As the final days of this remarkable year unfold, we pause to reflect on the extraordinary strides we’ve made together. This year has been nothing short of inspiring, and it’s all thanks to you—our passionate and dedicated community. Your unwavering support and generosity have propelled us forward, turning bold ideas into groundbreaking progress for everyone impacted by type 1 diabetes (T1D). With heartfelt gratitude, we celebrate the collective power of your passion, innovation, and commitment. Here’s to the milestones we’ve achieved and the hope you inspire every day. THANK YOU for being the driving force behind our mission!

Offering newly diagnosed families and individuals care kits that include useful resources and educational materials to help with their T1D journey, the Bag of Hope is for children under age 11; the Teen Pack is for youth ages 12-17; and the Adult Pack is for those age 18 and older. In 2024 the chapter delivered a total of 643 newly diagnosed care kits to families and individuals in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

This spring our chapter launched a new outreach initiative, Motivational Mail.  This initiative aims to serve as an additional touchpoint for Outreach Ambassadors by sharing a handwritten note of encouragement. We thank Melissa Colton for creating this program and launching it with her son, Jackson, at TypeOneNation Summit Boston. We are grateful to our eight Outreach Ambassadors and Noah Hopkins, our new Outreach Ambassador Chair, for helping with this important program.

Throughout the year Amanda Gilchrist and Kristin Neff, our Clinical Trial Education Volunteers, worked closely with clinical trial teams across Greater New England to stay informed about new trials. In addition, they collaborated with the Breakthrough T1D Community Screening and Clinical Trial Education team. This year, they joined us at the TypeOneNation Summits in Boston and Manchester, as well as the New Hampshire Walk, to help raise awareness and support the T1D community.

Our Chats from Home program—informal virtual gatherings for individuals and families in Greater New England—continued this year. These meetings are organized by age level for parents and caregivers to connect with others in a similar stage. There is also a group for adults living with T1D! While some participants are only a few weeks into their T1D journey, others have several decades of experience. We are grateful to all our participants who have joined us so far for their willingness to share their stories and offer support to their community. Thank you to our volunteers, Melissa Colton, Amanda Gilchrist, Elise Scalfani, Cathy Walter, and Noah Gardner, for hosting our monthly Chats.

Thank you to Crista Bode for organizing two informative sessions throughout the year for school health teams. We encourage you to share our webinar recordings with school nurses in your community and other members of the school health team, including principals, guidance counselors, coaches, psychologists, and social workers.  Chapter staff also had the opportunity to join school nurse conferences in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, connecting with more than 500 school nurses.

Past Webinars: 

• Caring for Children and Teens with Type One Diabetes in School” (March 5)  
• “Navigating Type 1 Diabetes: Insights and Strategies for the School Year”  (November 14) 

Learn more at breakthrought1d.org/greaternewengland/p/virtual-education-series

In March we were back at the Boston Marriott Copley Place Hotel for our annual TypeOneNation Summit Boston.  More than 400 attendees joined us from across Greater New England. Thank you to our speakers, volunteers, sponsors, and attendees who joined us at the event!

Our Keynote Address, “Press Your Luck: Diabetes Edition”, was presented by Stacey Simms and Kerri Sparling. Stacey is a broadcaster, author, producer, and mom of a son living with T1D since December 2006. Kerri Sparling is a writer, poet, and speaker who has dedicated her life to the power of patient narratives and has been living with T1D since 1986. Other educational sessions included: “Ask the Diabetes Specialists”, “Building Resilience: Preventing Burnout”, “From Tiny Steps to Big Leaps: Fostering Independence in Kids with Type 1 from Toddler to Teen”, “Living Mindfully with T1D”, “Navigating T1D and Exercise”, “T1D All Grown Up”, “Taking T1D to College”, “The Quest for a T1D Cure: Why Clinical Trials and Screening Matter”.

Save the dates for next year’s Summits on Saturday, March 8 in Boston, MA at the Boston Marriott Copley Place, Saturday, May 3 in Providence, RI at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and Saturday, May 17 in Manchester, NH at Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI).

On Saturday, April 6, more than 700 guests and volunteers joined us at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport for the 42nd Annual Greater New England Gala—One Night. This exceptional evening celebrated the collective efforts of the entire community to raise a record-breaking $2.5 million for T1D research! The energy and enthusiasm felt throughout the night was palpable, and we are so grateful to all of our incredible sponsors, families, and friends of Breakthrough T1D for their generosity.

