Creativity in the gift of giving

215,000 people under 20 years old have diabetes.
15,600 young people are diagnosed with type 1 each year.
That's 43 kids a day.

To educate and raise awareness of the impact of type 1 diabetes, Euro RSCG Life LM&P volunteered our creative thinking for the Westchester Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF). The JDRF funds research to help improve the lives of people living with diabetes by developing better treatments for the disease and advancing toward a cure. This year, LM&P created the JDRF Children’s Art Project which was auctioned at the 25th Anniversary Gala on April 9th. 40 Westchester residents trekked out to lend a hand and some creativity  - the kids made individual drawings made from paint, crayons, markers and colored pencils and sent them over to our own Pro Bono committee. With help from Ali Ferens, Jeff Tragone, Carly Schott, Leah Gorky, Shelley Brathwaite and Michelle Mkryan we scanned them in (all 150!), and with the artful touch and design genius of Kenley Diaz, we digitally transformed them into a work of art - a large canvas mosaic that we sent over to be a part of a silent auction. The project gave LM&P a real contribution to the JDRF cause, and it gave families living with type 1 diabetes a chance to gather with new and familiar friends, support and encouragement - particularly to those who are coping with a recent type 1 diagnosis.

Most importantly, the single project sold for $5,000 at the Gala - and the benefit in total garnered more than $500,000 towards diabetes.

The Art project was a huge success - here and at the JDRF - and shows just one example of how our creative talents and thinking can go beyond the expected.