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“Our programs help many low-income and vulnerable children who live with the very challenging disease of Type 1 diabetes. PADRE provides over 100 classes and support groups to approximately 1,700 children and their parents and siblings, providing the much-needed diabetes self-care education that goes beyond what is provided at initial diagnosis. Our programs are 100% funded through philanthropy; there is no insurance or government reimbursement.

On a monthly basis, PADRE offers specialized classes such as our Caregiver’s Class, Carbohydrate Counting Class, and Pump Basics Class, which all assist in managing Type 1 diabetes. Many of our classes are taught in Spanish, which enables us to address the needs of those Spanish-speaking families with Type 1 diabetes. Classes serve children and adolescents from throughout Orange County (plus other Southern California counties). They are taught by the Diabetes team from CHOC and include Certified Diabetes Educators and Registered Dieticians, as well as physicians and psychologists. All classes are provided at no cost as more than half of those we serve are low-income.” -PADRE Foundation mission statement

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My Experience working with Padre has gone back a very long time. I initially got involved in the group but I was first diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 9 years old, it is a terrifying and life-changing experience that changes your life within a day. I first got involved with Padre when I was invited to one of their newly diagnosed classes to learn a little bit more about diabetes and meet a community of kids my age who also dealt with this, most longer than I had.

One of the big events that they offered that I got involved in was a fashion show that is a fundraiser that raises money to go toward research, and finding a cure. The show's been something that I have done for many years, and I have raised thousands of dollars over the past few years donating to finding a cure. Being able to work with this foundation, and be one of their youth leaders has been the most rewarding experience, getting to know all of the other kids that all have a common experience is amazing. Connecting with people of all ages and immediately understanding such a huge part of your life without having to explain it is refreshing, it truly benefits you, and helps you stay positive about something so hard to cope with. The fundraiser has many different ways of donating to the cause including a raffle, bid for a kid, donating scholarships, and donating during their silent auction. The raffle includes many different expensive amazing prizes that different companies and businesses donate. Bid for a Kid is an amazing way to donate to the foundation, you can change a kid's life by doing this,  you can donate supplies to them, you can send them to diabetes camp, and get them involved in the program. They also offer scholarships to Seniors Helping send them to college! PADRE Foundation is overall just an amazing program that helps so many people going through such a scary path of life and it is just so beautiful to see how it brings everyone together.

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PADRE has offered unwavering support and guidance in my life, transforming my journey with diabetes in profound ways. Initially, getting diagnosed with this condition felt like navigating a long journey without a map, but PADRE provided more support than I could have ever needed. Their educational resources empowered me with knowledge about managing my condition. Through their supportive community, I found the ability to connect with others who understood the daily challenges of living with diabetes, giving me a sense of belonging and understanding. As I am involved with PADRE's outreach initiatives, I discovered a sense of purpose in advocating for diabetes awareness and prevention, channeling my experiences into a force for positive change within my community. Being one of their youth leaders, the ability to connect and welcome people into the program is so rewarding. Their unwavering commitment to research and hope for advancements in diabetes treatment and ultimately a cure. With PADRE I've not only learned to manage my diabetes but to thrive despite it, embracing each day with resilience, gratitude, and a renewed sense of possibility.

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One connection that I could make to something that we've read this year could be The resilience in the book, “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”. The resilience that was shown throughout the book is truly inspiring to see demonstrated, and the kids that are a part of this Foundation have the same resilience, these kids unfortunately have to do with a chronic condition every single day of their lives and will never see a day that they will not have to. Diabetes is something that comes into your life like a hurricane and takes up a lot of your freedoms, you can go from being 9 years old and living carefree to now having to learn how to manage your health on your own. Every decision you make will affect your health in the long run and that is scary for a child to have to consider. I believe it not only relates to the book because of the resilience, because in the book The Boy chose resilience when everybody around him was doubting if he would even be able to create a windmill, then he creates an extremely successful one and his confidence, yet it was challenged it never wavered from him knowing he was capable of handling it.

Another connection I could make to something we read this year would be relating back to our social issues project, the project was based on finding a social issue and identifying why it was an issue. I think this could really be because the lack of Education in different medical conditions is sad. When people find out I am a type 1 diabetic they immediately jump to the conclusion that it is something that I inflicted on myself. That is not the case, my condition is a chronic condition that occurs when a certain code is in one's blood. It is almost completely random, and it is not something that you will necessarily pass down to your family, it can happen, but it is very rare to see. I often get asked if it is something my parents did and gave to me, but it is not, I am the first known type 1 diabetic in my family. I believe that it relates to the social issues project because people's lack of awareness and in-sensitiveness when it comes to knowing about your medical condition is extremely highly inappropriate. Whatever is going on with one's health should be their business and their business only,  it is not for other people to walk around and make assumptions or talk about. I believe it relates to the social issue project because this is a social issue nowadays that nobody shines light on.

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https://www.padrefoundation.org/