Central Illinois Email Support Group

There is a new virtual support group for parents of children living with type 1 diabetes in Central Illinois. This is an informal email group for parents looking for support from one another. To sign up, please visit Parents of Children with Diabetes. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Jennifer VandeWiele.

102nd Annual Next Year Day

102nd Annual Next Year Day!

Saturday, April 10

Event begins at 8 p.m.

Harry Caray’s Tavern in Wrigleyville

Join Rick Telander & The Heckler Saturday, April 10 at Harry Caray's Tavern in Wrigleyville to celebrate the joy, frustration and eternal optimism that is ... Next Year! A portion of the proceeds will benefit JDRF. Cost is $10 at the door and doors open at 8:00 PM. Buy tickets at www.theheckler.com today!

Entertainment by: JC Brooks and the Uptown SoundHired GoonsVarious members of Del CrustaceansWorld's largest singing (outside of Wrigley Field of course) of "Go Cubs Go" and free champagne toast at midnight

Chili's Supports a JDRF Walk Team!

Support JDRF and family team, Sarah’s Sidewalk Smashers, by bringing this voucher into your local Chili’s Restaurants. Chili’s will donate 10% of your purchase (excluding taxes) to JDRF. Offer is good for Dine In or Carry Out between April 16th-30th. Don’t forget to tell all your friends about it!

Boston's JDRF Pizza Making Class

Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza Restaurant hosted a JDRF Pizza Making Class in Tinley Park on February 6th. It was the first time the event was held at the Tinley Park location and the kids had a blast. They went on a tour of the kitchen and the staff explained all the inner workings of a restaurant behind the scenes! To top it all off, they all made their own personal pan pizzas and some of them were very, very, adventurous! Thank you to the wonderful staff at Boston’s for being such wonderful hosts!

2010 Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes Registration is OPEN!

Registration for the 2010 Walk officially opened on March 1st! Register today and encourage your team members to do so too!

When you register, you will also need to create a new Walk Central account with an updated username and password. Unfortunately, you are unable to log-in to your account with the previous year's information.

Visit www.walk.jdrf.org to officially kick-off your 2010 Walk Fundraising efforts! If you have any questions about registration, please contact your Walk Manager or call 312.670.0313.

Boston's Restaurant Fundraiser

Members of Sydney's Angels Family Team with Miss Illinois

Boston’s The Gourmet Pizza hosted a JDRF Night January 4th and donated 10% of sales back and also raffled off some fun items. Miss Illinois USA 2010, Ashley Bradarich, made an appearance to support JDRF and enjoyed talking with the kids and answering all their questions!

Ethan Mann and Miss Illinois USA 2010, Ashley Bradarich

Thank you Boston's Pizza!

Wonderland Pre-School Trike-A-Thon

Wonderland Pre-School in Homewood held a Trike-A-Thon to benefit JDRF and Dan’s Clan Walk Team on 1/29/10. The pre-school kids raised $1,304.00 through sneaker sales and other donations and had a blast! They rode their big wheels around the gym 50 times! Thank you to Ms. Erin Robertson who organized the successful event!

New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez to Help Raise $100,000 for JDRF in Pepsi Refresh Project Challenge

Mark Sanchez, quarterback for the New York Jets, is helping JDRF try to win $100,000 in grants as part of the Pepsi Refresh Project, an online campaign to fund programs that will have a positive impact on people's lives.

Voters can go to www.nfl.com/pepsirefresh and vote for Sanchez, or text 'MARK' to PEPSI (73774). Voting ends at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 5, 2010. If Sanchez outpolls other Pepsi Refresh Project sponsors, the funding will help JDRF establish a nationwide program to educate people about the symptoms of type 1 diabetes and get medical care before suffering the life-threatening short-term complications of high blood sugar. Symptoms for type 1 or juvenile diabetes can be mistaken for common illnesses, such as the flu, and if left untreated, even over a very short timeframe, can be deadly.

“I want to help establish a much needed, nationwide educational program with JDRF to ensure that the warning signs of type 1 diabetes will become household knowledge for medical personnel, parents, teachers, and friends,” said Sanchez. “Then, a quick and accurate diagnosis can be made and proper treatment given before it results in a life threatening situation.”

In addition to Sanchez, quarterback Drew Brees and linebacker Demarcus Ware are also participating in the Pepsi Refresh Project challenge.

Ford Mustang Sale to Benefit JDRF

Ford celebrated the 45th Anniversary of their best-loved model, the Ford Mustang, in 2009. To commemorate the occasion and to support JDRF, the Ford/JDRF Team created this adorable plush bear sporting a leather jacket emblazoned with the official Mustang 45th Anniversary logo. More than $34,000 was raised for JDRF through the sale of these bears!

