Jonathan Stewart at jstewart@jdrf.org should you have any questions before making your meeting request.

Thanks again for everything you do and we wish you and your family a very happy holiday season!

Tom and Lorraine