Meet 2012 New Member Scholarship Winner - Katie Mick MS, RD, LD

In 2012, the AADE Foundation introduced a new scholarship opportunity to members, for attendance at AADE12 in Indianapolis. The New Member/Educator Registration Scholarship was developed in 2011, at the suggestion of the Awards and Scholarships Review Group. Several members of the Group felt that the scholarship application favored more experienced members, specifically members whom had attended several Annual Meetings and had significant experience as diabetes educators. They felt strongly that the Foundation should be providing opportunities to younger or less experienced members, who were likely to benefit from the learning and networking opportunities provided at the Annual Meeting. They also noticed that there were often several applicants that were in the process of becoming CDE’s and knew how much this opportunity could benefit them. The Foundation Board agreed and decided to allocate some if it’s scholarship funding for this purpose. The response was excellent, we received 35 applications and were able to offer scholarships to 10 applicants.

One of the 10 lucky recipients is Katie Mick MS, RD, LD of Atlanta, Georgia.  A few weeks after the Annual Meeting, Katie was more than happy to share her experience with Laura Roth Konopken, Director of Development for the AADE Foundation. 

Katie is very new diabetes educator, so new in fact, she is still working to gain enough work experience to sit for the CDE exam.  As a 2011 graduate of Georgia State University’s Coordinated Program in Nutrition, she is currently employed as registered dietician in diabetes education with the Diabetes Association of Atlanta.  Her initial exposure to diabetes  education came through a dietetic internship at a local clinic, where she worked with a CDE and really ‘fell in love’ with diabetes education and the impact she could have on helping patients stuck in a “bad situation with bad health.”

Katie plans to take the CDE exam in 2014, and felt that her experience at the Annual Meeting will help her in achieving that goal.  Her attendance at AADE12 was her first time at any national, professional conference and it was a great experience for her.  She came to Indianapolis with the goal of learning more about effective behavior change and goal setting, as she does a lot of patient support and follow-up with her patients.  She learned about all aspects of diabetes care, causing her to consider a more holistic approach to her own work with patients.   She especially enjoyed meeting her peers and other diabetes education professionals from around the country, learning “what they do and how they do it.”  Upon leaving Indianapolis Katie admits she was sad to go home, but returned feeling well equipped with new knowledge.  She knows that she has a lot more to learn, but that her attendance at the Annual meeting was a good place to start.

We certainly look forward to seeing Katie at AADE13, it’s already on her work calendar!   The Foundation applauds Katie’s dedication and enthusiasm, she was just the type of member we had in mind for this new scholarship opportunity.  We thank all of our donors for making this possible.

  
Annual Meeting Thank You

The AADE12 Annual Meeting and Exhibition was very successful for the Foundation in 2012, thanks to the contributions of attendees and our very generous industry partners.
 
With over 100 unique items, our 5th Silent Auction brought in over $14,000 for our Scholarship Fund.   We thank all of our donors and bidders for their participation. A full listing of donors can be found on the AADE website.

Over 200 attendees participated in our Mind, Body Spirit Yoga sessions, which were generously sponsored by LifeScan – local Yoga teacher, Beverly Freshour, RYT of All People Yoga in Indianapolis, led the sessions with her fabulous volunteers. All participants received complementary yoga mats.   LifeScan also sponsored the Foundation Reception held on Friday, August 3.
 
The Foundation’s Board of Trustees and staff have been working to increase its role and presence at the Annual Meeting and have slowly been adding new events or re-purposing established events to provide both attendees and exhibitors more exposure to the Foundation.  Since 1981, Novo Nordisk has sponsored a 5k run/walk event at the Annual Meeting, this year they worked with us to add a fundraising element to the 5K event to benefit the Foundation.  Race participants were encouraged to collect donations or pledges from their friends and family at home, for their participation in the event.  Participants that turned in donations totaling $50 or more received an exclusive AADE 5K– Leading through Education T-shirt.
 
The addition of a new Friday night event – the Amylin Adventure – was co-sponsored by the AADE Foundation and Amylin.  Over 1,000 attendees enjoyed drinks and light refreshments while perusing the exhibits at this fun and informative event, which took place at the Indiana State Museum.  Amylin provided all of the funding for the event as well as a very generous donation to the Foundation, we are very grateful to Amylin for their participation and support.

