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Annual Tradition Continues—–Your Child and a Personal Santa Letter

Posted on November 27, 2017 | by tomkarlya | Leave a Comment

SANTA CLAUS CAN PEN A PERSONAL NOTE TO YOUR CHILD THIS CHRISTMAS
Jolly holiday 7th Annual fundraiser benefits Diabetes Research Institute Foundation
NOTE: Your child does not have to have diabetes to receive a letter from Santa (cute video—click picture)

Yes, Virginia (and Emma, and Maria, and Max, and Willie…), there is a Santa Claus. To prove it, Ol’ Saint Nick himself will send a personalized letter – complete with a North Pole stamp – to any child, in any part of the world for a minimum donation to the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. This jolly holiday fundraiser is up and running and you can click this SANTA CLAUS to learn how to send a letter and make a donation. Your child receiving a personal letter from Santa is certain to light up faces brighter than the star on the tree. And of course if you do not know of anyone who would want a letter from Santa….you can make a donation to just help the DRI continue their collaborative efforts to end diabetes once and for all.

Click here to learn more about the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

The personalized letters, which can be requested by parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles or any other family member or friend, can include all sorts of information; like a reference to any toy, game, iPad or techno-gadget on the child’s wish list or even mention something about their pet. Santa can even encourage them and that he knows how well they have been trying to manage their diabetes as well. The fundraising campaign is open to all families everywhere, not just those affected by diabetes.

To get all of the letters out to children by Christmas day, a legion of Santa’s “elves” are standing by around the country, according to volunteer chairwoman Marie Jarcho.

“We had a tremendous response the last seven years. This is a wonderful and easy way to brighten a child’s Christmas and they loved it. The more information that parents or others supply, the more personal Santa’s letter will be,” she said. “…… it is my sincere hope that people will give what they can to help the Diabetes Research Institute find a cure.”

After the debut event, one mother wrote that her child was so thrilled with the personalized letter that she slept with it every night until Christmas. The DRI Foundation is hoping for an even greater response this year.

To send a child a letter from Santa Claus, JUST CLICK HERE or you can click the picture to see a really cute Santa Video about the personalized letters. The deadline for participation is midnight on December 11th in the USA and December 6th for any area outside the USA.

I am a diabetes dad.
Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

Your Child can Receive a Personal Letter from Santa—-6th Annual Tradition Continues!

Posted on November 28, 2016 | by tomkarlya | Leave a Comment

SANTA CLAUS CAN PEN A PERSONAL NOTE TO YOUR CHILD THIS CHRISTMAS
Jolly holiday 6th Annual fundraiser benefits Diabetes Research Institute Foundation
NOTE: Your child does not have to have diabetes to receive a letter from Santa (cute video—click picture)

Click here to learn more about the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

To get theall of the letters out to children by Christmas day, a legion of Santa’s “elves” are standing by around the country, according to volunteer chairwoman Marie Jarcho.

“We had a tremendous response the last six years. This is a wonderful and easy way to brighten a child’s Christmas and they loved it. The more information that parents or others supply, the more personal Santa’s letter will be,” she said. “…… it is my sincere hope that people will give what they can to help the Diabetes Research Institute find a cure.”

To send a child a letter from Santa Claus, JUST CLICK HERE or you cn click the picture to see a really cute Santa Video about the personalized letters. The deadline for participation is midnight on December 9th in the USA and December 6th for any area outside the USA.

I am a diabetes dad.

Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

The Fundraising Tradition Continues…..a Santa Claus Personal Letter to Your Child

Posted on November 23, 2015 | by tomkarlya | Leave a Comment

SANTA CLAUS CAN PEN A PERSONAL NOTE TO YOUR CHILD THIS CHRISTMAS
Jolly holiday 5th Annual fundraiser benefits Diabetes Research Institute Foundation
NOTE: Your child does not have to have diabetes to receive a letter from Santa

Yes, Virginia (and Emma, and Maria, and Max, and Willie…), there is a Santa Claus. To prove it, Ol’ Saint Nick himself will send a personalized letter – complete with a North Pole stamp – to any child, in any part of the world for a minimum $20.00 donation to the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. This jolly holiday fundraiser is up and running and you can click this SANTA CLAUS to learn how to send a letter and make a donation. Your child receiving a personal letter from Santa is certain to light up faces brighter than the star on the tree. And of course if you do not know of anyone who would want a letter from Santa….you can make a donation to just help the DRI continue their collaborative efforts to end diabetes once and for all.

