A newly re-tooled third-party fundraising program is now available across Canada: JDRF Your Way.
Support. Participate. Fundraise… Your Way
JDRF’s foundations lie in grassroots efforts and fundraising, and our accomplishments as an organization can be traced back to the power of our incredible community. In 1974, four years after JDRF was founded in the United States, a group of parents determined to find a cure for their children living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) came together and began JDRF Canada, launching the largest funder and advocate for T1D research in Canada.
Although the focus was and remains finding cures for T1D; since then, JDRF has helped fund research that has led to innovation and evolution of treatments that improve the quality of life for people living with T1D, and fulfill our vision of a world without T1D, while supporting our mission of improving lives today and tomorrow by accelerating life-changing breakthroughs to cure, prevent and treat T1D and its complications.
JDRF Your Way harnesses that energy to let supporters fundraise in ways that are meaningful to them. Whether it is holding a yoga class, coordinating a soccer tournament, celebrating a special event, or recognizing a ‘Diaversary’ (the date of diagnosis) – JDRF Your Way provides our community with the tools and resources needed to feel supported and be successful.
Meet Leah, who fundraised her way by organizing her own Ride in support of her daughters living with T1D
“My hope is that the funds raised help move forward research projects so that someday my two daughters, Erica and Tara, and others with T1D can live without the burden of this disease.”
The Pictou County Ride for a Cure is an annual fundraising event in Nova Scotia that brings motorcycle and bicycle riders together to create awareness and show their support for type 1 diabetes research.
Meet Vincent, who is looking to raise $100,000 in a series of runs to honour his son’s one-year DiaVersary
“January 5th, 2023, I completed my challenge of running 32 kilometres of the Saint-Charles River Linear Park, as part of a fundraising campaign to mark my son’s one-year anniversary of his diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. In fact, I even ran 35.85 thanks to a course error that made me take a long detour!
Beyond the fundraising, the day allowed us to live an extraordinary family moment. My two boys joined me to run the last kilometre, from the Quebec City Courthouse to Espace 400e. In the evening, we gave Thomas an album celebrating the one-year anniversary of his diagnosis of type I diabetes. The album contains messages of encouragement from family, friends, teachers, and coaches to provide him with the comfort he deserves whenever he is demoralized by the efforts and sacrifices that diabetes requires. He was moved to tears when he started reading the messages, especially his brother’s.”
Meet Anne, a teenager living with T1D who held a fundraiser called The 100 Project to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin
“The idea behind The 100 Project was to seek $100 donations from 100 Canadian businesses large and small, with a goal of raising a minimum $10,000, to commemorate the centennial of Frederick Banting’s and Charles Best’s discovery of life-saving insulin.
Even when insulin was discovered, Banting and Best didn’t make it complicated. They sold the insulin patents for $1, which is what allowed insulin to be accessible to people. Frederick Banting said, ‘Insulin belongs to the world, not to me’ – they realized insulin is such a life-saving drug that can make such a difference. I would not be here without it.”
“A few years after starting the Medicine Hat waterski club in 2016, I wanted to organize a 24-hour waterski event and raise money for JDRF, in honour of my daughter’s 2013 T1D diagnosis. After a considerable amount of planning, we decided to split the event over two days and hold it on the longest day of the year, June 21, starting at 5pm on the first day and stopping when we could no longer see, and resuming the following morning at 5am, when the sun came up.
We were able to gather funds and auction items, and had 21 riders involved, rotating turns until the sun went down. The event continued the next day, with slalom skiing, hydro-foiling, surfing, wakeboarding, and even tubing. Once everyone was off the water, we had a band play to finish off the evening. We were able to raise approx. $5500 that went directly to JDRF.”
A newly developed website JDRFyourway.ca offers creative fundraising ideas, a FAQ section and fundraising tools and resources, along with contact information for our JDRF Staff Partner and Support Teams available to help you make your fundraiser a success.
With JDRF Your Way we have made starting a personal fundraiser easier, so you can make an even bigger impact by funding ground-breaking T1D research and providing the necessary supports to those living with T1D to ensure they live healthier, safer, and easier lives today.
Have questions or need more information? Please reach out at yourway@jdrf.ca.
