The Palmetto Chapter JDRF

• Internship
• Volunteer
• Government Relations/Advocacy
• Children’s Congress

Children’s Congress

Every two years, JDRF International Chairman Mary Tyler Moore and over one hundred children with type 1 diabetes gather in Washington, D. C. to meet face-to-face with some of the top decision-makers in the U.S. government. The children, ages 4 to 17, represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As participants in JDRF's Children's Congress, they have a unique and empowering opportunity to help Members of Congress understand what living with type 1 diabetes is like on a daily basis and why research to find the cure for diabetes and its complications is so critical.

Mallory Boyd, diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age nine, was selected to be the Palmetto Chapter's representative for the 2007 Children’s Congress. Without doubt, Mallory was a strong spokesperson for JDRF, an ambassador who spoke frankly with Senator Lindsey Graham and House Representative Joe Wilson about her struggles with type 1 diabetes. Reb Boyd (17), Mallory's younger brother, was chosen to represent South Carolina in the 2009 Children’s Congress. Reb was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 10 years old. Reb advocated for federal funding for diabetes research alongside Nick Jonas, Mary Tyler Moore and Sugar Ray Leonard.

To view the press release from the 2009 Children's Congress, click here. 
Enjoy photos from the 2009 Children's Congress below:

With your help, we are moving research from the laboratory bench to the patient's bedside, translating scientific advances into longer, healthier lives for those with diabetes. With your help, we are moving closer to our goal… a cure for diabetes and its complications.