Click here to learn more about the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation.

To get the hundreds, even thousands of letters out to children by Christmas day, a legion of Santa’s “elves” are standing by around the country, according to volunteer chairwoman Marie Jarcho.

“We had a tremendous response the last four years. This is a wonderful and easy way to brighten a child’s Christmas and they loved it. The more information that parents or others supply, the more personal Santa’s letter will be,” she said. “…… it is my sincere hope that people will give what they can to help the Diabetes Research Institute find a cure.”

To send a child a letter from Santa Claus, JUST CLICK HERE. The deadline for participation is midnight on December 15th in the USA and December 11th for any area outside the USA.

I am a diabetes dad.

Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

Diabetes Awareness Month…..Is the Outside World Learning Anything?

Posted on November 20, 2015 | by tomkarlya | Leave a Comment

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and the 14th is designated as Word Diabetes Day. It’s my understanding that the American Diabetes Association designated one and the International Diabetes Federation designated the other…..and it was so declared.

I think.

Now I love ‘branding’. I love that I know what Nike means, what Polo means, and what the golden arches of McDonalds mean. One brand means one thing. As a diabetes community, have we missed the mark in this regard? I mean what is the one message we want to get out in November. In branding, you establish something that is instantly recognizable to the general public and you work hard (and sometimes billions of dollars) to ‘make that brand work’.

Remember the ice bucket challenge. After that, everyone ran around searching for, and trying to be, ‘the next’ ice bucket challenge. Never quite understood that because the major organizations ALL HAVE MARQUEE fundraising events that raise hundreds of millions dollars each and every year…..they already are ‘the next thing’. A ‘next’ anything, for them, does not need to be created…….they have one already in walks and rides. Build upon what you have.

Now I’m surely for the notion that everyone wants to ‘get involved’ and do their own thing. But I also know that we, as a community, are constantly reflecting upon the fact that there are so many identity problems in the world of diabetes. And during this month so many people are trying, and/or, doing their own thing that I ask, “Is the world at-large hearing or seeing one concise messaging?” In the attempt for so many to ‘improve’ upon a blue color, or get a message out, or be the ‘cute’ new thing about diabetes that there is SO MUCH going on, the public is not hearing any message at all?

If you try to be everything to everyone, you usually end up nothing to anyone. I have been thinking about this for a while and I have an idea.

The IDF conference, next month, is in Vancouver. November, as diabetes month, is a full 30 days in length. Why is there not a meeting among the tri-powerful JDRF, ADA, and the IDF; but every other organization is invited also. In actuality, would it be wrong to have/create a diabetes council? One representative of every organization and everyone meets at the IDF Conference and the ADA conference—twice a year. And at this meeting, every organization is equal.

Actually this can be good for a lot of reasons but one focus could be……what is the single message needed to get out the following November? The first half of the meeting a discussion is held and ideas are thrown about what the message would be for diabetes Awareness Month. The list is whittled down to a few single messages, and a vote is taken and the one single message is decided. After November, everyone can go back to doing their own thing but for one month, one message.

And that’s it.

Because the resources of the JDRF, ADA, and IDF are bigger than, well probably everyone else, they accept the challenge (on a rotation basis) to come up with that year’s creative (the design) but there are also some pretty creative people in our community and perhaps they can be asked to be part of the design team because after all, it will belong to all of us in the community. The message is generic, but here is the thing, there is a space for ALL ORGANIZATIONS to brand it themselves. No matter how big or how small the organization, you can add your logo, your website, and/or your phone number to the art design with the generic message.

Now for thirty days straight, the message is the same. The exact same. Unified. Everyone has been part of the process. But the world-at-large is now seeing the ONE MESSAGE about diabetes that has been agreed upon by the entire diabetes community for that year.

Why try it?

Well, we all have been doing our own thing for so long, and I’m unsure what impact there really has been over the years for THE OUTSIDE WORLD to understand this disease; perhaps trying something else and working toward a unified message……well maybe that time has come……what do you think?

I am a DiabetesDad.
Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

Every One of these Magical Dancers has T1D…….and that Was Not The Only Magic. WOW!!!!!!!

