JDRF Outreach Program

Remember what it was like when you first got the news that your son or daughter was diagnosed with diabetes? Imagine how it would have been different if you'd had someone to talk to about all of those fears and frustrations, someone who had been through it before and could help you with the difficult questions.

The purpose of the Outreach Program is to give a helping hand to newly diagnosed families by connecting them with other families who have gone through that same difficult time. The Bag of Hope, the cornerstone of the Outreach Program, contains useful information such as books about diabetes, a Accu-Chek Aviva meter, and Rufus, the bear with diabetes. The JDRF Outreach Committee sends these Bags of Hope to newly diagnosed families to assist them in those early days, then follows up with a call from a volunteer.

The JDRF Outreach Committee is comprised of these volunteers who have diabetes, or are parents, grandparents or relatives of children who have diabetes. They have worked hard to create a system by which we can assist newly diagnosed families within a week of their diagnosis, to reach out to these families and let them know they are not alone.

30 new families are diagnosed in Colorado every month, and the Outreach Committee's goal is to support and supply information to all of these families, but we need help to do it. If you would like to assist the Outreach Committee by becoming a JDRF Outreach Mentor, or if you would like more information about what is involved, please contact Liz Wald at liznwayne@comcast.net, Beth White at beth.white@uchsc.edu or Jessica Armock at jarmock@jdrf.org. You may also contact Jessica at the JDRF office at 303-779-0525 Ext. 3