WHO WE AREThe mission of DAWGS FOR DIABETES is to
provide information to the community about
Diabetes and support for those living with and
affected by Diabetes.
Upcoming Events
December 27- D4D Mentor Applications Launch
January 10-11 JDRF Type 1 Nation Southeast Summit
in TN
January 16-19- Camp Kudzu’s Teen Ski Retreat
January 20- D4D Meeting at 8PM*
January 21- Camp Kudzu Volunteer and Camper
Applications
February 17- D4D Meeting at 8PM*
February 21- JDRF Type 1 Nation in Atlanta
March 9-13 – UGA Spring Break
March 17- D4D Meeting at 8PM*
March 27-29- Camp Kudzu Spring Family Camp
April 21- D4D Meeting at 8PM*
*Tentative
Not scheduled yet- D4D Fundraisers, Social Events,
Committee and Exec Meetings
Contact
dawgs4diabetesuga@gmail.com
Twitter- @dawgs4diabetes
Find us on Facebook
http://dawgs4diabetesuga.wordpress.com/
Fundraising- http://www.gofundme.com/827728
www.collegediabetesnetwork.org
www.campkudzu.org
www.jdrf.org
http://drc.uga.edu/
https://www.uhs.uga.edu/
Dawgs for Diabetes, D4D is a Student run
organization at the University of Georgia.
Members do not have to have, know anyone
with , or know anything about Diabetes.
Our Goals- 1) Raise Awareness
2) Community Involvement 3)Fundraising
Fundraising
Don’t forget to use Amazon Smile when
making purchases on Amazon to go towards
your favorite (Diabetes) organization; Such
as the College Diabetes Network
Want to donate to D4D?
http://www.gofundme.com/827728
Or email us!
Happy Holidays and Happy Carb
Counting from all of us at Dawgs
for Diabetes!
In This Issue:
Semester Wrap Up
pg. 2- News
pg. 2- D4D Plans
pg. 2- D4D News; JDRF Walk, Diabetes
T-shirts!
To order a shirt please, email us
dawgs4diabetesuga@gmail.com
Awareness, Family Camp.
pg. 4- The Campus Tour, a few perspectives.
pg. 6- Thank You!
pg. 8- Member Spotlight
pg. 11- A Note from Exec, Sarah Gibson
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Diabetes News
Celebrating Our Heroes- Former D4D
President
“Stressed with Trying to be Perfect”
The Camp Kudzu Benefit Luncheon
raised over $165,000!
JDRF Walks in Georgia
raised over $1.4 million and counting
for Diabetes research!
mentoring events. Mentoring will be
available in person, depending on distance,
and over the phone or email. We are so
excited to restart this long awaited
program!
We will begin several educational
programs on and off campus through our
mentoring program. We hope to visit more
programs at dorms and other events to
educate and raise awareness about
Diabetes and our organization. We also plan
to start visiting high schools to educate the
students about Diabetes; we will offer
children getting mentored the chance to
help educate their peers if they wish. If you
would like us to speak at an event or to a
group please contact us!
D4D News
Fall Family Camp
D4D Plans
We are very excited to announce
our programs and plans for next semester.
We want to keep the momentum going!
We will have a fundraising schedule
with bake sales, percentage nights, and
other fundraising events. We will kick off a
fundraiser this semester as well
We are starting our modified
mentoring program this semester. For more
information, please visit our website (more
information and applications to come)! This
will be open to children with Diabetes, their
siblings, and children with parents who
have Diabetes. Our members will go
through training. We will host two
Three of our
members
attended
Camp Kudzu’s
Fall Family
Camp during
Halloween
Weekend.
(Fun fact- the
D4D
members that
volunteered
had not
attended
family camp
before.
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JDRF Walk in Athens
Saturday, October 25, 2014
We raised over $1,000 for the JDRF Walk, and 40 people walked with Dawgs for Diabetes.
19 members attended bringing friends and family!
