JDRF recognizes its volunteers for National Volunteer Week 2021 – April 18-24, 2021

April 19, 2021

JDRF was founded over 40 years by a group of devoted parents to provide a voice for the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community – and with the ultimate goal of finding a cure for T1D so that their children and all those who came after could know a world free from the disease.

So, the National Volunteer Week theme for 2021, The Value of One, The Power of Many feels very fitting, as it reflects on the awe-inspiring acts of kindness by millions of individuals AND the magic that happens when we work together towards a common purpose.

This past year was one like no other, as the COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives completely. But one thing shone that through the darkness was the continued caring and compassion that we received from our volunteers.

As our fundraising events moved virtual, and we all learned new ways of staying connected from the safety of our homes, a constant was the support of our dedicated group of volunteers.

The power of people working together can bring about amazing changes and progress. And this has certainly been true at JDRF. All the major developments in T1D research have been funded or supported in some way by JDRF. And none of this would have been possible without the support of our volunteers.

Among some of the highlights of the past year:

  • We held our second research symposium, Bringing Breakthroughs to Life, with our partner Health Canada.
  • We created our Let’s Talk T1D education and connection series, which provided our community with relevant information on topics such as devices and the opportunity to share personal experiences with each other.
  • Sernova announced that patients in their ongoing clinical trial, funded in part by JDRF show persistent islet function and clinically meaningful improvement in glucose control.
  • With volunteers by our side, we continued our advocacy efforts federally to push for a renewal of research funding and provincially to demand #AccessforAll – affordable and accessible diabetes technologies for all Canadians living with T1D.
  • Ustekinumab, a potentially disease modifying drug for type 1 diabetes, is now being tested in clinical trials in Canada.
  • And most recently we’ve been advocating across the provinces to ensure fair access to COVID-19 vaccines for people living with T1D.

The National Volunteer Week theme is a nod to the past, a reflection of the present, and a wink to the future. The Value of One, the Power of Many was also the theme for National Volunteer Week in 2001, The International Year of Volunteers.

It was chosen again as it beautifully captures both the individual and collective efforts that have been demonstrated over and over again during the pandemic, as well as setting the tone for the next 20 years as the value of one act and the power of many helps us thrive collectively.

And it feels appropriate too for JDRF, as we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the insulin hormone and look ahead to aggressively pursuing research that bring us closer to a cure. We know that this will only be achieved with the continued strength of our volunteers.

While we acknowledge our volunteers during this week, we our thankful and grateful for al they do each and every day.

We have over 500 volunteers across Canada, who have been with us for over 5 years.


While some choose to remain anonymous, we recognize them here:
Atlantic Canada

Prince Edward Island:

Brooks Roche

Nova Scotia:

Aaliyah Cook

Ralph & Pearl D’Eon

Hodder Family

Pam Hodgson

Elizabeth Lough

Shirley Macdonald

Sean Murray

Karen Pope

Gail Sinclair

Amanda Williams

New Brunswick:

Alisha Armour

Mary Chisholm

Renee Savoy

Newfoundland:

Karen Hollahan-Squires

Terry Ryan

Janine Stanley

Wendy Traverse

Quebec

Montreal:

Christine Blanchette

Michel Blaquière

Michel-Olivier Bruyère

Alex Garfinkle

Fanny Guimont-Desrochers

Lise Guinois

Lorne Hindle

David Kozloff

Michel Lachapelle

Maarika Paul

Sylvain Pelletier

Louis-Philippe Thibodeau

Réjean Tremblay

Justin Vineberg & family

Robert & Rhoda Vineberg

Ontario

Hamilton :

Alison Begbie

David Begbie

Doris Desantis

Dave Dunseith

Katy Dunseith

Connie Ellingham

Helen Hyett

Lana Line

The Nerby Family

William Purdy

Michael Steadman

Ottawa:

Trudy & Jeff Adams

Donna Dériger

Doogie Dick

Richard Eaton

Stephen Emery

Stasia Hadjiyannakis

Ann Harris

Sara Kearley

Annette Loebach Bater

Alicia Magliocco

Linda & Dean McNamara

Sarah Prendergast

Rosanna Toscano

Peel:

Helena Gottschling

Bonnie & Terry Jackson

Emma & Chris Marineau

Shawn Rice

Rohan & Nishi Sikri

Candice & Ken Trickey

Peterborough:

The Stimpson family

Toronto:

Graham Anderson

Susan Beamish

Saida Boutahar

Sheldon Finkelstein

Kristen Garland

Judy Goldring

Dana Greenberg

Marley Greenberg

John Macintyre

Vanessa Oliver

Fred Ribinoff

Lorne Shiff

Robert Smuk

Lacey Stewart

Alison Turner

Matthew Varey

Scott Williams

Windsor:

Mary Licata

Cathy Smith

Dave Williams

Janice Wirch

Waterloo:

Jane Schuett

Jim Schuett

Lindsay Ware

Manitoba:

Winnipeg:

Kerrie Abel,

Brad Alexander

Lori Amedick

The Argo Family

Amit Bindra

Gerry Bingham

Annett Bingham

Barb Chapman

Bonny Chapman

Claude Chapman

Bob Dann

Darrin Davis

Sue Dillabough

Sandy Evans

Heidi Forrester

Megan Gillespie

Nick Hajidiacos

Ryan Heckert

Rita Hildahl

Wayne Hildahl

Deanne Jones

Garth Lancaster

Tracey McLeod-Stecy

Beth Mungal

Jackie Murray

Cheryl Peltier

Ivan Poturica

Ken Preston

Tannis Richardson

Michele Scharf

Paul Scharf

Mike Scott

Tannis Scott

Noah Silvaggio

Tara Silvaggio

Nadia Klun Stadler

Leif Thorsteinson

Clint Toews

Margo Toole

Noah Weiszner

Myrna Weiszner

Jessica Williams

Brandon: 

Simone Dixon

Jamie Olsen

Saskatchewan:

Regina:

Bonnie Barber

David Easton

Carla Feld

Ted O’Brien

Saskatoon:

The Rowe Family

Maria Strasser

Alberta :

Calgary:

Laurie Friesen

Jim Giroux

Mark Hawkins

Stephen Kennedy

Ryan Macdonald

Ron Miller

Jacqueline Molin

Marc Molin

Judy Williams-Park

Edmonton:

Nancy Arnold

Chantel Bauer

Debbie Atkinson

Adam Gilewicz

Stephen Karlowsky

Arlene Kemble

Ken Kenitiuk

Deb & Frank Key

Greg Mailo

Warren Matthews

Craig Morrison

Nancy Tout

Monica Yeats

British Columbia:

Jim Beattie

Kris & Ashit Dattani

Mary Jane Devine

Kim Findlater

Stephanie Orr

Christina Pearce

Michelle Tice

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