Hosted by our emcees, Vanessa Welch and Mark Ockerbloom of Boston 25 News, Breakthrough T1D Greater New England was thrilled to recognize this year’s honorees, Lisa and Neil Wallack. The Wallacks exemplify dedication in all they do, and their passion for finding cures is an inspiration. Lisa’s initial involvement with the organization began 50 years ago through her parents, Marilyn and Gerald Fishbone, who were among the founders of, then, JDF after her brother Scott was diagnosed with T1D. Lisa and Neil increased their engagement with the Greater New England Chapter after their son, Harris, was diagnosed in 2001. Together, they have helped to bridge the past to the future for their children and extended family to also support Breakthrough T1D and the broader T1D community. We invite you to view their video and to share their message broadly to help further drive our mission forward: bit.ly/jdrfgnegalahonorees2024.

The evening would not have been possible without the amazing support of our partners. We are grateful to our corporate sponsors for their consistent and generous support of our organization. We offer very special thanks to our extraordinary One Night Gala Committee led by Gala Chair, Dawn McGrew; Corporate Development Committee co-chaired by Liz Chang and Corey Rosenfield; and Greater New England Community Board under the leadership of Community Board President, Jaleen Siekman, for their tireless efforts, endless creativity, and unwavering dedication to making the evening both memorable and impactful. We share much appreciation for the unparalleled talent and passion Brian Smith and his team bring to this event each year through the production of the beautiful videos shown throughout the evening. Many thanks to Hannoush Jewelers for providing the stunning diamond tennis bracelet for our raffle, and the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport for welcoming us to their beautiful new space. A huge thank you to our vendor partners Bailey Print Management, Boss Band, 360Boothy, Cramer, Encore, Exquisite Events, Greater Giving, OneCause, and Portrait Simple for bringing our ideas to life, assisting in the look, and management of the evening’s program. We would also like to recognize Kevin Trimmer Photography for beautifully capturing the special moments throughout the night, which may be viewed by visiting kevintrimmerphoto.instaproofs.com/JDRF-Boston-Gala-2024. Lastly, thank you to the 100 event volunteers who assisted the Greater New England staff and Gala Committee leading up to, during, and following the event. We are truly grateful to everyone who provided their time, talent, and treasure to ensure this year’s Gala was a complete success!

We are excited to announce that we will be honoring Stefany Shaheen and her family at the 43rd Annual Breakthrough T1D Greater New England Gala—One Night on Saturday, April 5 at the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport. To purchase tickets, support Fund A Cure, become a corporate sponsor, or to learn more, please visit bit.ly/gnegala2025. 

The Breakthrough T1D Greater New England Chapter is proud to have been an official member of the 2024 Bank of America Boston Marathon® Official Charity Program. The 128th Boston Marathon presented by Bank of America was held on April 15. Special thanks and congratulations to the seven Breakthrough T1D runners who raised more than $123,200 to support our mission!

• Casey Egan
• Kristin Gaul
• Brianne Kilian
• Maggie Pellegri
• Adam Quigley
• Meghan White
• Bonnie Wileman

We also extend our deepest appreciation to our longtime volunteer coaches, Mary Tolland and Neil Wallack, for imparting their wisdom and experience, and supporting our runners through every step as they trained for the 26.2-mile course.

Saturday, May 4 brought the first TypeOneNation Summit Manchester to New Hampshire. Held at the Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) facility, the summit included a keynote address by Stefany Shaheen; a presentation on “Mental Health and T1D” by Ellen O’Donnell, PhD; and a panel discussing ways to engage with Breakthrough T1D. Additionally, attendees were able to visit various vendors and community partners.

As spring broke through to summer, our beloved organization also went through its own transformation, moving from JDRF to the new Breakthrough T1D. Bringing our 50+ year history with us, we aligned our brand with who we are today—the leading global T1D organization working to accelerate life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent, and treat T1D and its complications. A condition that was once diagnosed as Juvenile Diabetes (the “JD” in JDRF) is now medically known as T1D and impacts all ages and stages of life. Our new brand reflects who we are today and the future breakthroughs we’re pursuing for the T1D community. No matter where you or a loved one is in their T1D journey, we are here for you. Our new purpose statement says it best: As we drive toward curing type 1 diabetes, we help make everyday life better for the people who face it.

This brand change was shared with the Greater New England community in June at our Annual Meeting held at the Babson Conference Center. This hybrid program also included highlights from the previous year, research updates, and volunteer recognition.