Class of 2018 Above
Class of 2016 Above
Class of 2015 Left
Class of 2017 Left
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Diabetes Awareness
Month in November
Many of members (some pictured
above) tabled at University of Georgia’s
Tate Student Center on World Diabetes Day
on November 14. We educated, drew blue
circles, and wished everyone who walked
by a “Happy World Diabetes Day.” We also
sold merchandise to raise money for our
organization. All month our members
helped to raise awareness through social
media, classes, events, and our adaption of
the Faces of Diabetes campaign.
The Campus Tour: A
Diabetes Perspective
Posts from Mindy, Abbey, David, and
a T1D Mom who attended the tour.
Why Have a Tour Like This?
“The Campus Tour could be used to
spread the word about Dawgs for Diabetes
and the College Diabetes Network so that
families knew there was an organization
waiting for them. Because the College
Diabetes Network is all over the country,
future students could be connected to CDN
through other chapters, the organization as
a whole, or feel inspired and start a chapter
of their own if their college does not have
one. Another hope would be for future UGA
students to know that Dawgs for Diabetes is
waiting for them when they get to college.
Teens tend to be the group who get a little
“lost” in the Diabetes community at this
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crucial point in their lives, and we all need
to be reminded that we are not alone. As
college approached, many of our members
began to think about what was next;
unanswered questions, changes in doctors,
a new place, not living at home, large
lecture classes, getting medicine, overall
Diabetes management, and so much more.
This tour could be an inspiration for
us and others. Diabetes does not have to be
a limiting factor in our lives, but it can be
motivation. We all already had to grow up
quickly as children and then teens living
with Diabetes, but here comes college, an
opportunity, to grow as a person, and show
the world what we are capable of. Many of
us remember that scary and exciting
transition as college approached, and we
wanted to help ease everyone’s minds. We
aren’t here to say it isn’t hard or irritating at
times, but that is very possible. College is an
opportunity to grow, learn about yourself,
expand your opportunities, meet new
people, and (comfort your parents that you
can take care of yourself). I personally
found college to be an excellent
opportunity to blossom; I started eating
healthier, I got more involved in what I
wanted to do with my life, I found Dawgs
for Diabetes, met a whole new circle(s) of
friends, and I took charge of my Diabetes
management. I became more passionate
about Diabetes and its impact on Mental
Health because I don’t think the world
always accounts for this. We also must
remember that we are stronger because of
this disease even if we do not always feel
this way. Many of us accomplish so much,
surpass the odds and the predictions, follow
our dreams, and explore the world.” – Part
of an open letter in the campus tour packets,
Mindy Bartleson, President, Class of 2015
“There Will Never be a time or
Place”… like College
“College is not like high school. In
many ways it is a lot harder, but it is
something that everyone should have a
chance to experience. It will not be easy.
Your grades may not be as high as they
were in high school. At some point, you
may realize that you want to change your
major, and you will wonder how it will
affect your career path or if your options
will be limited. You may have to deal with
difficult experiences while you are away
from your family. Balancing school, sleep,
social life and other obligations is not a
simple process. But there will probably
never be another time or place where you
have such easy access to so many resources
whether educational or social. There is so
much that happens on or near this campus
like sporting events, music, guest lectures
from
well-known
speakers,
service
opportunities, conferences and so much
more. You will meet so many people who
will impact you in many ways. You will learn
what types of people make you a better
person, and you will learn to identify those
who you may not connect with very well.
You will probably experience more growth
during this time than you ever have before
in your life. As someone who does not have
diabetes, Dawgs For Diabetes has helped
me to better understand something that
does not directly affect me but has
impacted the lives of friends and family
members. I understand how important it is
to raise awareness since many people do
not understand what diabetes is. Let’s keep
working to educate people until we have a
cure!” -Abbey Giese, member, Class of 2015
.
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“Imagine the Impact over
Four Years”
“What this tour provided was insight
into the college experience for both parent
and child. This tour was not meant to show
off the school, or point out any of its great
academic or athletic achievements, but
meant to give peace of mind to parents by
easing their concerns for their soon-to-be
college student who might be overwhelmed
with, well, just about everything. By
attending the campus tour, not only were
previously held questions and concerns
going to be answered, but attendees were
provided the comfort of knowing there is a
family awaiting you at college. We wanted
to let attendees know that you are not
alone in the fact that you have diabetes and
are new to college. There will most likely be
clubs and organizations similar to Dawgs for
Diabetes no matter what college you decide
to attend, and on top of that, the College
Diabetes Network is always going to be
there for you.