Ford is excited to offer you the chance to purchase this keepsake item as another way to support JDRF. Click here to purchase your 45th Anniversary Ford Mustang Mascot Bear. Bears sell for $10 each and 100% of proceeds benefit JDRF! On Sale Feb. 1st- March 31st. Get yours today!

Ford Motor Company has supported JDRF for more than 20 years, ranking as JDRF's #1 corporate sponsor for the past eight years. Ford has contributed over $30 million since the inception of the employee-driven team known as the Ford Global Walk Team.

By purchasing a 45th Anniversary Mustang Mascot Bear, YOU will help to accelerate the CURE.

Boston's Restaurant & JDRF

Boston's Restaurant is teaming up with JDRF to find a cure for diabetes! During their annual Valentine's fundraiser, all Boston's restaurants across the U.S. will sell heart shaped pizzas and desserts and will donate $1 from each item sold to JDRF.


Additionally, customers can also purchase paper hearts for $1 each and personalize them with a Valentine's Day message. The paper hearts and various desserts will be sold January 11 - February 14th, and the heart-shaped pizza and heart-shaped dessert promotion will take place Valentine's Day weekend, February 12-14th. All money raised will benefit JDRF. In 2009, Boston's raised over $31,000 for JDRF through this promotion.

The local Boston's Restaurant in Tinley Park will also be holding a JDRF Fundraiser on Thursday, February 4th from 5-9PM. 10% of sales during that time will be donated to JDRF. Bring in the below flyer and help raise additional funds for research! They will also be hosting a Kids Pizza Making Class on February 6th from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. For $10, kids can be "Chef for a Day" and will learn to make their own pizza. $5 will be donated back to JDRF. Additional details below. Thank you Boston's!

2009 Walk Award Winners

JDRF Illinois celebrated the 2009 Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes and the $4.9 million generated at the Walk Awards Dinner on January 14th. It was a wonderful evening and we enjoyed having the opportunity to thank all of our supporters and top fundraisers.

Take a look back at Walk Day...




Congratulations to our Top Fundraisers of 2009!

2009 Team Cup Winners (Top Fundraising Corporate & Family Teams by site)

Lakefront Site
Top Corporate Team: Ford Motor Company
Top Family Team: Carson’s Thunder and Margaret’s Miracles

Busse Woods Site
Top Corporate Team: Emkay Inc.
Top Family Team: Samantha's Steppers

Libertyville Site
Top Corporate Team: Aldridge Electric, Inc.
Top Family Team: Family & Primetime Friends of Michelle

Lisle Site
Top Corporate Team: Exelon
Top Family Team: Jack's Team

Orland Park Site
Top Corporate Team: Team Miniat
Top Family Team: Sydney's Angels

Peoria Walk Site
Top Corporate Team: Caterpillar’s Production Center of Excellence
Top Family Team: Edna’s Angels

Congratulations to all of our teams! JDRF is grateful for your continued support and dedication to finding a cure!

2009 Team Totals

Ron at the 2009 Walk

Team totals are in! Congratulations to everyone who supported the 2009 Ron Santo Walk to Cure Diabetes! You all are helping us climb to $5 million once again! To view your team total, please visit the JDRF Illinois website.

Whether you were a first time team in Peoria like For Blake’s Sake, a returning corporate team in Busse Woods like Emkay; the Dream Chasers team in Orland Park; a returning star team in Nalco at Lisle; a new family team, Colleen's Crew, in Libertyville, or new corporate supporter BMO/Harris Bank at the Lakefront site: you help make our collective effort a winning one.


Walk day has passed; team totals are run; and we’re winding down 2009, but did you know you can still collect 2009 Walk donations? You can raise additional dollars on-line or by using a collection envelope. You can work with others to generate funds through the time-tested ways: sneaker sales; dine for diabetes restaurant events; the kids walk to cure diabetes; employee matching gift programs and volunteer opportunities. Help us continue to collect the much-needed dollars for diabetes research!


Wishing you and your families a safe and healthy New Year! JDRF is so grateful for your continued support and dedication.

Supporting JDRF during the Holidays

JDRF Holiday Cards
Send holiday greetings to family, friends and business associates, and contribute to a worthy cause! MorethanCards.com has raised more that $1 million for JDRF in the last 7 years. To view the card designs and order online, please visit: www.jdrf.org/cards. Cards are able to be customized.

For more information or to order cards designed by local children, please contact the office at 312/670-0313. You can view the designs on the JDRF Illinois website. We are not able to customize these cards.

