The diagnosis came fast.
One day your child is just a kid. The next, you're drowning in numbers, needles, and a fear that never fully sleeps.
Then you find them — families who already know. Who look at you and say:
"We get it. You're not alone anymore."
That was the moment everything changed.
Positively transforming life with diabetes through the power of community.
When a child is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, the whole family's world shifts. Suddenly, every meal requires math. Every school day requires a plan. Every night carries the quiet worry of a low blood sugar that comes while everyone's sleeping.
But the hardest part isn't the logistics. It's the isolation. It's the feeling that no one around you truly understands — that you're navigating something enormous, and you're doing it alone.
No family should have to walk this journey alone.
That's why The Diabetes Family Connection exists. Not to manage diabetes — but to make sure every family facing it knows they belong to a community that gets it, because we live it too.
Camp Morris is more than a summer camp. It's the place where a kid with type 1 diabetes stops being "the one with diabetes" and starts being just... a kid.
For one week, every camper is surrounded by peers who check their blood sugar before the ropes course, who know what a low feels like mid-kickball, who don't stare when you pull out your pump at lunch. For many, it's the first time in their lives they've met another person with T1D.
That kind of belonging doesn't just feel good — it rewires how a child sees their diagnosis.
3rd to 5th grade — Embrace the simple joys of camp while discovering positive mental attitude (PMA) with their new T1D friends.
6th to 8th grade — Take more ownership of their diabetes management alongside peers who get it
9th and 10th grade — Build teamwork while fostering life-long connections through shared experiences
11th grade — Push beyond comfort zones and step into leadership
12th grade. Come full circle, becoming the future camp leaders who change the next generation.
When Mark arrived at Camp Morris, newly diagnosed and uncertain, his mom Laryssa wasn't sure either of them were ready. Leaving him there was the hardest part. But Mark needed a place where he felt understood, supported, and not alone — and that's exactly what he found.
Over the course of the week, Mark made friends who get it — kids who understand the highs, the lows, and everything in between. He built a community he can carry with him for life, a support system that doesn't fade once the week is over.
He hasn't stopped talking about it since.
There's a reason 93% of Camp Morris counseling staff live with type 1 diabetes themselves. When a camper is scared to change their site, their counselor doesn't just explain how — they do it with them. When a camper feels embarrassed about sitting out to take care of their blood sugar, their counselor sits with them and shares their experience on the T1D roller coaster.
50% of the medical staff at Camp Morris have a direct T1D connection — not just clinical expertise, but personal understanding.
In 2025, The DFC awarded 44 scholarships and 133 campers received subsidized tuition — because this community believes every child deserves to experience the magic of camp. The true cost of sending a child to Camp Morris is approximately $1,500 per camper. The camp fee is $1,000 — already subsidized. But for many families navigating the financial weight of T1D, even that is out of reach.
A T1D diagnosis doesn't just affect the person wearing the pump. It reshapes the entire family. Parents carry invisible weight. Siblings adjust. Teens push back against the one thing they can't escape.
The DFC Fall Retreats create space for families to exhale. Teens connect with peers who understand the unique frustrations of managing T1D during high school. Parents sit in circles with other parents who don't need the backstory. For a weekend, no one has to explain themselves or the beeps.
Type 1 diabetes takes families on a journey no one asks for. For the Gonet family, it started with their son's diagnosis and the sadness that followed. Then he discovered Camp Morris — and found his community. He went from feeling hopeless to embracing a positive mental attitude. The emotional growth after his first week of camp was just the tip of the iceberg.
But the DFC didn't stop with their son. The Fall Retreat gave the whole family access to knowledge, technology, and something harder to find — other families walking the same path. Mothers, fathers, and siblings finally had space to connect with people who didn't need the backstory.
The DFC shows up where families are. In 2025, that meant Hickory, Boone, Durham (Duke Diabetes Day), and Wilmington, partnering with the YMCA across North Carolina to bring one-day events, caregiver education sessions, and resource-sharing to every family impacted by T1D.
“I enjoyed listening to other parents' perspectives and thoughts about type 1 diabetes. It was reassuring to know that we are not alone in this journey and other people go through the same experiences.” — C2C Parent Participant
PMA — Positive Mental Attitude — is more than a phrase at The DFC. It's the philosophy that runs through every program, every interaction, every care package sealed with a handwritten letter.
Launched in October of 2023, and developed by our LITs in 2022, the PMA Care Package Program reaches people who need to be reminded that they are not alone with T1D. Each package is built by a DFC volunteer and contains resources, encouragement, and something no algorithm can replicate: a personal, handwritten letter from someone who understands.
