On June 22^nd, the Breakthrough T1D Georgia Chapter held its 2016 Annual Meeting at the beautiful home of Jill and John Kampfe. More than 80 guests were in attendance as we shared accomplishments for FY16 which ended on June 30^th and goals for FY17.

Georgia Chapter Board member John Kampfe, who was recently installed as a member of the Breakthrough T1D International Board of Directors, opened the meeting with a State of the Foundation address. Highlights included a report on the June Breakthrough T1D Annual Conference in Washington, D.C., five-year investment goal, and Breakthrough T1D strategic plan for 2020.

Jack Womack, Georgia Chapter Board Chair, followed John’s report with the State of the Chapter address. Highlights included both financial and programmatic successes. Ride to Cure Diabetes and the 10^th anniversary of Rock the Cure exceeded fundraising goals. One Walk saw significant growth in participation and revenue while $1.65 million was raised for type 1 diabetes (T1D) research at the 2016 Hope Gala.

Additionally, we sent two Children’s Congress delegates to Washington, D.C. to represent Georgia while our Advocacy Committee along with Georgia constituents were instrumental in sustaining Congress’ support of the Special Diabetes Program.

Finally, in Outreach, we expanded partnerships with hospitals and endocrinologists, hosted a successful education event, TypeOneNation, with increased attendance, and held fast as one of the national leaders in Bag of Hope distribution.

The conclusion of the State of the Chapter address was celebratory, but bittersweet. While we elected 9 members to a two-year Board term, we saw 4 members transition off. Although their term ended, they remain committed to supporting the Georgia chapter in T1D research.

 New Members elected to the FY17 Board are:

Mandy Beretta                  Dr. Mary Chatman            Steve Economos

John Kampfe                     Paula Larson                       Spears Mallis     

Travis May                        Tina Romaniello                Barbara Williams

Retiring from the Board of Directors:

Emily Brinkley                    Hampton Mallis                

Jason Thompson               Andy Wise

To round out the evening, Executive Director Trey Moore issued a challenge to Annual Meeting guests and the entire Breakthrough T1D Georgia family. While we should celebrate all of our accomplishments in FY16, there is still more important work to do. There are many ways you can get involved. Volunteer as a mentor, form a One Walk team or join a planning committee. Everything you do affects the bottomline and gets us one step closer to a cure for T1D.

To find out how you can get involved, please contact the Breakthrough T1D Georgia Chapter at 404.420.5990 or email georgia@BreakthroughT1D.org.