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"Lend me your ear, lend me your voice." That's how I'm approaching my friends, family, colleagues and neighbors this June to bring them on board with a cause I feel strongly about: advocacy on behalf of people with diabetes. 

You can too by asking your networks to sign-up on diabetes.org/advocacywins

Those who know me hear often about our American Diabetes Association advocacy wins as well as the challenges ahead.  And this June, with our focus on new advocate recruitment, they will hear me ask them – by email, through social media, and in person – to sign up to learn more and get involved by becoming a Diabetes Advocate.

And I know many will take me up on my ask– even my friends who are “nonpolitical” –  because diabetes advocacy goes beyond politics.  It is about helping a grandmother, nephew, neighbor or coworker with diabetes. It is about standing up for all of the nearly 30 million Americans now living with diabetes, as well as the 86 million with prediabetes.

As a Diabetes Advocate, you know our work makes a difference – you know about the victories we’ve celebrated as well as the challenges still before us.  Your advocacy experience, your story, makes you an effective recruiter to build our momentum for more wins that lead to better care, fair treatment, and, ultimately, a cure for diabetes.

Please join me in asking people you know to lend their ears, and their voices by asking them to sign-up at diabetes.org/advocacywins. And please recruit all throughout this month – not just once, and not just in one way.  We need many, many more people to hear about our work, and then join us in raising our voices.

Together, we will Stop Diabetes!

Gina Gavlak
Chair, National Advocacy Committee

P.S. To add to the excitement, we have prizes!

Top Advocate Recruiter - overall: Exclusive Team Tackle football and American Diabetes Association polo shirt

Weekly Top 3 Recruiters:

1. American Diabetes Association t-shirt
2. American Diabetes Association scarf
3. American Diabetes Association hat

You’ll also earn points in our Step Up Advocacy Recognition Program, which has a grand prize of a trip to next year’s Call to Congress in Washington, DC!