All Entries in the "How to Participate" Category

Getting Involved Is Easy and Important

Thank you again for your support and participation in the Type 1 Diabetes Luminary Enlightenment!  We want everyone to participate and strongly encourage everyone to make this event their own.  There are many ways to raise awareness.  The one constant is that we all come together on one day to show our commitment and unity as a community in finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.  Below are some ideas to raise awareness for a cure on November 5th and throughout the year:

1.    T-1 Luminary Enlightenment- In the morning, place the T-1 luminary bag outside your front door, visible from the street, and light the candle as soon as it gets dark.  Hang the Type 1 Diabetes Fact Sheet on your front door for people to read and become “enlightened.”  Please feel free to customize the factsheet with your own personal story about type 1 diabetes.  You can also make your own luminaries by carving out pumpkins or using milk cartons etc.  Large quantities of luminary bags can be ordered directly from the manufacturer by calling LumaBase at 610-524-4166.  On the morning and night of the Luminary Lighting event, take pictures with your luminaries in front of your home/street and send to P.O. Box 2813 Westport, CT 06880 or submit them through our Flicker group pool.

2.    Call your local media and encourage them to do a story on type 1 diabetes and all the houses participating in the T-1 Luminary lighting event in your community.

3.    Ask local office buildings to light blue and yellow lights in their windows on November 5th.  Much like the Empire State Building.

4.    Tie yellow and blue balloons on your mailbox or front door on November 5th.

5.    Light T-1 luminaries in your town green or town center on November 5th.

6.    Wear T-1 pins on your jacket lapel, purse or backpack.  You can make the pins much like campaign pins or have them made by www.4imprint.com When people see you wearing the pin they will ask what is T-1– giving you the opportunity to “enlighten” them about the unique characteristics of type one diabetes.

7.    Contact your local JDRF Chapter and participate in the “promise to remember me” campaign raising awareness for type one diabetes with United States Senators and Congressmen.

8.     November 5th is purposefully around election day to remind everyone to vote for individuals concerned about supporting and finding a cure for type 1 diabetes.

9.    Send the T-1 Luminary Enlightenment pack to local officials and celebrities to raise awareness.  Ask them to read the factsheet and take a picture holding the T-1 luminary bag.

10.    Ask your local stores, restaurants, universities, little league etc. to participate in displaying the T-1 luminaries.

Always remember, there are many different ways that you can get involved with T-1 Enlightenment.

Become Active On Our Web Site

Be Active With Your Comments

This site has been specifically constructed to allow you to participate and share your input with comments throughout the site.  We want to hear from you so be sure to share you thoughts, feedback and dreams.

Share Your Photos from November 5th

Be sure and take some photos from your luminary display and submit them to the T-1 Enlightenment account at Picasa (we will be setting this up soon).  From time to time will select from your submission and post them on our site’s gallery.

Send Us Your Stories

Through our experience dealing with this Type 1 diabetes, we benefited greatly from the people who have been kind enough to share their experiences with us.  We invite you to submit your stories of what it meant to you to participate in T-1 Enlightenment.  Or feel free to send us stories about how you have had to deal with Type 1 diabetes in your life.  We will then be able to share your stories with everyone in our community.  Feel free to send a note along through our contact form so we can follow up with you.

Nov. 5th – Luminary Lighting Instructions

Thank you again for your support and participation in the Type 1 Diabetes Luminary Lighting!  If you can’t participate, please pass along the luminaries to a friend, neighbor or someone who can.

Directions for November 5th:

1.     Fill luminary bag with 2 cups of sand, rice or small rocks.
2.    Place tea light inside the bag.
3.    In the morning, place the bag outside your front door, visible from the street, and light the candle as soon as it gets dark.
4.    Keep candle lit in honor of the Type 1 Luminary Lighting event.
5.    Hang the Type 1 Diabetes Fact Sheet on your front door for people to read and become “enlightened.”
6.    On the morning and night of the Luminary Lighting event, take pictures with your luminaries in front of your home/street and send to P.O. Box 2813 Westport, CT 06880 or email to czjdrf@gmail.com

Hopefully the weather will be great on November 5th, if it is raining or too windy to light the luminaries then wait until the next best evening.   November is Diabetes awareness month so we have the entire month to enlighten the Nation.

Keep your luminaries in your sock drawer for safe keeping until November 5th -or- keep a note in your sock drawer to remind yourself where you have them stored.  (If we all keep the luminaries in the same place then we can remind each other where to find them on Nov. 5th and for years to come.)

Note: All luminary bags are flame resistant.  However, be sure to be careful and do not leave the bags unattended.