Welcome to a new year at JDRF Advocacy! We started 2011 off with a bang by kicking off our 2011 New Member Outreach Initiative (NMOI). If you have a newly elected Member of Congress, here is your chance to meet with them to talk about important type 1 issues! Click here to find out why you should meet with your new Member.

Here are some other things you may have missed in the excitement of a new year:

• JDRF Advocacy started using social media more effectively in 2010, and we want to continue to build the DOC throughout 2011. We launched this blog, have increased our use of Twitter, and you can even now join a Facebook group to discuss advocacy activities. Mike broached the topic of broadening the DOC in the first post of the new year. Click here to tell us your thoughts!

• I am sure you are all aware that 2011 Children’s Congress is fast approaching! Find out the latest Children’s Congress news here. Congrats to those who were selected!

• Every year, our grassroots leaders travel to Washington, D.C. as a part of JDRF’s Government Day. We have numerous goals for this event, and we realize that it really is about broadening the diabetes community as a whole! As a part of our effort to continue to build the DOC, this year we have invited some diabetes bloggers to participate. Click here to read more about Government Day.

• Melinda Rose, one of our Grassroots Leadership Team members, took the time to share her story and her views on how she uses social networking in the path towards a cure. Read Melinda’s compelling blog post here!

Be sure to check back for updates on NMOI and other topics listed above. I hope you all are surviving the snow!