Our chapter kicked off the 2024 Breakthrough T1D Ride season in our own backyard! With 18 first time riders at the Burlington, VT Ride, Team Greater New England was recognized with the Yellow Jersey as the top recruiting chapter team. Congratulations to team members Adrian and Leslie Gonzalez, who were both recognized among the top ten individual fundraisers in Burlington, and a special thank you as well to Adrian’s corporate team, Logistics Leaders for T1D Cure, which was recognized as the top corporate fundraising team. Adrian was also the recipient of the Promise Jersey at the Burlington Ride.

The Promise Jersey is awarded at Breakthrough T1D Destination Rides to someone that puts others before themselves and has shown unwavering dedication to Breakthrough T1D and the Ride program. This jersey recognizes a person that does not have T1D but has made a promise to continue riding and fundraising until there are cures. This jersey is one of the program’s highest honors. Congratulations, Adrian!

Also in Burlington, Greater New England team member, Claire Devlin, received the Junior Ride Champion Jersey, and Anna Cook was awarded the Volunteer Dedication Jersey.

Congratulations to all our award recipients! Our chapter team was also represented at the Breakthrough T1D Rides in La Crosse, WI from August 1-4; Coeur d’Alene, ID from September 26-29; Death Valley, CA from October 24-27 and Amelia Island, FL from December 5-8. We also had several riders take advantage of Breakthrough T1D My Ride, where they participated anytime, anywhere.

To date, our 75 riders have raised more than $255,000 (and counting)! Thank you to our Top Five Riders. (Note: funds raised as of 11/25/24.)

1. Scott Kasper
2. Leslie Gonzalez | Logistics Leaders for T1D Cure
3. Adrian Gonzalez | Logistics Leaders for T1D Cure
4. Brenda Morris
5. Alanya Engtrakul | Novo Nordisk

Many thanks to our coaches Doug Cornelius, Don Cummings, Frank Dougherty, Scott Kasper, and Cathy Ryan for their continued dedication and commitment to the Ride program!

From Burlington, VT to North Kingstown, RI the next day, where more than 250 golfers, sponsors, and volunteers joined us at the 23rd Annual Golf Classic to raise a record-breaking $227,000 (and counting)! We are so grateful to all of our extraordinary sponsors, families, and friends of Breakthrough T1D for your generosity and ongoing commitment to our mission. It was incredible to see everyone out on the course, enjoying the sunshine, having a memorable and successful day at Quidnessett Country Club. Players enjoyed on-course games, raffles, and the silent auction. The event featured an exciting Meet or Beat the Marker, Hole-in-One contest, and various treats from our generous Snack Hole Sponsors.

We are so thankful for the ongoing commitment of our Presenting Sponsor, NEFCO Fire Investigations, and to all our incredible sponsors and in-kind supporters. We offer very special thanks to the extraordinary Tee Up to Cure Diabetes Golf Committee, led by Golf Chair, Chris Librizzi, Fund A Cure Speaker, Zach Librizzi, Procurement Chair, Michelle LeBeau, our emcee for the evening, Nick Coit of ABC 6, and our amazing event volunteers. We are truly grateful for their support, energy, and time to ensure this year’s tournament was a huge success!

Breakthrough T1D runners experienced a magical weekend during runDisney events while helping to turn Type One into Type None. Our 2024 runDisney team raised more than $30,500. Thank you to our 16 amazing 2024 runDisney athletes, especially our top three fundraisers below. We also look forward to cheering on our runners participating in the 2025 Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend from January 8-12, and the 2025 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend from February 20-24.

Top Three:

1. Erin Taylor | 2024 Princess Half Marathon Weekend
2. Carmen Robles | 2024 Marathon Weekend
3. Joseph Chase | 2024 Marathon Weekend

The 52nd running of the ASICS Falmouth Road Race took place on Sunday, August 18. Breakthrough T1D is proud to be an official partner of the Falmouth Road Race Numbers for Nonprofits program. Thank you to our 18 runners who raised more than $36,700 for Breakthrough T1D!

Top Three: 

1. Callie Smith
2. Emily Moreno
3. Christine Suffredini

Also in August, Breakthrough T1D Greater New England was thrilled to be a first-time participant in the 13th Annual Slam T1D Summer Classic in Essex, VT.  This annual wiffle ball weekend tournament brings teams from across the country to raise awareness and funds for T1D. The Breakthrough T1D team, Basals Loaded, captained by Community Board Member Matt Holmes, along with his daughter Jordan, and members of five of our Vermont families, participated in an exhibition game against the Novo Nordisk DA Bulls. Although the game ultimately ended in a loss, lots of fun was had on the field and we can’t wait to come back for our exhibition game next year!

