At a certain point in time, people come to realize that their lives can only gain meaning when they discover their true calling, through which they are able to help others. Life can not be solely defined by accumulation of wealth or achievement of self-motivated objectives.

Why Become a Volunteer for the American Diabetes Association?
We're not saying that being a volunteer for the American Diabetes Association will be more fulfilling than being a volunteer for another non-profit foundation. We're merely suggesting that you join the American Diabetes Association if you've had loved ones suffering from diabetes, and you had felt helpless because you're unable to make them feel better.

Being a part of this organization will not only improve the quality of lives around you but yours as well.

A Brief History of the American Diabetes Association
The association's mission-vision is simple: cure, care, and commitment. The ADA made a lifelong commitment to providing care to diabetic individuals and finding an effective and permanent cure for the disease. The ADA extends its assistance not only to people diagnosed with diabetes but also to the generous and caring individuals who have freely given their time and love to attend to people with diabetes.

Founded n 1940, the American Diabetes Association is the organization with the most significant contribution in diabetic research next to the U.S. government, having donated over $200M already throughout the years. Its presence has been widely established across the United States with over 800 communities.

Why Is It Important to Help People with Diabetes
Shocking as this may be, diabetes actually kills more people every year than the mortality rate of AIDS and breast cancer combined. If early warnings and symptoms are not given the necessary attention and care, diabetes can lead to various medical complications, some of which are life-threatening. Unfortunately, about one-third of this or around 6.2 million of these individuals continue with their lives without being aware of the dangerous state of their health.

The Responsibilities of Volunteers for the American Diabetes Association
An ADA volunteer has three primary responsibilities:
Extending Care - It's every volunteer's goal to provide as much care as possible, and of the best quality, to people diagnosed with diabetes
Eliminate Discrimination - Volunteers of the ADA strive to improve the outlook of society towards individuals with diabetes by getting rid of prejudices and misassumptions about the disease.
Social Involvement - Volunteers are not afraid to take a stand against any law-giving body or authority if the rights of diabetic patient are violated or if funding for diabetic research becomes insufficient

How to Become a Volunteer for the American Diabetes Association
You may do this online or better yet, find the nearest American Diabetes Association branch near your home and register there. Also, you can help the ADA simply by increasing people's awareness of the symptoms and risks of diabetes. Warning one person about diabetes is already one life saved.

The American Diabetes Association is a national nonprofit organization that promotes scientific research in diabetes, public information regarding diabetes and advocacy for diabetics. The organization was founded in 1940 and has programs operational in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. The stated mission of the American Diabetes Association is to find ways to prevent and cure diabetes as well as to improve the lives of all people who are affected by diabetes. Diabetes affects millions of Americans and the Association works on their behalf to find ways to make the disease easier to live with and possibly to prevent. It also supports research efforts at a number of academic organizations.

The American Diabetes Association funds scientific research and publishes the scientific findings that its researchers discover. The Association provides whatever information or service people with diabetes, their loved ones, health professionals or the public may need. Advocating for the rights of those with diabetes is also a part of what the association does on a routine basis.

The American Diabetes Association supports a national call center that received over 350,000 calls in the past year from people with questions, concerns or who needed support from the organization. It raises money to support research efforts, information programs and advocacy programs to help the 20 million individuals in the United States who suffers from diabetes mellitus.

The American Diabetes Association feels it has a responsibility to make sure that all work done under the auspices of the Association is above board. For that reason, they have developed a whistleblower program that allows people to report any suspected fraudulent or dishonest conduct related to resources supported by the Association.

One of the ways the American Diabetes Association raises money is through its online store. This is where they sell a large variety of cookbooks for diabetics, meal planning devices, self-care guides and other educational material for those who need help in managing their diabetes. An individual can become a member of the American Diabetic Association as an individual or as a health professional. In addition, the Association has thousands of children and adults who volunteer each year and various fundraisers and to help the Association function. Celebrities also help to make money for the organization every year.

Corporations can sponsor the American Diabetic Association. Through corporate sponsorship, research can be accomplished and a large amount of funds can help the Association function every year. It even collaborates with Nickelodeon to help children understand the benefits of diabetic prevention and management.