Kids have the power to educate, motivate and inspire.

Cooper, age 10, started sharing his T1D story with his classmates and teachers when he was in 2nd grade. He thought it was important that everyone knew why he had to visit the nurse a few times a day, be very careful about what he ate for lunch, and about the beeping noises his diabetes devices made.The Powered by Kids program helped Cooper educate his school community, and raise money for diabetes research.

Last year, Cooper’s school kicked off their campaign with a virtual assembly where he presented T1D facts and answered questions about life with diabetes. They also held a Sneaker Drive – collecting gently used and new sneakers. The drive served two purposes – raising money for diabetes research, and donating shoes to children in need.

11 year old Savannah began educating her school community shortly after she was diagnosed 5 years ago. During that first in-school assembly she wasn’t sure how much she personally wanted to share and sat quietly with her classmates. This past fall, Savannah not only spoke to 600 students during two assemblies, she also spearheaded a successful t-shirt sale, and Breakthrough T1D “sneaker” sale, raising over $8,000! Savannah says “The T1D technology helps so much but I dream of a world where I can eat anything I want without having to wait or take insulin. I’m fundraising for Breakthrough T1D so me and my T1D friends can have a somewhat normal life!”

Typically, the Powered by Kids program is two-part – a brief interactive assembly (virtual or in-person) is held to teach students about T1D, diabetes, making healthy choices and answer any questions the students may have. Your school decides how they would like to raise funds for T1D research.

If  you’d like to learn how your school can help make a difference, contact Stacy DiArchangel at sdiarchangel@BreakthroughT1D.org or 848-229-3229.