MJ2 & Celebrity Friends for JDRF
MJ2 is proud to announce the release of, “You Can’t Say Love Enough,” A musical event brought to you through SweetSong Nashville. This all star single, featuring Dolly Parton, Wayne Newton, Heidi Newfield and many more will raise untold dollars for JDRF and Diabetes Research and Outreach. This one of a kind song will be available on iTunes, exclusively with all net proceeds being donated to JDRF.


Creedence Run with Rudolph
The band Creedence Clearwater Revisited has recorded a cover of the holiday classic “Run Rudolph Run” for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s charity fundraising compilation CD Hope For The Holidays – Rockin’ Christmas for a Cure. The group is based around the Creedence Clearwater Revival rhythm section: bassist Stu Cook and drummer Doug “Cosmo” Clifford. The band has toured regularly since 1995, playing classics from the Creedence catalogue. Other artists contributing unreleased material to the diverse Hope For The Holidays album include: Weezer, Collective Soul, the Beach Boys’ Mike Love, Whitesnake’s David Coverdale and Jon Anderson of Yes. Proceeds from the recording will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

For more information, and details on where you can purchase the CD, please visit http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=EA304E24-1279-D3DC-F9383E9549F2B26E&page_version_id=0937DAC8-1321-C844-13787CA3C8DD32B6.

2009 Team Totals

All money that was received by December 7th will count toward your team's 2009 Walk team total and award level. Awards are distributed at the Walk Awards Ceremony in January. Team totals will be posted on the JDRF Illinois website, www.jdrfillinois.org, so check back soon to view your total.

Walk Team Award Levels
$3,500 - $9,999 Bronze Achievement Award
$10,000 - $24,999 Silver Achievement Award
$25,000 - $49,999 Gold Achievement Award
$50,000 - $99,999 Platinum Achievement Award
$100,000 - $199,999 Diamond Achievement Award
$200,000 + Ron Santo Award

Matching Gifts

Remember, you can double or even triple your dollars raised with matching gifts!

Here's how:

1. Contact your companies HR Department to see if JDRF is eligible & complete the paperwork.
2. Be sure to ask your team members and donors if their company has a matching gift program. If you've already turned in all your donations, it's still not to late to have them matched.
3. Send the matching gift form to JDRF and we will do all the work from there! It's easy!
   

Please note: You must designate the JDRF Illinois Chapter as the recipient of your matching gift in order for the funds to be directed to your team's total.

Happy Thanksgiving!

JDRF is thankful for YOU!

It's that time of year where we all celebrate the things we are thankful for in our lives. JDRF is thankful for you, our generous supporters who continue to work hard to raise money for vital research. Celebrate the hope of a cure this Thanksgiving holiday!

November is also National Diabetes Awareness Month. Visit www.jdrf.org for ongoing coverage of the month's activities.

Don't Stop Now!

We need your continued help to reach our $5.6 million goal! Now is the time to turn in any additional donations you may still have at your home or office. Turn your money in so it can be counted toward your team total. Donations can be sent in a collection envelope or mailed to the JDRF Illinois Chapter office at 500 N. Dearborn, Suite 305, Chicago, IL 60654-3387. Please be sure to include a note with your site, team name and walker name.

Still have a little way before reaching your team's goal? Keep up the great work by trying one of these ideas:

• Plan a holiday party benefiting JDRF!


• Follow-up with friends or family who still need to send you their donation.


• Include an appeal in your holiday card.


• Ask your child's school to hold a Kids Walk. The Kids Walk Program gives students the opportunity to help fellow classmates affected by diabetes AND raise money for their school. Schools can receive 10% of the money raised! For more information, click here or contact your local Walk Manager to set-up a Kids Walk.


• Incorporate JDRF fundraising during football season.


• Ask a local business to donate a percentage of sales back to JDRF.


• Auction off a close parking space at the office during the cold winter months.


• Collect change for JDRF - every cent counts! JDRF canisters are available. Contact your local Walk Manager to place an order.


• We still accept money well into the New Year!

Take a look at these post-Walk fundraising events & activities - let's keep those dollars coming in!

• Congratulations to the 3 Coffeys, No Sugar family team for receiving nearly $1,700 through the Race to Cure Diabetes held on October 31st in Peoria’s Detweiller Park. The annual event is organized by a family friend and had more than 75 race participants.
  
• The Nalco team is expecting an additional $20,000 for their team! Nalco is matching their team fundraising and will now have a team total of over $53,000. That’s nearly $30,000 more than in 2008. Congratulations to Dave Flitman and the Nalco team!
  
• Congratulations to Geja’s Café on their 10th Annual Great Growths Wine Tasting & Auction! This event raised over $26,000 for research and surpassed last years’ record-breaking total by $9,000!
  
• Special thanks to Omaha Steaks for generating over $4,000 for diabetes research through their sneaker sales campaign!
  