It seemed anyone and every one of
the students who was asked to help out
with the Campus Tour was eager to jump on
board before we were even done
explaining. The buzz about this tour caught
the attention of people with diabetes, and
their supporters, from all across Georgia.
Among the 30 total volunteers, we had an
author of a well-known diabetes book, a
medical student from Georgia Regents
University in Augusta, a public health
graduate student from Emory University,
and many, many more. The word about The
Campus Tour: A Diabetes Perspective
spread around quite well and made its way
into the schedules of 21 families.
Overall, the tour could not have
gone any better. From the beginning to the
end, those who attended seemed to learn
so much and were extremely thankful for
the opportunity to attend such a great
event. The responses to the surveys and
kind words sent to us following the
conclusion of the tour only emphasized how
much of an impact the College Diabetes
Network and Dawgs for Diabetes had on a
large group of people in just one day. Just
imagine what the impact of both
organizations is over four years of college!”
David Paul Weinzierl, member, Class of 2016
See David’s full Post here
“A Wealth of Knowledge”
“I don’t know if you will have a survey or
feedback questionnaire come through, but I
wanted to let you know we are relieved to
find out about the College Diabetes
Network. You have reduced our anxiety
regarding T1D and college life. Also, it is
obvious the time and talent put into the
emails, links, and webpages that were
developed solely for Dawgs for Diabetes. I
don’t think you or the administration
behind this forgot anything. The other T1D
college kids that joined us during the walk
were a wealth of knowledge, about campus
life, camp life, their experience in
D4D. They were all so friendly and
welcoming, “ T1D Mom who attended.
THANK YOU!
We would like to take a moment
and say THANK YOU to everyone who has
helped us this semester. Without you this
would not be possible. We appreciate all
your help in the various forms you gave us.
Many of you have been with us for years,
but we are glad to say thanks to many new
groups who helped this semester!
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-To our exec; When Mindy and
Sarah graduate, they both will have served
on exec for three years each. Gina, Nidhi,
and Riley are all freshman, and they joined
us this year. They literally hit the ground
running and rolled with everything thrown
their way. We are so glad to have these
ladies working together on things for D4D!
-To our members, thank you for all
your help, dedication, enthusiasim, and
belief in D4D. We are grateful to all our
members for being a part of D4D.
-To our alumni, thank you for
starting D4D and growing it, volunteering
with us, providing insight, your donations,
and so much more. We are so glad that you
are still a part of D4D.
-To our family members and friends
who volunteered with us, supported us,
donated to us, and so much more. Thank
you for helping us.
-To our 30 volunteers at the Campus
Tour and the 21 families who attended,
Thank You for making the first tour
possible! We also appreciate the guidance
from the staff at the College Diabetes
Network for the Campus Tour.
-To our sponsors and donors, thank
you for your assistance. Without your
donations we would not have been able to
make this all happen!
-To Camp Kudzu and JDRF, thank
you for spreading the word about us and
the Tour.
-To Andrew Deutscher, author of
“Typecast” thank you for attending our
tour, speaking at our tour, and donating
some of the proceeds of his books to us.
You can find more information and how to
buy his book here.
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This Semester we…
..raised over $4,200 for JDRF and our
Campus Tour.
..devoted over 1,089
hours to Dawgs
for Diabetes through; 6 meetings; 2 JDRF
Walks in Atlanta, Camp Kudzu Summer
camps, Camp Kudzu Fall Family Camp, The
Campus Tour, 3 social events; World
Diabetes Day, 4 campus outreach events, 2
dorm programs, fundraising, and other
outside work.
…had about 25 active members.
-And finally, to the Colliers. We are
glad we were able to present a Thank You
Card to Georgia Collier. Without her the
Athens Walk would not be possible! She
and her family are also strong supporters of
D4D, and they have believed in us since the
beginning. The Colliers also hosted our first
end of semester celebration at the end of
the semester (pictured below)
…hosted the first The Campus Tour: A
Diabetes Perspective.
