February 15, 2010

Happy Valentine’s Day, Sisters!  I am disappointed to tell you that we were forced to cancel our DS Quarterly Meeting that was scheduled for this past Saturday (Feb 13^th) in Raleigh, NC due to inclement weather.  However, our next Quarterly meeting is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, 2010 at Brio Steakhouse at Crabtree Valley Mall in Raleigh, North Carolina.  For those who like having the ability to choose their own meal, Brio allows each person to order from their menu individually.  I hope you will join us!  Prior to the Quarterly meeting, I REALLY hope you will join us at the Weekend for Women Conference at Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina on May 22-23, 2010.  Registration is already ¾ full.  We only have 25 spots left out of the 100 allocated spots.  If you are considering registering, I encourage you to do so now as the Conference will likely be FULL by the end of the month!  To register, visit: http://www.diabetessisters.org/weekend-for-women-conference.

Naturally, no ONE person can be excellent at all of these things!  And let’s face it, I am certainly not the only person who can serve as the face of DiabetesSisters and/or do the work of DiabetesSisters.  I may be the woman with diabetes who founded the organization, but there are many women out there who understand the value of support and education in the life of a woman with diabetes.  Furthermore, while it is important to have volunteers who want to donate an hour here and there (I receive volunteer applicants weekly), I can’t train or put those volunteers to work to represent the organization until I have a volunteer manager in place to oversee them.  

In order for DiabetesSisters to continue its current upward trajectory in 2010 and beyond, it is critical that the volunteer leadership for the organization be secured NOW.  So, if you or someone you know is passionate about helping women with diabetes, dependable, skilled, and willing to take on a leadership role within DiabetesSisters, I want to set up an interview with YOU!  These heralded leadership positions within the first national nonprofit for women with diabetes are taken very seriously because millions of women with diabetes around the world are depending on them.  (In fact, more than 40,000 women with diabetes from over 147 different countries have visited the DiabetesSisters website.)  As women with diabetes, we know that we deserve and require a high level of attention, support, and education.  So, it will take a strong TEAM of women with diabetes to care for and advocate for millions of women with diabetes.  I encourage you to look thoughtfully at the list of tasks I rattled off above that I am currently doing for the organization and ask yourself if you could take ownership/leadership of any activity.  Leadership does not mean devoting 40 hours per week, but it does mean committing to seeing the tasks done with excellence- for some tasks that may be 4 hours a week for others it may be 20 hours a week.  I am not asking this of you as a favor to me, but rather as a favor to ALL women with diabetes.  For without you, the organization will continue to struggle along as one, two or, maybe, three main volunteers struggle to oversee all of the work of the organization. 

If you are interested in serving as the “first contact” for the organization (i.e. answering emails, etc) or as a volunteer manager (getting the volunteers into the right position) or any of the other leadership position, please fill out a Volunteer Application or contact me directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  I am very excited to talk with you and get you involved in this phenomenal organization to see the team work make the dream work!  If you have completed a volunteer application in the past, but did not express your interest in a leadership position, please send me a follow-up email.