The Foundation also acknowledges Abbott Diabetes Care for their donation to the Foundation for each attendee that visited their booth on the Exhibit Floor. 

AADE/Sigma Theta Tau International Grant Opportunity– Deadline Approaching

AADE Foundation is currently accepting applications for our yearly collaborative research grant opportunity with the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.  Applicants must be members of both AADE and Sigma Theta Tau international to be eligible for consideration.  This $6,000 grant is available for research on topics in Diabetes Education.  The deadline for application is Friday, October 1, 2012, the grant recipient will be announced in early 2013.

A Request for Proposals (RFP) and application are available at: http://www.diabeteseducator.org/Foundation/Grants/CurrentGrants.html or by clicking the AADE Foundation tab on the AADE website.

Volunteer Reviewers Needed!

If you are looking for a way to get more involved with AADE at the national level, the AADE Foundation has an opportunity for you to get involved! 

We are currently seeking reviewers for the 2013 Recognition Awards and Scholarship programs. The AADE Foundation is responsible for managing the Awards and Scholarships programs for AADE.  We provide Scholarships to AADE members to attend the AADE Annual Meeting with either a complementary registration or funds for travel and accommodations.  Recognition Awards honor AADE leaders, members and others that have made valuable contributions to the field of diabetes education.

The review process takes place in March and April each year, with the awards review in March followed by the scholarship review in April.  Each reviewer is assigned a group of applications to read and score.  We try to have at least three reviewers read every application and a final score is determined by combining scores for an average.  We try to keep the process fair and unbiased, if a reviewer knows an applicant they will be assigned another application.   Reviewers are always amazed and impressed by the talent and commitment displayed by their fellow AADE members, many of them learn something new from their peers.

If you would like to become a reviewer for the 2013 Awards and Scholarship Program, please contact Laura Roth Konopken at (312) 6011-4863 or lkonopken@aadenet.org

 
Specialty Scholarships and Memorials

If your state Coordinating Body (CB) or Local Networking Group (LNG) is looking for a way to provide opportunities to its members, consider establishing a State Scholarship Fund.  The AADE  Foundation will establish a restricted scholarship fund for your state and help you determine the parameters and application procedures for your fund.  We can then help you promote your scholarship opportunity and offer support to help your CB/LNG raise additional funds to replenish your account.  Since the Foundation is a 501(c)3 it can accept tax-deductible donations and will take responsibility for managing gifts to your fund as well as providing donors with acknowledgements or receipts for their records.

In 2011, Utah’s newly established CB, decided to create a scholarship fund as they transitioned to our new affiliation model .  Utah’s second Annual Meeting scholarship went to Janel Arbon RD, CDE of Moab, Utah.  We are currently working with several other states as they explore the possibility of establishing a state-based scholarship. 

We can also establish a scholarship program for our corporate partners – the online publication Diabetes Health Pharmacist, partnered with the Foundation this year to offer a Pharmacy Student Scholarship to a future pharmacist interested in diabetes education.  Their first scholarship went to Amy Powell, a pharmacy student from Drake University in Iowa. 

The Foundation can also help your CB/LNG or organization memorialize a deceased member or colleague.  We can maintain the fund for your group, help with promotion to AADE membership, provide updates on activity, and send acknowledgements to donors and family members.  We would also help you determine what the funds can be used for once the fund is established.

We are currently collecting donations for a Memorial Fund established by the Kern County (California) LNG in memory of one of their esteemed members, Joy Smith, if you knew Joy, please consider making a donation.

For more information about establishing a state or memorial scholarship, contact Laura Roth Konopken at (312) 6011-4863 or lkonopken@aadenet.org

 
Get Involved with the AADE Foundation in 2012

SUPPORT

• Make a gift to the Foundation in honor or memory of a loved one.
• Provide names and addresses of your friends, family or colleagues that appreciate the work you do for people with diabetes, so we can include them in mailings.

VOLUNTEER

• Review for the 2012 Awards and Scholarships program
• Help solicit items for the 2013 Silent Auction
• Organize a fundraiser for the Foundation in your town

For more information or to volunteer contact: Laura Roth Konopken, Director of Development at (312) 601-4863 or lkonopken@aadenet.org.