I met Janice Gaskins at the Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference this summer. She was working the sticker table (so everyone could decorate their name tags) and so was my friend Morgan, so I joined her... because who doesn't love stickers?
Well as we were chatting she told me that she's here with her non-profit, Macey's Believers, and when she told me what they do it touched me in profound way. They fundraise all year round to send as many families as they can to the CWD Friends for Life conference every year.
It is a privilege to be able to attend this conference. It's therapeutic, it's fun, it forms friendships, and it's something those of us who can afford it get to experience every summer. This year they were able to pay the conference fees for 15 whole families. Families who wouldn't have gotten to experience what I call my favorite time of the year had Macey's Believers not been around. Families whose children would never have gotten to meet other kids just like them and make long-lasting friendships while having fun for the week. It's the most beautiful gift they can get.
Janice's daughter, Macey, was diagnosed at 13 months on June 8th, 2003. They've personally been attending Friends for Life on and off since Macey was 3. In 2007, Janice was diagnosed with breast cancer. In 2008, after a rough year, they requested a scholarship to the conference. Every year she would collect things from all the vendors for the families back home who couldn't attend. And then she realized that they could fundraise so that those families could attend.
And so Macey's Believers began. In November 2015, they held their first fundraiser, and for that summer they sent 6 whole families to Friends for Life. That was 2016. Fast forward to 2017, and like I said, they sent 15 families!
Their big month to fundraise is Diabetes Awareness Month which is November, and their annual Macey's Believers T1D Hero day is scheduled for November 12th. It's held at a family fun, miniature golf place and all local family and friends and T1D families are invited to come celebrate their T1D.
All in all, I'm in love with this little non-profit. Knowing there are families there having the time of their lives who otherwise wouldn't have been able to go is incredible. And it's all thanks to the Gaskins family.
If you feel the urge to donate and participate in Macey's Believers, you can click on the following pages:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Maceys-Believers-Inc-550501958619423/?fref=gs&dti=60271529702&hc_location=group
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