…held our first end of semester celebration.
…added our freshman liaison positions to
exec.
…created our adaption of the Faces of
Diabetes Campaign for Diabetes Awareness
Month.
…tabled as an organization on World
Diabetes Day for the first time.
…kicked off our Newsletter.
Member Spotlight
Most Involved Members
We would also like to take a moment to
recognize our most involved members this
semester. Not counting Camp Kudzu
summer camps, these three members
contributed over 200 hours to D4D this
semester.
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Laura Gillespie
Class of 2016, member since fall of 2012
organization.”
Laura helped us find new members
at the activity fair. She volunteered at Camp
Kudzu’s summer camp and fall family camp.
She attended the JDRF Walks in Atlanta and
Athens, and she brought 18 friends to the
walk in Athens. She created the JDRF letters
and signs at our photo booths. She
attended all our general body meetings,
and she was a committee member. She
raised over $300 for the JDRF Walk. She and
her parents volunteered at the Campus
Tour.
Trevor Blake
Class of 2018, member since fall of 2014
“I joined Dawgs for Diabetes
because I think it’s so important to spread
awareness about T1D to people in the
Athens area and to the students of UGA.
Diabetes has been a part of my life for
almost 18 years and it's wonderful to see all
of the people in the Athens community
standing up for our cause. Dawgs for
Diabetes is a fun way for me to spread
awareness and stay connected to the T1D
community. I am so thankful for the friends
I've made through D4D over the past few
years and for all of the great experiences
I've been able to have! I can't wait to see
where Dawgs for Diabetes heads next, and
I'm so proud to be a part of this
“The organization Dawgs for
Diabetes has been an incredible group to be
a part of! I really enjoy that there is this
community that I could go to and call upon
no matter what problems I have in regards
to diabetes or any college problems! They
are family and I love them and I want
nothing but for this group to the flourish
and I want to be there every step of the
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way!!
Trevor helped us find new members
at the activity fair. He was a CIT at Camp
Kudzu this year. He attended the JDRF Walk
in Athens, and brought a friend to help with
the photo booth. He helped create our
faces of diabetes campaign. He attended all
our general body meetings, and he was a
committee member. He brought friends
with him to meetings and social events. He
helped with our first educational dorm
program this semester. He helped spread
awareness on World Diabetes Day. He also
volunteered at the Campus Tour.
Check out Trevor’s interview in the Red and
Black
Antonio Leonard
Class of 2017, member since fall of 2014
was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. I
honestly did not think much of the effects
or symptoms of diabetes. When I joined
Dawgs for Diabetes, I was touched to
understand what my mother was going
through. Since then, I have been open to
help in any way to spread the awareness of
diabetes. Despite spending only one
semester since joining Dawgs for Diabetes,
my involvement with diabetes will last a
lifetime.”
Antonio attended all meetings this
semester and social events, and he was a
committee member. He brainstormed
fundraising and awareness ideas with us. At
the JDRF Walk in Athens, he was one of our
members to assist with face painting in our
family fun area.
Top Fundraisers
We recognize how important fundraising
can be; for Diabetes non-profits and to help
us run. Without our members assisting in
fundraising through canning, bake sales,
letter writing, emails, social media, and
other means we would not have been able
to reach our fundraising total this semester.
Our funds this semester went to JDRF and
the Campus Tour.
Haley White
Class of 2018, member since fall of 2014
“In the beginning of my sophomore
year in college, I knew that I needed to
involve myself in some kind of extracurricular activity. As I browsed through
countless organizations, Dawgs for Diabetes
grabbed my attention. Recently, my mother
Haley helped us raise over $1,300
for the JDRF Walk and for D4D. After
completing her first semester of college,
she offers advice to future college students,
but also to anyone who is busy and living
with Diabetes.
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to my eating-or lack thereof-schedule. All in all,
try your best not to skip any meals; but if need
be, carry some snacks with you to tie you over
until the next meal.”
