Giving Back

When Kelsey was first diagnosed I was approached by many people to volunteer for ADA and JDRF. For some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to do it right away. My life was completely overwhelmed with diabetes and i just had to do it on my own time.I started out slowly by selling candles for the ADA. SOme of the proceeds went to the Sugar Free Weekend Retreat and it was something I could handle while working full time. Then we formed a team for the "Walk For A Cure_-a 5k walk at a local park that raised money for diabetes research. We dubbed ourselves the "Mighty McGills" and ended up raising a lot of money. It felt really good to do something to support Kelsey. The first year few started out with just a few family members. Now,6 years later we have a large group of friends, family, and neighbors that support us each year. I feel very uncomfortable asking people for money but I was amazed with the response I got. So many people have a connection with diabetes in some way that they want to help-by either donating or joining us on the walk.It's now something we all look forward to each year.
With a few years of being Walk Captain under my belt,I now felt ready to move on to other volunteer opportunities. My neighbor Terry approached me about joining the ADA Gala committee. Terry and I joined the committee and recruited other neighbors as well. At the first meeting I knew I was out of my league. The gala was a huge, formal event with music,dinner, and a live and silent auction. we were responsible for getting patrons to donate their services as well as auction items. I had never attended a gala or auction before so i felt completely inadequate. The good news was that many of the proceeds were going to the Sugar Free Weekend Retreat. ALso, Roy, Tony,Eileen,and Claire-my SFWR friends were also on the committee.
I did my best to obtain auction items-but if you remember I hate asking people for things. I definitely had to be in the right frame of mind when I headed out to various businesses and companies.I got rejected - a lot.But when I finally scored it motivated me to keep going.I continued to help out with the gala over the past several years but now I contribute by making a slide show each year to showcase kids with diabetes as well as their experiences at the Sugar Free Retreat. They show it at the gala each year and it helps to raise money for the retreat.(Take a look at this years slideshow posted on my blog through You Tube.)
After a few years on the gala committee, I continued my search for other volunteering opportunities. I was dropping Kelsey off at Camp Possibilities-a camp for diabetic children and teens-when I met a representative from JDRF. She recognized Kelsey and her friends from a newspaper article and struck up a conversation with us. She briefly told me about their outreach program where volunteers can mentor newly diagnosed families. I could host a coffee at my house for parents to get together to discuss various topics related to diabetes. They also had family picnics,and a fundraising walk and gala.After contacting the Outreach Coordinator, I soon became involved with mentoring newly diagnosed families,hosting coffees, and helping with their family picnic.
AS Kelsey became older, she became more involved in these activities. She became "Walk Captain" and helped me organize a "Dance For Diabetes" to fundraise for the walk.We had a local DJ donate his services and a local Embassy Suites donate an event room for our dance. We raise $500 and the kids had a great time.Kelsey really enjoyed volunteering and we later found out how valuable these experiences would be when she applied to colleges.