ConnecT1D was started in 2009 in Seattle, Washington by a group of people with Type 1 Diabetes that had a long history with social support programs and camps for people with Type 1 Diabetes. When support for those programs started to wane from other diabetes organizations, these people decided to start a nonprofit dedicated to the sole mission of providing community support for living with Type 1 Diabetes, an incurable chronic illness.
“An incredible weekend with my fellow T1D families - we were welcomed immediately by this new community of brave, soulful and hilarious people.”
in 2011, ConnecT1D achieved 501(c)(3) status, launched a parent program, a teen program, an adult program and put on its first Family Camp in 2012, drawing more than 40 families.
In the following years, ConnecT1D expanded its programs, established partnerships with JDRF, Benaroya Research Institution, Camp Leo, Seattle Children's Hospital and other organizations.
The organization's signature program, ConnecT1D Family Camp, expanded by 25% in 2013 and again by 25% in 2014 - reaching nearly 300 people. In 2014, ConnecT1D launched Team ConnecT1D bringing high performance Type 1 athletes together to race under a common banner.
“Before ConnecT1D we hadn’t met anyone else with Type 1 Diabetes. We felt alone.”
ConnecT1D added a speaker's series for adults with Type 1 Diabetes and held its first ConnecT1D Retreat for adults with Type 1 Diabetes in 2016.
From its small origins in Seattle in 2009, ConnecT1D grew to become a critical source for people living with Type 1 Diabetes. And in 2019 ConnecT1D merged with another local non-profit, Camp Leo, to expand the reach of both organizations even further as we seek to better serve the Type 1 community.
Camp Leo + ConnecT1D operates primarily in Washington State but.is only as geographically big as its volunteer base. If you want to see community support programs offered in your community, visit the Get ConnecT1D page and help us out!
Camp Leo + ConnecT1D believes that people living with Type 1 Diabetes manage their disease better when they have a social and emotional support network in place to make the disease less isolating. This simple idea – connecting people with Type 1 Diabetes meets a clear community need and motivates our work.
We're proud of what we've accomplished. And equally eager to take on the work that follows.