2008 JDRF Walk Letter

September 2008

Dear Friends and Family,

The summer of 2008 has whizzed by and Jessica has been so busy with her challenging junior year at SMHS that she was unable to write her annual JDRF walk letter. (She is doing great otherwise) We decided to give her a break this year and write it ourselves. We are now in the planning stages of the 6^th JDRF walk that will take place Saturday November 1, 2008 at Dodger Stadium. Last year Jessica wrote about some of the accomplishments that JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) has achieved during the first 5 years she’s had Type 1 diabetes. Even though great strides continue to be made all of the time, there’s still more work to be done. We can no longer count on the federal government to support research at the same levels as in the past.

We know that 2008 has been a tough economic year for many people, but a donation in any amount is truly appreciated! Despite raising only $65,000 in 2007, we have now passed $250,000 in cumulative donations since 2003 and we plan on continuing our fundraising mission. We are determined to reach our 2008 goal of raising $80,000 for JDRF, whose sole mission is to cure type 1 diabetes and avoid the complications that typically accompany this disease and affect the lives of our sons and daughters with Type 1. We know as parents, that this disease never rests and we must be vigilant at all times, and sleep with one eye open.

And that’s where you come in. We need your support to reach our goal of $80,000 and get closer to curing type 1 diabetes.

There are 2 ways you can help:

<Make a donation to JDRF.

<Walk with our team in Dodger Stadium on Saturday, November 1, 2008 and raise money from your own circle of friends and family to contribute even more to JDRF.

DON’T WAIT – DONATE TODAY!

Donate online or sign-up for the walk, at http://www.jdrf.org/ and search for “Jessica Shapiro” or use: http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmid=86992329

Thank you for your support of a cause so close to our hearts! We appreciate any help you can provide, and please forward this letter to your friends and family.

We are also proud of the companies whose employees have supported us in the past. If you’d like to get your company more involved, we’re happy to help.

Sincerely on behalf of Jessica Shapiro, our inspiring daughter and Team Captain,

Paul & Janice Shapiro