If you haven’t figured it out by now, you will soon learn that I am a huge Type 1 Diabetes/JDRF Advocate. I will raise money for JDRF until a cure is found. I am also a big advocate on creating awareness for Type 1- through this blog, sharing Luke’s experiences with others, answering questions, and now through Kids for a Cure.

I am currently a 4th grade teacher. Our school will be transitioning into a Project Based Learning (PBL) environment along side New Tech Network starting next year. Because of this, I wanted to kind of dabble in PBL with my class this year.

Being a Type 1 Mom myself, as well as being the teacher of a Type 1 student this year, I thought what better cause for our project than JDRF and Type 1 awareness!? In September, my class did a research project on Type 1 in order to prepare for the annual JDRF One Walk to support their classmate. Now, at the end of the year, we are taking it one step further. We are hosting an all-school Kids for a Cure event for JDRF! My kids are SO excited and have been doing an incredible job working and preparing to advocate for JDRF.

We kicked off our Kids for a Cure project with an all-school assembly where our local JDRF representative came to talk to all 600+ students and staff about Type 1 Diabetes, JDRF, and the walk. At that assembly, they were encouraged to get sponsors & raise funds for JDRF for our Kids for a Cure walk, which will be happening in two weeks.

While the students are getting sponsors, they can also bring in $1.00 to get a paper shoe to write their name on and stick on our Walking for a Cure wall. Some kids brought in $20.00 so they could write their name on twenty shoes!!

I love how even the little first graders get it. They totally understand that their $1.00 is going towards a great cause.

Also, during the two weeks leading up to the walk, each kid in my own class worked hard with his/her group to create a presentation about Type 1 and/or JDRF to present to students, staff and parents at our school picnic at the end of the week. I’m creating a whole class full of little T1D advocates!

Our art teacher wanted to get on board and help, as well. With the encouragement from my class, they decided to use the next two art periods for all four sections of 4th grade to make woven bracelets to sell at the school picnic for $1.00 each. They are donating the money towards our Kids for a Cure event, as well! (Funny thing is, they keep buying their own bracelets! I’m not sure how many we will actually have for sale! Ha!) My class chose the colors of the bracelets- gray, blue, and white for T1D and a little bit of red to represent the pokes and prods all T1s have to endure each day.

I cannot wait until walk day! To see more than 600 kids and staff out walking all for the same reason- to help JDRF find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes!