Kerri Lindsay is an Advocacy Team Chair (ATC) for JDRF’s Kansas City Chapter. The mother of two young sons with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Kerri got involved with JDRF when her first son, Keigan, was diagnosed at age 3 in 2011. Like a lot of newly diagnosed families, Kerri and her family felt alone and sought to reach out to the diabetes community at large. An online search led her to the JDRF Kansas City Chapter’s webpage, where she contacted the outreach coordinator. She willingly volunteered herself to be a part of the Chapter’s ‘Family Council,’ as she didn’t want another family to “go through what she went through.” Whether assisting family teams with fundraising or supporting newly diagnosed families, this unique outreach effort is dedicated to helping local T1D families.

It was through Kerri’s initial online search that she also signed up to be a JDRF Advocate! It wasn’t until she fully connected with the then ATC, Bonnie Maddox, at a JDRF Retreat, that she became actively involved with JDRF Advocacy. Bonnie happened to be retiring from the position and invited Kerri to meet for lunch where she asked Kerri if she would be interested in filling the volunteer ATC position. While she didn’t expect to be offered the position, Kerri accepted and is glad she did, noting “You’re not going to find a bigger advocate than a Mommy.”

Kerri brings her passion to JDRF, and encourages others to as well. “Passion is one thing you can’t hide, and Members [of Congress] can see when you’re speaking from the heart.” Her advice to those that may not have a close connection to T1D and are interested in working with JDRF is to spend a day in a T1D’s shoes in and to “be as informed as possible” in order to get a better sense of what we’re all advocating for.

Recently, Kerri participated in what she called one of her favorite JDRF Advocacy events, JDRF 2015 Government Day in Washington D.C., commenting that, “There’s nothing like being on Capitol Hill to fight for your babies, to fight for everyone with T1D.”  This fight takes an army, and Kerri loves being a part of something that is bigger than her. When asked about her proudest accomplishment as a JDRF Advocacy Team Chair, she noted that she couldn’t take credit for what is a contributive community effort. Especially in the case of the recent 2-year renewal of the Special Diabetes Program, or SDP, which she was proud to have had a part in garnering support for while on the Hill.

Naturally, this rewarding position comes with its challenges. Specifically, she’s encountered issues when trying to educate Members about hardships unique to T1D. However, she’s remained persistent in the face of this. In fact, she was recently having trouble scheduling a meeting with a Member, and by chance, met that Member’s staffer who happened to have a niece with T1D. The staffer then brought her niece to the meeting, and Kerri had the distinct pleasure of connecting the niece with other local T1D girls that were her age. To say her persistence paid off is an understatement! Kerri goes above and beyond the call of duty, and for that, she is a true reflection of JDRF’s mission to improve the lives of all those affected by T1D.  Our JDRF Kansas City Chapter ATC, Kerri Lindsay!