Twenty Six Hundred kids. I’ll say it again—-twenty six hundred kids. Do you know what that represents? That represents the amount of kids who applied for a college scholarship last year from the Diabetes Scholars Foundation, according to Mary Podjasek, President and Executive Director.
That means twenty-six hundred kids graduated high school last year who had diabetes, and those are the ones we only know about because they applied. There’s many more I’m sure. They are going on to college and they are saying; “take THAT diabetes”.
But here is the problem. And it is a REAL PROBLEM. Less than 50 kids received a scholarship last year and when I asked Ms. Podjasek if the only reason more were not given out was due to lack of money, she answered, “Absolutely”. She continued, “Easily 200 more could have been given out. They were that good.”
Hear that again; OUR KIDS WERE THAT GOOD.
Do you know what a Merit Scholarship Winner is? Merit scholarships are awarded:
*to identify and honor academically talented U.S. high school students
*to stimulate increased support for their education
*to provide efficient and effective scholarship program management for organizations that wish to sponsor college undergraduate scholarships.
Less than 1/2 of 1 percent of those who apply, receive what is commonly known as the toughest of the toughest to achieve in the USA. The toughest.
And yet, there were recipients of that award last year, who have diabetes, who did not receive a Diabetes Scholars Foundation……….award. Imagine a child with diabetes applying for a scholarship, from the only entity of its kind giving such scholarships, having the top scores, but not receiving an award because there is not enough money.
My dear friends, THAT FALLS ON US.
How many times have we heard that our children have been through so much in what they do, day in and day out? They need to be recognized for what they do and it MUST BE NOTED that they do it despite/with/concurrently while battling diabetes and yet the only national organization that recognizes in the forms of scholarships for college; must say no.
Now hear me out. I get it. I really do. I want everyone to fund the work of the DRI for a cure. And someone else wants everyone to fund the work of the JDRF, the ADA, Diabetes Camps, Denise Faustman’s work, CWD, other Diabetes Researchers, or The Diabetes Hands Foundation and on and on and on……fair enough—to each their own. I totally get it.
But I also think that we all can agree that if the ONLY place, on a national scale, where our kids living with type 1 diabetes can get a scholarship to colleges based on the fact that they are living with T1; is the Diabetes Scholars Foundation—-don’t you think we should all find a couple of bucks to send their way…….I mean really?
Don’t get that bottle of wine, that pack of cigarettes, that dinner in a restaurant, your nails done this week, that trip to a sports arena……..give it up—-just once and send a donation.
A couple of bucks! Think about it, but more than that……here is the link, give something.
All of our kids have gone; or go through school……..if we do not give, no one else will. Tomorrow you can go back to all of the other organizations you believe in, BUT THIS IS THE ONLY one of its kind that is available to all kids with type 1 diabetes to apply. Two hundred kids NOT TO RECEIVE a scholarship ONLY for the reason that there is not enough money………..we can fix that…….we must fix that…….or shame on us all.
I am a diabetes dad.
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