Team PipPop joined the Breakthrough T1D family after the family’s youngest daughter, Rachel, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 2010. Six years later, Team PipPop is a top fundraising team at Breakthrough T1D One Walk, Rutgers University. We spoke with Rachel’s mom, Jennifer Post, to learn more about their story and share some of their team’s great fundraising tips.

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JDRF: When did you first get connected with Breakthrough T1D?

Jennifer Post: We first were connected right after Rachel was diagnosed in July 2010

JDRF: How many years have you been participating in Breakthrough T1D walk?

Jennifer: This will be our 6^th year walking.

JDRF: What is your favorite memory from the walks?

Jennifer: We loved the year that Rachel got to cut the ribbon to start the walk!! The launch is always our favorite part, having the whole team behind us and supporting Rachel. But when she cut the ribbon, the look on her face was priceless!

JDRF:  Can you tell me the story behind the team name PipPop?

Jennifer: We walk for my Dad, Augie, who has lived with type 1 diabetes for over 50 years. He is known as Poppy to the grandkids. Rachel was nicknamed Pippy, by him, at a very young age because she was always acting like such a pip! The first year we walked was a music themed walk, so we came up with PipPop as a play on hiphop. It just stuck as a perfect team name after that.

JDRF: What keeps your family coming back every?

Jennifer: Out of all 4 of my babies, Rachel was the only one to come straight home from the hospital with us, having no complications like the other preemies. I had no idea that the challenges with her would come so much later and greater than the rest. While the other 3 spent time in the NICU, we were able to help them progress to the point of being well enough to come home. But for Rachel, raising money for Breakthrough T1D was the only way to fill the hole that opened in my heart on 7/15/10 and will likely remain until a cure is found. So we raise money, we gather at the walk, we accept the support of our family, friends and the Breakthrough T1D community. It’s the only thing that helps.

JDRF: Can you share some fundraising tips on how you continue to raise $10,000 each year? In fact, last year, you raised $15,000! What fundraising strategies work best for you and your team?

Jennifer: We have a great fundraising base between myself, my mother and my sister. We have great success using Facebook to recruit team members and solicit donations.

There has not been a party to celebrate a milestone in our family that we have accepted actual gifts, but we always accept donations to Breakthrough T1D in lieu of them. We have family members who manage home sales businesses and run fundraisers, donating portions of their profits to our walk efforts. We have family members who organize “Denim Day” fundraisers in their schools and donate the proceeds to our walk.

We have team members who work for corporations who match donations and these team members are instrumental in recruiting even more walkers for us every year. Our team grows each time we walk. Rachel’s young cousins even ran a door-to-door fundraising campaign in their neighborhood last year, raising over $200 for us. They are all under the age of 6.

The support you will find is overwhelming when you spread awareness and your story of living with diabetes. People see that their donations to Breakthrough T1D make a real difference and can’t help but contribute in any way they can. It is very humbling.

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For additional information on Breakthrough T1D One Walk, visit walk.jdrf.org. For additional fundraising tips for your One Walk team, contact newjerseymetro@BreakthroughT1D.org or call us at (732) 219-6554.