Posted on November 15, 2015 | by tomkarlya | Leave a Comment

Everyone of these young ladies, dancing their hearts out, have type 1 diabetes. Dancing for Diabetes has that kind of magic that made this entire evening one of the most memorable of all my World Diabetes Days in all my 22 years on this journey……understanding the nature of it, it was a hugely memorable evening all around. The unsung heroes are both the behind- the-scenes people who orchestrated the night; and all those who arranged the choreography–brilliantly executed and thoroughly entertaining all.

To say this was ‘just’ an evening of dance would be like saying the Super Bowl is just another football game. From hip-hop, to modern dance, to ballet to even a trip to Starbucks to see a hugely original dance to Kristen Chenoweth’s Taylor the Latte Boy; yes, this night had it all. Even an incredible diabetes education segment at the top of Act II…..absolutely flawless.

Fifteen years ago a young tween-ager (at the time), but no less determined, began Dancing for Diabetes in her driveway in her Florida home. It was the brainchild of a talented dancer, Elizabeth Stein, who was diagnosed shortly before with T1D.

Not to let diabetes stop her in any way, IN ANY WAY, she began Dancing for Diabetes to help others know that they can do anything while managing their diabetes. Indeed. When you see the graceful Elizabeth on home-made videos, you realize just how magnificent and dedicated she was to her craft. When you see her at work in a Florida Law office, you see an educated and focused office manager. When you see her speak of Dancing with Diabetes, you see a business woman with a fierce dedication to make this project work outside the boarders of her Florida State.

But it is the softness, in this same woman’s eyes, when she speaks of the young dancers who are featured in the second act, all having diabetes. ‘I remember what it was like to dance and manage this disease. I know what they are going through.” And she does. When she is on one knee speaking to one of her dancers, she walks them through as they manage their diabetes. An outsider (me), cannot help but ask which is bigger, her knowledge of making Dancing for Diabetes the sharpest, tightest, and most professional evening of dance ever created; or her heart that cares so much for her dancers (and there were hundreds of them) especial those who dance with insulin pumps and CGMs on their waists and attached to their arms.

Awe. Inspiring. Impressed. And quite frankly a few tears as I remember another little girl who loved dancing a lifetime ago. On this World Diabetes Day, I was taken back to a little girl who with her diabetes, wanted to dance as well….and dance she did. Diabetes did not stop her then, and at twenty-five it has not stopped her yet.

In my seat of hundreds of people, I was alone; as tears filled my eyes watching this evening unfold. This one incredible evening unfold.

Dancing for Diabetes is a nonprofit organization and the Diabetes Research Institute will receive the proceeds from this year’s event. Elizabeth has an army of friends and family who help her and this is one professionally run evening right down with signs on where to park outside the building. As I spoke to the sponsors and special guests at the reception following, I said that Dancing with Diabetes should be, no NEEDS to be, in every State of our great country—-and beyond. Turns out that is Elizabeth’s exact plan.

So if you have a love for dance, or your child does, and you want to learn more about Dancing for Diabetes; send me an email at tkarlya@drif.org (write Dancing in the subject line) and I will have Elizabeth get back to you. It takes some work, but it is a fantastic evening and everyone should share in it.

It was a World Diabetes Day to remember and for Elizabeth, by evening’s end, it would be even more-so as her boy friend dropped to one knee and asked her to marry him. She said yes.

Take THAT diabetes.

I am a diabetes dad.
Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.

Diabetes Awareness Day I Created Something You Can Share to People Without Diabetes

Posted on November 14, 2015 | by tomkarlya | Leave a Comment

So here is something you can share with those people who do not have diabetes. A simple cup…….with a message. It just seemed to me that instead of it being a controversy, it could be used for a simple message…..a message that could save the life of someone you know and love. It’s ‘interesting enough’ that local newspaper and media outlets may share it also….share it with them. Share this with other sites, any sites. Place this on all social media. Anywhere where people who know nothing about diabetes may see it.

If you received this post….kindly click the flyer above and print it out. Hang it somewhere where people will see it. Sometimes, at the onset, type 1 diabetes can seem like a flu/or virus; but it’s not. If someone you know has the signs above, ask your doctor to test for type 1 diabetes immediately.

So if today is about getting a message out……this just may be a way to capture those who know nothing about diabetes, the message is surely there.

Have a GREAT November 14th.

I am a diabetes dad.
Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.