Special Diabetes Program

Good Thursday to you and hope you had a chance to follow
along our #JDRFGovDay
efforts on Twitter
earlier this week. Volunteer JDRF Advocacy leaders were on Capitol Hill on Monday
and Tuesday to ask Congress to support a letter issued to the congressional
leadership by the House and Senate caucuses on Diabetes.

Check out the final highlight for the 2011 Childrens’ Congress from our camera team, this one features more testimony from award winning actor, Kevin Kline and our delegates. (Apologies for the delay in getting this up for you but I had taken a little vacation right after CC and this clips wasn’t ready by the time I left!)

I’ll have another clip or two to share later this week and will also share blogs that our CC delegates have put out about their advocacy in Washington.

After having worked the past three Children’s Congresses, I love the fact that each class of our delegates is key in making sure that we continue to push forward towards a cure and ensure that federal funding continues to support this effort. 

We were very lucky to have Brian Kenny join us at another Children's Congress this year!  Brian served as the emcee for the "Role Models with Type 1 Diabetes" Town Hall panel.  Check out our video from Brian below!

I had great
time hanging out with Crystal Bowersox and her team during the 2011 Children’s
Congress, what a great set of people to be around and so inspiring for our
delegates! See below for a quick video she did for me as she was preparing to
attend a meeting on Capitol Hill.

I got a chance to catch up with swimmer and Olympian, Gary Hall, who also shared his thoughts on his time at Children's Congress (watch the highlights of the town hall).

The 2011 Children’s Congress also invited LPGA player, Carling Coffing to the Role Models with Diabetes town hall.

As a professional golfer, Carling is in her fourth season on the Duramed Future Tour. She was twice named to the Big Ten All-Conference Second Team, and in 2010, she was winner of the Golf Channel's Big Break: Sandals Resort Series. Diagnosed at age five, she hopes that through her success and exposure on the golf course, she can be a role model for children with diabetes. Carling donated a portion of her 2010 professional golf earnings to JDRF. She will be a role-model panelist at Town Hall during Children's Congress.

Check out what Kendall Simmons had to say about the 2011 Children’s Congress before the Role Models with Diabetes town hall on day 2 (watch the highlights of the town hall).

Kendall is an NFL football guard who has played with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills. In 2005, Kendall, along with his Steelers teammates, defeated the Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field in Detroit, MI to win Super Bowl XL. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before the 2003 season, and was be a role-model panelist at Town Hall during Children's Congress.

‘…do a little poke here and do that 10 or 12 times a day and that’s how you check your blood’, as Kiki from Washington State explained to his senator, Maria Cantwell. Thanks to all the Members of Congress who took time to meet with the 2011 Children’s Congress delegates. Your time for the children means the world to them!

This clip covers the following highlights:

* Capitol  Hill meetings
* Senate hearing on diabetes: TRANSFORMING LIVES THROUGH DIABETES RESEARCH. You can read the text and watch the full hearing here, http://1.usa.gov/jdaZZ8.