© 2009 eunice brownlee

Type 1 diabetes runs in my family, so the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is a cause that has a personal resonance with me. Last year, I was fortunate enough to photograph the annual walk/run for the Rocky Mountain Chapter, which ended up being a lot of fun and raised a lot of money.

The number of children with type 1 diabetes is growing. Each year, more than 15,000 children and teenagers are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the U.S. That’s more than 40 per day. The vast majority of children diagnosed with any form of diabetes are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY2008. More than 85 percent of JDRF’s expenditures directly support research and research-related education. In FY2008, the Foundation funded more than 1,000 centers, grants, and fellowships in 22 countries, including nearly 40 human clinical trials. (source: JDRF Rocky Mountain)

This year, I was unable to attend the event itself, but got to experience the joy of photographing the awards banquet, where all of the accomplishments of the participating teams and sponsors were celebrated. The kids and adults had a great time running around and playing games at the Lucky Strike Bowling Alley in Belmar.

I look forward to next year’s event and hope that you will consider putting a team together to help raise money for a very worthy cause.

To donate or find your local JDRF chapter, please click here.