JDRF (formerly Known As The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) - Advocacy

Advocacy

JDRF organizes people with a T1D connection to act as advocates for T1D research and awareness.

Some of the issues JDRF lobbies on behalf of include:

• Congressional support for and renewal of the Special Diabetes Program, which provides federal funding for type 1 diabetes research

• Expedited regulatory approval by the FDA for devices and drugs that can have immediate impact on the lives of people with type 1 diabetes by better treating or curing the disease

• The expansion of federal funding of and support for specific types of research that may have an impact on type 1 diabetes, such as stem cell research

JDRF has two advocacy campaigns running currently – Children’s Congress and the “Promise to Remember Me” campaign. The campaigns hold events on alternating years.

Children’s Congress(conducted on odd-numbered years) sends children with T1D from across the 50 states to Washington, D.C., to speak in front of Congress about the importance of federal funding for T1D research.

The Promise Campaign(conducted on even-numbered years) organizes meetings between JDRF Advocates and their Senators and Representatives. Advocates use these meetings to educate legislators about T1D and emphasize the need for federal research funding.