Sabrina Qadri, a JDRF Ambassador, Raises 3K
Warren Township Public Schools
With the support of her family, classmates, teachers, and school community, a student from Warren Township, NJ, JDRF Youth Ambassador Sabrina Qadri raised approximately $3,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation during the week of November 13, 2023, by collecting funds during a Coin Toss, and classroom collections.
On November 6, Qadri shared a letter with the Angelo L. Tomaso School community, where she attends as a grade five student, to introduce herself as a JDRF Youth Ambassador and explain her mission to help educate the Warren community about Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and raise funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Qadri shared that she was diagnosed with T1D at the age of four and how her life essentially changed overnight. “I went from being a little girl playing with her toys to checking my blood sugar ten times a day and taking shots of insulin each time I ate food.”
Qadri invited school staff, her classmates, and their families to join her in recognizing World Diabetes Day on November 14, 2023, and asked that anyone able to do so participate in her week-long fundraiser. Qadri was encouraged and supported by School Nurse Mrs. Jan Brennan and fellow T1D advocates, Grade 4 Teacher Mrs. Michelle Wegener, and Grade 3 student Lyla Chavez.
On World Diabetes Day, Qadri delivered a presentation to her entire school through their morning news station. It was broadcast to each classroom via YouTube and for families to follow along at home.
During her presentation, Qadri shared that Type 1 Diabetics need insulin to survive. She also shared that, in some cases, insulin, which is a life-saving medication, can cost $1,000 or more per vial. This reason led her to get involved with fundraising, as she strives to help those in need care for themselves and afford the necessary medications to stay alive.
At the end of her presentation, Qadri reminded her peers that it’s essential for everyone to eat plenty of healthy food and get lots of exercise. She also reminds her peers that it’s important to be good to your friends and to help each other. “Everyone has something that makes them unique. Be kind to one another.”
Nurse Brennan was overjoyed at the success of the event. “I am so proud of Sabrina for becoming a JDRF Ambassador and sharing her story,” she said. “I have been working closely with Sabrina and her parents since she entered Kindergarten. In the early years, I was managing her diabetes throughout the school day. Now, she is almost completely independent in her medication management. Sabrina is only ten, but she is already making a difference.”
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is the leading global organization harnessing the power of research, advocacy, and community engagement to advance life-changing breakthroughs for type diabetes.
Photos by Warren Township Public Schools