Team Breakthrough T1D then started their adventure for the 2024 Ragnar Reach the Beach Relay. We are grateful to Team Berkshire (formerly team Agony of Duhfeet) led by Liz Chang and Joe Wallace, and team Sistas with Blistas who joined us again this year. The teams began this grueling relay at Attitash Mountain Resort, NH on Friday, September 13 and finished the race at Hampton Beach, NH on Saturday, September 14. These teams not only collectively ran more than 800 miles but also raised over $109,900 for T1D research.

This year, our chapter formed a new charity partnership with the Cambridge Half Marathon at CambridgeSide. Thank you to Calista Agmata for raising $1,000 for Breakthrough T1D and to the race participants who donated additional funds to support Breakthrough T1D. We’re excited to see this partnership grow with other local races!

As summer turned to fall the Greater New England Chapter geared up for the annual Breakthrough T1D Walks in Boston, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. This year was an incredible success, as thousands of supporters and hundreds of volunteers came together as a community to celebrate, connect, and inspire hope! Teams had the option to Walk Your Way or join us at one of our four sites, where the energy was contagious. We were thrilled to bring the fourth location back to the New Hampshire community! Across Greater New England we saw more than 8,000 walkers lace up their sneakers to support Breakthrough T1D’s mission! A big thank you to this year’s Presenting Sponsors, Novo Nordisk in Boston and Sequel Med Tech in New Hampshire who also supported all four Walks. Lastly, thank you to all of our fundraisers, especially our Top Five Teams, who have raised more than $983,700. (Note: totals pulled 12/2/24.)

Boston:

1. Val’s Diabetes Defeaters
2. ANNA’S ALL-STARS
3. Team Zac
4. Team Jada
5. T1 Terminators

Maine:

1. Color Me Cured
2. Tim1Dom
3. Maddie’s Diabuddies
4. Hope for Hadley
5. Walking for Xavier

New Hampshire:

1. Diabesties
2. Osborne-Sullivan United
3. DEKA Research and Development
4. twiist and Shout
5. Sebastian’s Crew

Rhode Island:

1. Mady’s Mad-Dogs
2. Awesome Annie!
3. Lenny’s Diabuddies
4. Team Moose
5. Team Super Jack

There is more work to do to reach our overall Walk goal of $1,086,725. Our four Walk sites are open through December 31 and funds can be credited to the 2024 Walks through June 30. Even though the Walk is over, breakthroughs are still needed, and our teams and donors can continue to make a difference.

Our deepest thanks to our Walk Committee members, Crista Bode, David and Paula Boulanger, Brian Colton, Jason and Stacey Gay, Teresa Miller, Traci Pena, Jonathan Pivor, Mike Ravid, Joe Sgammato, Lysette Sola, Cindy Wright, led by Walk Champion Noah Gardner, for your steadfast dedication and passion for Walk!

National Diabetes Awareness Month (NDAM) kicked off with our Speaker Series, a community reception and research briefing featuring Michael A. Brehm, PhD, UMass Chan Medical School. Dr. Brehm spoke about the exciting T1D research being conducted by the world-class team of scientists at the Breakthrough T1D Center of Excellence in New England. Dr. Brehm’s discussion highlighted the innovative research and promising developments that are bringing us closer to better treatments and, ultimately, a cure for T1D. A special thank you to Goodwin, our gracious host.

On World Diabetes Day, November 14, communities across the globe illuminated major landmarks in blue to raise awareness for type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes. Thank you to all the local landmarks across the Greater New England area that were lit blue: Memorial Bridge (Portsmouth, NH/Kittery, ME), Boston City Hall, Boston Harbor Hotel, UMASS Boston Integrated Science Complex, Westfield City Hall (Westfield, MA), Patriots Place (Foxboro, MA), Veterans Memorial Auditorium (Providence, RI), Moran Frame (Burlington, VT) and the Rhode Island State House. Special thanks to our local community for visiting the landmarks and sharing photos with our chapter! 