• Go Roma is partnering with JDRF during the month of November to help raise funds for diabetes research. Visit any Go Roma location on a Saturday in November and bring this flyer, and Go Roma will donate 20% of all sales back to JDRF. What a great way to help support a great cause and enjoy some great food! Please forward this on to all of your friends and family.
  
• Build-a-Bear Workshops will offer an exciting new fundraising program for JDRF thru November 30th. A special JDRF donation prompt will be on the “pin pad” checkout stations in all U.S. store locations. The pin pad will prompt all credit/debit card customers for a charitable donation, which will directly benefit local JDRF Chapters.
  
• Walgreens is holding its annual JDRF retail fundraising event now through November 30, 2009. The chain-wide “Lend a Hand” co-promotion features a $1 “give & get” coupon. Give $1 to help fight juvenile diabetes, and receive a $1 coupon for a Coca-Cola product. Be sure to spread the word to your family and friends and ask them to visit a Walgreens store today! Every dollar raised brings us closer to a cure!
  
• Thank you to the Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. and their holiday gift to all our JDRF Walk participants! They are giving all our Walk Team Captains complimentary passes to the 9th Annual One of a Kind Show. The One of a Kind Show Chicago is an extraordinary holiday shopping show featuring the best in fine art and fine craft from more than 500 artists, artisans and designers from across North America. Each item for sale at the show will be made by hand one piece at a time and every artist represented will be in attendance--offering shoppers the wonderful opportunity to buy pieces directly from the artist who created it. Complementing one-of-a-kind shopping, you will be treated to live music, fashion shows, expert presentations, gourmet cafes, bars and special events.
  Your ticket is good for you and a friend, and all four days of the show. Click here https://www.microspec.com/tix123/etic.cfm?code=OOAKCHG09 and enter ECPPartner as the promotion code to receive your complimentary pass. Be sure to visit the JDRF Booth where you can view the two beautiful Project Snap mosaic pieces that will be auctioned off at our Chance of a Lifetime Gala on Saturday, December 12th. You can also purchase your own poster of the mosaics. 25% of all proceeds from poster sales will benefit JDRF Illinois.
  

Incentive Prize Reminder

Walk Incentive Prizes
Walkers who raise a minimum of $200 by November 9, 2009 are eligible for an incentive prize. You can view the prizes on-line at www.jdrf.org/greatprizes.

You can also choose not to receive a prize so your full contribution can be spent on research!

If you are interested in receiving a prize, notify us on-line or send in this form (one form per Walker). Once you notify us, a catalog will be sent to you with specific prize ordering instructions. Please note that there is no guarantee that prizes will be delivered by the end of the year.

To choose your prize level online or to indicate that you do not wish to receive a prize, log-on to your Walk Central account at www.walk.jdrf.org.
• Click on the ‘My Profile tab’.
• Click on the ‘Prize Selection’ tab.
• Select your prize level and confirm by clicking on ‘Update Prize Selection’.
• To choose your prize level by mail, fill out the below form and fax or mail to:

JDRF Illinois
Attn: Walk Prizes
500 N. Dearborn, Suite 305, Chicago, IL 60654
Fax: 312.670.0250



Questions? Please contact your local Walk Manager.

Go Roma & JDRF

We are excited to announce that Go Roma will be partnering with JDRF during the month of November to help raise funds for diabetes research. Visit any Go Roma location on a Saturday in November and bring this flyer, and Go Roma will donate 20% of all sales back to JDRF. What a great way to help support a great cause and enjoy some great food!

Please forward this on to all of your friends and family - the more the merrier!

To easily forward this information, click on the mail icon below.

Dine to Donate at Applebee's

On November 2nd, 3rd & 4th, 34 Applebee’s restaurants in the Chicagoland area will donate 15% of a check back to JDRF when presented with this official flyer. Please forward the information on to your family and friends by clicking on the below mail icon and help us get closer to a cure! Thank you, Applebee's!

Ford Drive One for JDRF Event

Join us on Saturday, October 24th for the Ford Drive One for JDRF event!

What: Take a free test-drive and Ford Motor Company will donate up to $6,000 (per participating dealer) to JDRF!

The more people that drive, the more JDRF will earn.

Where: Westfield Ford – 6200 S. LaGrange Rd. Countryside, IL 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Arlington Heights Ford – 801 W. Dundee Rd. Arlington Heights, IL 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Joe Rizza Ford of Orland Park – 8100 W. 159th St. Orland Park, IL 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Must be 18 years or older with a valid driver’s license. Donation of $20 per valid test-drive up to 300 total test-drives per dealership for a maximum total donation of $6,000 per dealership. Limit (1) JDRF donation per household. Donation will be added to your team total.