Madison (Maddie) Hawkins, 17, of Arlington has been chosen by JDRF, the leading global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research, to join a delegation of her peers and celebrity advocates in Washington, D.C., this summer at JDRF 2023 Children’s Congress from July 9-11.
Hawkins will join more than 160 other youth from across the country to meet with their members of Congress and other key decisionmakers to inform them of the critical role they can play in supporting T1D community.
As part of the experience, participants (ages 4 to 17) will engage in leadership and character-building programming, interact with T1D role models and engage in a number of activities on Capitol Hill, including attending a Senate hearing to share personal testimonies that highlight the challenges of living with T1D and the need for continued Federal funding through the Special Diabetes Program.
Joining the U.S. delegates will be five international delegates traveling from Australia, Canada, Israel, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Together, the delegates will help to convey to the federal government that T1D is a global issue that requires a global response.
