What an incredible Children’s Congress! Thank you to everyone who supported our delegates along the way, whether it be through social media, kind words, or a phone call to wish them good luck!
Alexander with Aaron J. Kowalski, CEO of Breakthrough T1D
170 delegates from all fifty states, and the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Israel, Australia, and Canada convened in Washington, D.C. from July 7 –9 to share their stories with their legislators! They got to attend a Senate Hearing, speak to their Congressmen, and met with T1D Role Models, such as Katie Bone (American Ninja Warrior) and Ava August (American Idol Finalist), and others!
Our delegates focused on renewing the Special Diabetes Program (SDP), securing strong funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and supporting policies that accelerate cell therapy research.
On July 9th, the Delegates officially headed to Capitol Hill. They were ready with their talking points, their stories, and their passion.
Our Missouri delegates in front of Sen. Josh Hawley’s office.
The first event was a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee hearing led by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Patt Murray (D-WA), Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, as well as Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee (Sens. Collins and Shaheen are also co-chairs of the Senate Diabetes Caucus). The hearing was titled “A Future Without Type 1 Diabetes: Accelerating Breakthroughs and Creating Hope.”
Four witnesses spoke about the importance of these issues and what it’s like to live with T1D—including T1D Role Model Katie Bone, Delegates Rachel White and Ruby Whitmore, and Director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, Griffin P. Rodgers, M.D., M.A.C.P.
Anelie and Tommy in front of the U.S. Capitol!
The hearing focused on the challenges facing the T1D community, the tangible steps Senators can take to ensure vital T1D research continues to drive us toward cures, and what is possible if the NIH, Breakthrough T1D, and the rest of our partners continue to fruitfully collaborate.
All 14 Senators in attendance demonstrated their bipartisan commitment to our Delegates and the T1D community. During the hearing, Senator Collins announced that she and Senator Shaheen had just introduced the Special Diabetes Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 to renew the SDP’s funding for 2 years.
You can watch the hearing here!
Danna in front of the U.S. Capitol | Tommy, Anelie, Danna, and Jonas with Sen. Eric Schmitt.
Our Chapter Delegates
The Kansas & Missouri chapter was proud to send five delegates, four from Missouri and one from Kansas, to advocate on our behalf on Capitol Hill. These incredible kids live with type 1 diabetes and did an amazing job talking to their legislators! They got to speak with people like Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri, and Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, among others! Meet our five delegates below, and check out some of the photos from Children’s Congress!