As a new activity this year, several local public libraries partnered with our chapter to set up Diabetes Awareness Month book displays and Breakthrough T1D information displays. Thank you to Warwick Public Library (Warwick, RI), Lincoln Public Library (Lincoln, RI), Pawtucket Public Library (Pawtucket, RI), Weaver Public Library (East Providence, RI), Concord Public Library (Concord, NH), Brookline Public Library (Brookline, MA), and Marlborough Public Library (Marlborough, MA). Our chapter created and distributed free custom children’s and adult T1D awareness bookmarks to libraries and schools across Greater New England. Our chapter also partnered with gyms and fitness centers to offer diabetes awareness displays at locations including The Granite YMCA in Manchester, NH and LA Fitness in Natick, MA.  

We were thrilled to continue our partnership with the Rhode Island World Diabetes Day committee in 2024! This year’s festivities, hosted by the Rhode Island Department of Health and State Representative Grace Diaz, on Tuesday, November 14, featured a morning filled with enlightening and motivational presentations, interactive discussions, and allowed Rhode Islanders living with both type 1 and type 2 to connect with peers and professional organizations, including Breakthrough T1D!

This year was filled with countless moments where the Greater New England community came together in extraordinary ways. In February, Breakthrough T1D partnered with Maine P-PODs for their Type 1 Diabetes Summit where families networked with others in the community including vendors and providers, listened to great guest speakers, and participated in a Q&A session. Thank you to Greater New England Community Board Member, Dawn McGrew, for providing an exciting research update at this event! September brought another highlight as Breakthrough T1D was honored with the Red Sox IMPACT Award for Maine and Rhode Island, recognizing our efforts in research, advocacy, and services to the T1D community. None of this would have been possible without our incredible volunteers who launched their own unique and impactful fundraising campaigns and events like school dress down days, athletic event fundraisers, polar plunges and fundraising events to honor special occasions and milestones. The ingenuity and passion of our supporters shone brightly! We extend special thanks to Bill Matthews, whose Cranberry Cup Hockey Tournament has supported Breakthrough T1D since 2011, and Corie Mae Pappo, who championed mission through the WJP T1D Foundation Golf Tournament. Families also Dined for Diabetes, enjoying a night off from cooking while making a difference. Others rallied at our Changemaker Celebrations and minor league hockey games or found community at adult and teen meet ups, ice skating days, craft fairs, and more. Every event reflected the spirit of togetherness and commitment to our mission.

Lastly, thank you to all of our volunteers for their endless contributions over the year. From connecting with newly diagnosed families seeking a mentor, to sharing your stories as our Cure Champions every month, to stewarding our corporate partners like Marshalls who has partnered with Breakthrough T1D since 1994, to articulating the financial, medical, and emotional costs of the disease with members of Congress during Government Day. You are a critical part of the strength of this community and help us make progress towards cures. We’re so grateful to have your incredibly generous support; we couldn’t do any of this without you.

This year, because of you… 

• Breakthrough T1D announced the launch of Project Accelerate Cell Therapies, or Project ACT. This initiative, made possible by transformational philanthropic support, aims to dramatically speed up the development of cell therapies as cures for T1D.
• The first stem cell-derived islet therapy entered a Phase 3 study. Vertex’s VX-880 is a stem cell-derived islet therapy to restore the body’s ability to produce insulin for people with T1D and hypoglycemia unawareness and severe hypoglycemic events.
• Eledon Pharmaceutical’s drug, tegoprubart, is showing to be a less-toxic immune therapy to keep transplanted islets healthy and safe from destruction from the immune system. Potentially used in conjunction with stem-cell derived islets, which can be produced at a much higher scale, making it a more realistic option for most people living with T1D.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Servies (CMS) introduced a unique ICD-10 code for stage 2 T1D. By accurately identifying individuals at this critical stage of T1D, healthcare providers can treat and monitor them accordingly, improving both patient outcomes and enhancing our understanding and management of T1D.

Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a New Year filled with hope, health, and happiness.

From all of us at Breakthrough T1D Greater New England, thank you for another unforgettable year!

P.S. If Breakthrough T1D is part of your year-end giving plans, gifts can be made online at BreakthroughT1D.org/donate or postmarked by December 31, 2024 and sent to Breakthrough T1D Greater New England, PO Box 5009, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5009.

The Breakthrough T1D Greater New England office will be closed for Winter Break beginning at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, December 24 and will reopen on Wednesday, January 2.

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Thank you to our Newly Diagnosed Care Kit Distributors:

Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital

Concord Hospital

Elliot Hospital

UMass Memorial Health Diabetes Clinic, Child Life Services

And a special thanks to our Newly Diagnosed Care Kit Referral Partners. We are grateful for your support in sharing these resources with your patients.