Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is the world's leading non-profit, non-governmental contributor to diabetes research. Its mission is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of medical research.  Based in Sydney, JDRF structures its research on a business-world model to ensure that resources are spent most effectively to accelerate progress toward finding a cure.

JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of juvenile (type 1) diabetes research worldwide. It was founded in 1970 by the parents of children with juvenile diabetes - a disease which strikes children suddenly, makes them insulin-dependent for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Since inception, JDRF has provided more than $800 million in direct funding to diabetes research. JDRF's mission is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.

Diabetes is a serious, chronic metabolic disease that destroys the body's ability to manufacture insulin - a hormone necessary for the body to convert food into energy. There are two main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes is a life-long autoimmune disease. It usually begins in childhood or early adulthood, although it can occur at any age. It can strike infants as young as 8 weeks old. People with type 1 diabetes must take up to 6 insulin injections every day for the rest of their lives, just to stay alive.

Type 2 diabetes (also known as non-insulin dependent or adult onset diabetes) generally occurs in people over 45. It can usually be managed through diet, exercise and weight control, but oral medication or insulin may be required in some cases.

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases of childhood. It is more common than cancer, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and muscular dystrophy.

98% of diabetes found in children in Australia is type 1 diabetes - only 2% is type 2 diabetes. An estimated 140,000 people in Australia have type 1 diabetes, around 1 in 700 children in Australia have type 1 diabetes. Approximately 7.5% of Australians have some form of diabetes. Around 50% of people with type 1 diabetes are diagnosed when they are younger than 18 years old.  Every day, 5 more people are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. There are approximately 2000 new cases each year.

The Jelly Baby Appeal is the major annual fundraiser for JDRF and since 2003 Woolworths has been the major supporter. 100% of sales of Jelly Baby merchandise sales in Woolworths funds diabetes research.

Thank you Woolworths supporting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Jelly Baby Month each May. The $1.2 million that you have raised over the past three years will fund valuable research into finding a cure for type-one diabetes and its complications.

We are working towards finding a cure so that more than 140,000 Australian children and adults with diabetes no longer have to endure multiple daily injections, blood glucose tests, life-threatening hypoglycaemia and the fear of developing serious complications.

Mike Wilson
Chief Executive Officer
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

For more information about JDRF visit www.jdrf.org.au