Posted by Sandra Silvestri on September 13, 1998 at 20:47:18:
In Reply to: Re: Earmarking JDF Donations? posted by Dennis Jerome on September 13, 1998 at 07:18:20:
Dennis:
First of all, although I am on the board, I do not represent JDF here. I speak to concerns about JDF or can sometimes answer questions but for anyone who wants to hear "official language", they would be better served calling the International office in NY.
I am sorry if my words sounded empty and high sounding. I am actually flattered that you would say such a thing as I don't think of myself as being ABLE to write "high sounding".(s)
What I meant was ...
As for respect in the buisness community, whenever I speak to parents or community businessmen, certain things about JDF make them want to support us. Their support is important. The walk raises $30 million a year for diabetes research through the support of small businesses and family teams. This money is raised one dollar at a time through business relationships, personal friendships and sneaker sales. In preparing for the walk, I have solicited local businessmen.( as well as pesterd my friends and family) I am trying to raise money from them to send to JDF to support our research. One of the facts about JDF that makes businesses want to support us is that 83% of every dollar raised goes to research. Another thing that impresses them is our peer review process. Designating research to a "specific researcher or institution" would subvert the process of peer review. Peer review is unbiased evaluation of science where applications and ideas are reveiwed for scientific merit. Lay review at JDF then evaluates based on relevance and other things. If I did not believe that this process was inherently effective, I could not support such a process. Having lived through this process many times, I feel confident that it is the best way to decide not only the merits of a particular grant but also to discover the best scientists. Many thigns are revealed through peer review, not the least of which is what grant is the best grant. Do you know what peer review is? I can give you an more detailed explanation of this process if you do not understand what it is. Getting back to why business repect is important, I do not solicit on the International level but I am sure that those who do solicit big business appeal in many of the same ways that I solicit small business locally. Just this week, I spent the day with the local Longs Drug store managers. They wanted to support the walk and are building teams. Why? Their reasons were varied . Obviously diabetics buy pharmaceuticals. But their explanation to each other was," It is time to give something back to our community and this organization is very impressive in their dedication and committment to their cause." They mentioned the 83% figure, the large volunteer components, and the difference their support coud make. I was there to speak about the human impact of diabetes by telling my personal story. This was also important to them. Everyone wants to make sure that their time and money are being used for something that will make a difference. Supporting charities can be tricky. JDF's reputation is impeccable. This is not an accident.
Respect in the scientific community is also VERY important if we are to attract the kind of research that will make a difference in our childrens lives AND if we are to attract the kind of help from within the scientific community that will guide us in our search for this research. If the scientific community does not respect us , will they show up for our workshops, respond to our interviews for the task force, share their work with us, attend summits in Washington designed to raise funds from the NIH, or volunteer their time to serve on peer review? There are a mulititude of reasons why it is important to our children that the researchers believe that we are fair and motivated by our children's lives. I spend hours during lay review and at other meetings talking to the researchers. I wear a locket around my neck with pictures of my children to show the researchers.. I remind them constantly that this work of theirs makes a difference. Every moment they spend working on a cure, makes a difference in my childs life.
Everyone wants to know that they are making a difference that counts in human lives. With JDF, scientists and businessmen (AND politicians) see through the volunteers the possibility of real impact.
I hope I have helped make these words less empty to you. I can think of nothing more important than having you see that JDF is nothing if not sincere, and empty words and phrases (even if they are mine..gasp) are a waste of time.
Sandra