Other top fundraisers; Laura Gillespie,
Mindy Bartleson, Riley Jenkins, Sarah
Gibson, Meagan Will, LauraKate Buttrill, and
Laura Greenich
A Note from Exec:
Vice President, Sarah Gibson-
“As my first semester of college came to
an end, I thought about my new life as a
diabetic college student. First of all, I learned
that taking a four-day-a-week 8 AM class was
probably not the smartest idea. I also took 16
credit hours, so I didn’t finish class each day
until 3:20 PM. My days, to say the least, were
long. So, I had to figure out a schedule: when I
should eat; if I had time to eat; when I should
be taking my long-lasting medication; etc.
Though I was not concerned about coming to
college with diabetes, I didn’t realize how
obnoxious it would be once I got here. Because
of my busy schedule, I barely had time to eat.
Sometimes, I would have to cut studying time
so that I could go grab a quick meal. Most of the
time, however, I would skip a meal or two just
so I could do work. Long story short, I never
really had an eating schedule--it became a dayto-day thing. Through the craziness that is
college, I learned that eating is probably one of
the most important things (especially for a
diabetic). So, my advice to anyone struggling
with the same issues I had: carry a snack, ANY
snack. Have an apple, some crackers, or even a
half sandwich. That ended up being my solution
“You have Type 1 diabetes; you and your
mom need to head to the hospital right
now. There’s no time to go home and get
anything. They’re waiting for you in
Atlanta.” Getting checked out of 10th grade
Literature started the whirlwind of a day
that changed the rest of my life. Getting my
diagnosis did not affect me as most would
expect in this scenario. I sat in the hospital
bed with countless doctors, nurses, and
caretakers coming in and out to talk to me,
answer questions, and teach me how to
manage diabetes without much emotion. I
didn’t cry upon receiving the news; I had a
numb exterior and just wanted to go home
so that I could go to my Festival for band
class. I have a somewhat different
experience than most when it comes to my
diagnosis, since I was diagnosed as a
teenager and had to alter my everyday
actions and thoughts to incorporate this
new obstacle. I do not see Type 1 diabetes
as a “curse” or a “death sentence” in my
life. I do see it as an annoying obstacle
course that does challenge me at times,
though. I feel lucky that I have been given
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Sarah’s first Athens JDRF Walk- 2010 (7 months after diagnosis)
an opportunity to make a difference in the
diabetic community, and hopefully the
world.
As a sophomore in high school, my
classmates and I had been told that we
needed to find our career path and decide
what we wanted to do with the rest of our
lives. My career choice changed multiple
times as I weighed the pros and cons of
each life path and I strained to imagine how
the rest of my life would go. I knew that I
wanted to help people and work with
children but those two aspects could apply
to so many careers, but I had a little help
focusing when I received my diagnosis. I
thought about being a veterinarian, since I
loved cats, but soon realized that I would
have to put down animals which turned me
off. I then went to psychologist, but I am
not very good at giving or receiving advice
so that career was quickly
marked off the list. My career
choice kind of fell into my lap
when I was admitted to
CHOA (Children’s Healthcare
of Atlanta) as I learned about
diabetes and how it effects
the daily lives of many
children and adults. I can’t
pinpoint exactly when I
decided
that
Pediatric
Diabetes Education would be
the journey I would embark
on, but I know that it was
soon after leaving the
hospital with my extensive
knowledge of this disease. I
want to be that person who is telling the
newly diagnosed boy or girl that everything
will be okay and that I have been in their
shoes- and I am thriving. Hearing advice and
tips is easily trusted and taken to heart
when you feel like that person has firsthand knowledge, in my opinion. I am
currently hitting many bumps and curves in
this journey towards my dream career
helping people and working with children,
but I know that it will soon be worth the
struggles and that I will impact so many
lives. I am thankful for the diabetic
community that I am now a part of and the
many relationships I would not have if I
were not diagnosed. While educating about
Type 1, I hope to influence people like I was
almost 5 years ago and instill hope in the
children and families impacted by Type 1.
-Sarah Gibson,
Class of 2016, Vice President
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