orange:will is a national campaign that was initiated by DiabetesSisters in the Fall of 2010.

The campaign has two purposes:

1) to establish orange as the official color of women's diabetes

2) to raise awareness of the unique issues faced by women with diabetes

Why should you support/advocate for the orange:will national campaign?

The average person is unaware of the unique challenges faced by women with diabetes during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause.  There is very little research and few resources available to help women navigate these challenges.  There is also little attention given to the increased risks of depression, cardiovascular disease, eating disorders, body image issues, osteoporosis, or ketoacidosis faced by women with diabetes.  As a result, the general public and women with diabetes are uninformed about these risks.  Without research, resources, or information, women with diabetes are at a severe disadvantage.  By supporting the efforts of the orange:will campaign, you can do your part to ensure that women with diabetes are given a fair chance at living happy, healthy lives with the disease.

Why was orange chosen as the color for women with diabetes?

After considerable research, orange was chosen to represent women with diabetes for a number of reasons.  First and formost, orange is considered a power color. It is also one of the healing colors.

Let's begin by dissecting the orange:will campaign campaign.  It consists of two words: orange and will.  The word "orange" means vitality with endurance-- a very fitting description of women with diabetes since we are full of life and each of us has had to endure our fair share of challenges. The word "will" or "willpower" means energetic determination.  Let's face it-- women must exert a significant amount of energetic determination compared to our non-diabetic peers in order to live happy, healthy lives with diabetes.

If you delve further into the meaning of orange, you will find that it is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics and it represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.  In addition, orange is known to stimulate creativity and enthusiasm because it combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow.

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange also has very high visibility, so it can be used it to catch attention and highlight important ideas.

Although orange may not be everyone's favorite color, no color would be agreed upon by everyone. Therefore, it was important for DiabetesSisters' staff to choose a color that commands attention and converys the correct message and feeling about women with diabetes.  We feel strongly that orange is a very fitting color for our cause and we hope you will support us.

How can you support the orange:will campaign?

There are a number of ways you can support the orange:will campaign.  First, you can visit our orange:will website at www.orangewill.org and upload a an orange photo to the site.  You can also raise funds for and/or walk in one of our upcoming orange:will Awareness Walks.  You can purchase an orange:will t-shirt to wear or car magnet to display on your car.  You can also donate to DiabetesSisters, earmarking your funds specifically for the orange:will campaign.  Whatever way you choose to participate, DiabetesSisters appreciates your support!