ABOVE: Mandy Schmidt, Ballwin, shakes hands with President Obama at the White House during Children's Congress. BELOW: Nick Jonas introduces himself to Mandy Schmidt and other JDRF Children's Congress attendees.
Four local youngsters were welcomed by President Obama and pop music’s Nick Jonas on June 23 as they lobbied congress for more research funding for type 1 (juvenile) diabetes.
Nick, the youngest of three-member boy band, the Jonas Brothers, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2005. He attended the JDRF Children’s Congress in Washington, D.C. with Mandy Schmidt of Ballwin, Turner Rapp of Ladue, Victoria Liu of Frontenac, and Lizzie Kurowski of Swansea.
Aproximately 150 children ages 4 to 17, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and all diagnosed with type 1 diabetes were joined by young, along with delegates from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Greece and the United Kingdom came together in Washington D.C. to convey a clear message to the U.S. government that diabetes is a global problem that requires a global effort to find a cure for juvenile diabetes.
The event, held every other summer, was led by JDRF's International Chairman Mary Tyler Moore and Chair Parents Edsel and Cynthia Ford.