When recipients were asked what had the greatest impact on their mental health, the answer wasn't the educational materials or the branded gear. It was the handwritten letters. A stranger who lives with T1D, sitting down and writing to say: You're not alone. I know this is hard. Here's what I want you to know.
Behind every camp cabin, every care package, every community event, there are people who give their time not because they have to, but because they know what it means.
In 2025, 320 volunteers gave their time, their expertise, and their stories to DFC programs. The community DFC builds doesn't just serve families. It transforms the people who serve them.
Medical professionals from Atrium, Cone Health, Duke, Novant, UNC, Tryon Medical, WakeMed, and more brought clinical expertise to DFC programs. But many also brought something more — a personal connection to T1D that made their support feel less like a service and more like family.
The Diabetes Family Connection exists to ensure that no family or individual impacted by a T1D diagnosis walks this journey alone.
This past year has been one of growth, connection, and meaningful impact. Together, we have created safe spaces where individuals living with type 1 diabetes and their families feel understood, supported, and empowered to live big while taking T1D along for the ride. From Camp Morris to virtual support groups, our community has shown up for one another time and again, putting connection first and finding the power of a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) through it all.
The true impact of this work cannot be measured by numbers alone. It is seen in a child meeting another person with T1D for the first time. A camper confidently changing their site independently. A student learning to advocate for themselves at school. A parent discovering how approaching diabetes with curiosity instead of judgment can transform their family's relationship with blood sugar numbers.
These moments of confidence, connection, and understanding create life-changing outcomes that last far beyond any single program.
None of this work is possible without the generosity of our donors, the dedication of our volunteers, and the strength of our partners. Because of you, we are continuing to positively transform life with diabetes through the power of community.
With gratitude and determination,
Every dollar donated to The DFC doesn't disappear into an abstract budget line. It becomes a scholarship. A care package. A counselor at camp. A community event in a town where families have been going it alone.
The theme said it all: "Community is the SPARK that turns grey into color."
The people closest to the mission gave the most:
Patrick Mertes and Michael Shelver didn't just plan a fundraiser — they planned something impossible. Starting at Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level, they biked and climbed their way to the 14,505-foot summit of Mount Whitney, navigating altitude, exhaustion, and the ever-present challenges of type 1 diabetes.
The T1D community turned an extraordinary physical feat into extraordinary impact for families who need it.
Party with a Purpose events do more than raise funds — they deepen relationships, expand the DFC network, and introduce new families and partners to the mission. Hosted throughout North Carolina, these gatherings prove that community-building and fundraising aren't separate goals. They're the same thing.
| $25 | A PMA Care Package — materials, resources, and a handwritten letter |
| $200 | A scholarship for a teen to attend Fall Retreat |
| $500 | Cost of program supplies for one event |
| $800 | A scholarship to send a family of 4 to Fall Retreat |
| $1,500 | Full cost of sending one child to Camp Morris |
| $5,000 | Cost to bring Camp to Community to a new location |
DFC's impact doesn't stop when camp ends or the retreat weekend wraps. Through social media, the community stays connected year-round — sharing stories, resources, and the kind of "me too" moments that make a Tuesday afternoon with T1D feel less lonely.
Through these channels, DFC extends programs beyond physical locations — sharing educational resources, amplifying community stories, and creating meaningful engagement for families and partners across North Carolina and beyond.
The need continues to grow — and so does this community.
Serve more than 1,600 individuals and families across North Carolina through high-quality programs, meaningful support, and community connection that spreads PMA.
Strengthen partnerships to expand camp opportunities, including the launch of Adventure Camp and a second week of Camp Morris, increasing access for more families living with T1D.
Develop and empower a strong network of volunteers and leaders who foster support, positivity, and lifelong friendships within the DFC community.
As we look ahead, our vision is clear: to expand access, deepen impact, and strengthen partnerships so we can reach even more families navigating life with type 1 diabetes. We remain committed to growing a community where every individual feels supported, equipped, and empowered to thrive.
A T1D diagnosis feels isolating, overwhelming and intimidating leading to worry and fear.
A T1D diagnosis feels connected, surrounded by others who understand and cheer you on as you thrive while taking T1D along for the ride.
None of this is possible without you. Every program in this report, every story, every statistic — they exist because people like you chose to invest in families navigating life with T1D.
We are grateful to every individual who contributed to The DFC in 2025.
Anonymous (81 donors)
When a T1D diagnosis feels isolating and overwhelming, The Diabetes Family Connection builds community through camps, retreats, and peer support — so everyone can thrive.
You can be part of the story.
