Eli Lilly to donate nearly $1M to Type 1 diabetes initiative

Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) announced today that it will commit nearly $1 million over the next three years toward helping children with Type 1 diabetes.

Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly, in a joint effort with the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, seeks to promote greater access to care and resources while inspiring confidence for children living with Type 1 diabetes through the Type 1 Diabetes Camps Initiative.

According to a news release, the commitment between Lilly and the Helmsley Trust aims to create inclusive opportunities for members of the community and to make camperships accessible for all children with Type 1 diabetes.

In a collaboration with the New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity, Lilly and Helmsley will support the management of the Type 1 Diabetes Program’s Diabetes Camps Initiative through providing camperships along with capital and low-income recruitment funds to non-profit diabetes camping organizations.

Eli Lilly and Helmsley said the goal of the collaboration is to provide camperships to low-income youth with Type 1 diabetes, many of whom would not otherwise be able to attend camp, while also enabling diabetes camps to adapt to the physical requirements of COVID-19 and better serve youth living with Type 1 diabetes through capital improvements.

“Living with diabetes requires daily attention and commitment – often for the whole family – and Type 1 diabetes affects individuals of all different genders, ethnicities, and financial backgrounds. We are proud to expand our partnership with Helmsley to provide inspiration, recognition and education to help people living with diabetes overcome the challenges of the condition, regardless of financial status,” Eli Lilly director of U.S. diabetes advocacy & professional relations Sarah Noel said in the release. “Diabetes does not discriminate and can affect anyone. Lilly is continuously looking for ways to work with unique partners who share in the vision of making life better for more people. This collaboration bridges gaps in representation and expands diabetes camp opportunities to everyone who wants to pursue them.”

“Seeing others who are like you is important, but we continue to face issues of representation within the diabetes space,” added T1D advocate and Beyond Type 1 Community Manager Tiana Cooks, a former diabetes camp atendee. “Now, more than ever, creating broader access to camps is critical so that all youth have the opportunity to feel seen, heard, and included. I have and will continue to use my voice to fight for a more inclusive community, with the hope of empowering people of all cultures and backgrounds to speak up and share their stories too.”

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