Children’s Congress 2011

JDRF is accepting applications for the 2011 Children’s Congress, held in Washington, D.C., June 20-22. Every other year, JDRF chooses delegates to represent all 50 states. The children and their family meet with Members of Congress to educate them about the critical need for federal funding for type 1 diabetes research. Our families’ stories, told in their own words, are more powerful than almost any other type of legislator education.

Elizabeth Roosevelt, FDR’s great-great granddaughter, attended Children’s Congress with her mother, Kim in 2009. Elizabeth has lived with type 1 diabetes since she was five years old. As they met face-to-face with some of the top decision makers in the US government, Kim said that the biggest challenge to raising a child with diabetes is never getting a break from it.

“I check my daughter’s blood sugar 8 to 10 times per day and set my alarm usually twice a night,” she said. “On evenings where she is running really high, my husband and I rotate getting up every hour to check her blood sugar and give her insulin until her blood sugar has reached a safe level.”

Kim does not feel comfortable leaving her daughter with babysitters for an extended period of time. She said that diabetes is manageable but it requires constant attention to make sure her daughter’s blood sugar levels in a safe and normal range to avoid long-term complications.

When FDR was in office he helped with polio research. Now, Elizabeth is following suit by helping to raise awareness of another disease – diabetes.

Children’s Congress inspires lawmakers to remember the children who live with type 1 diabetes when appropriating funds for medical research and voting on other important federal issues relating to diabetes. The deadline is October 4th, so apply today!

To learn more about Children’s Congress or to complete the application process, visit our website or childrenscongress@jdrf.org. Applicants must be between the ages of 4 and 17 and have type 1 diabetes. All applications must be received by JDRF by 5pm EDT on Monday, October 4, 2010. You can complete the application online, or download a hardcopy to submit through the mail.

Watch a video message from Jeffery Brewer, the President and CEO of JDRF, explain why CC is such an important event for type 1 research.

Follow JDRF Dallas on Facebook!