Breakthrough T1D Your Way

Our Youth Ambassadors work to drive Breakthrough T1D’s mission forward by leading fundraising events. On a team call, first year YA Gabriella Sommers shared that she was launching a Breakthrough T1D Your Way and planned to do a pumpkin patch for her neighborhood in the fall.

Breakthrough T1D Your Way is an opportunity to fundraise anywhere, anytime! You pick the date, time, event, special occasion – the decision is yours! We provide you with the platform and tools to share your story to make an impact.

Gabriella’s family went all out decorating their front yard – including 500 pumpkins that people could pick from for making a donation to Breakthrough T1D. They also had mums, hay bales, goody bags and a visit from Goldy’s Ice Cream to make the day complete!

Community Support

The Sommers were overwhelmed with the response  – there was a non-stop flow of friends, family, neighbors and others from the community who had heard about Gabriella’s Pumpkin Patch.

Gabriella and her family were supported by local companies, including Gasko’s Farm and Mc Ginnis Printing, who worked with them to make sure the day was complete. We applaud Gabriella and the time, energy and effort she put into making the day incredibly successful. She had the opportunity to speak with a number of her supporters and share her experience of living with type 1 diabetes. The family is already talking about next year’s pumpkin patch and their plan to expand the experience! We look forward to seeing how her pumpkin patch will grow in the years to come!

Gabriella’s work was even featured on News Channel 12 (click the picture to see the video).

Gabriella’s First Annual Pumpkin Patch raised over $5,500!