History

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The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International
A 501(3) 3 non-profit organization, JDRF was founded in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes. Today, volunteers at JDRF’s more than 100 locations worldwide remain the driving force behind the organization’s success in advancing research toward a cure. Because they have personal connections to type 1, JDRF volunteers are passionately committed to the organization’s mission of finding a cure.

JDRF’s Piedmont Triad Chapter
The Piedmont Triad Chapter was founded in 1994 after Leslie Anne Hummel rode her bicycle across the country and raised over $65,000 for diabetes research in honor of her sister Elizabeth, who was diagnosed with type 1 in 1982 when she was 12.

In 1995, the chapter hosted its first events—Walks to Cure Diabetes in both Winston-Salem and Greensboro. These two inaugural events raised a total of $282,000, setting a national record for first-time Walks. In addition to the Winston-Salem and Greensboro Walks, the chapter now hosts Walks in High Point, Burlington, and Asheboro. Each year, over 4,000 people participate in these five Walks, which together raise over $1 million for important diabetes research.

The Piedmont Triad Chapter also raises money to find a cure for type 1 in other ways, including hosting its annual Hope Gala and the Blanton Vogler Golf Tournament. The chapter fields a Ride to Cure Diabetes team every year and participates in The Fresh Market’s Sidewalk Sale.

In fiscal year 2010, the Piedmont Triad chapter raised over $3 million for research to find a cure.