2013 Scholarship Recipients Named by Diabetes Scholars Foundation

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. and INDIANAPOLIS, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

News Highlights

• Lilly Diabetes helps fund 21 scholarships for college-bound students with #T1diabetes through #Diabetes Scholars Foundation
• Lilly Diabetes supports 42 college students over 2 yrs w/Lilly Diabetes Tomorrow's Leaders Scholarships from #Diabetes Scholars Foundation
• Since 2008, the Diabetes Scholars Foundation has awarded more than $700K in college scholarships to young adults with #T1diabetes

After a record number of applications, today the Diabetes Scholars Foundation (Foundation) announced its 2013 college scholarship grantees. The recipients, chosen from more than 1,000 outstanding young adults with type 1 diabetes, represent some of the brightest future leaders in the country who have demonstrated a drive to succeed without letting diabetes stand in their way.

Over the last six years, the Foundation has awarded more than $700,000 in college scholarships to young adults with type 1 diabetes, including $204,000 in 2013.

For the second year in a row, Lilly Diabetes has helped fund the Foundation's scholarship pool through a $100,000 donation. The Lilly Diabetes Tomorrow's Leaders Scholarship program was established in 2012. Last year, the Foundation chose 21 Lilly Diabetes scholarship recipients from 600 applicants. Today, the Foundation will help send an additional 21 high school graduates to colleges throughout the United States on Lilly Diabetes Tomorrow's Leaders Scholarships. A complete list of all scholarship recipients is available on the Foundation's website, www.diabetesscholars.org.

"We continue to be amazed and impressed by the caliber of students applying for our scholarship awards," said Mary Podjasek, president, Diabetes Scholars Foundation. "Managing type 1 diabetes is difficult. But, every one of these well-deserving recipients has shown they can do it all while making the grades and contributing in their communities in meaningful ways. We are dedicated to helping these students succeed and, with the support of companies like Lilly Diabetes, have been able to expand our reach as evidenced by the tremendous increase in applications."

Foundation scholarships recognize students who are actively involved in the diabetes community, who have high academic performance, who participate in community and/or extra-curricular activities and who have demonstrated that they are successfully managing the challenges of living with diabetes. Recipients like Michael, who will be pre-med at Harvard University, and Aya, who will study economics and international relations at Boston College, are just a few of this year's standouts receiving a scholarship.

"Supporting the Diabetes Scholars Foundation so it can help young adults with type 1 diabetes find their individual paths in life is just one example of how Lilly Diabetes helps provide personal solutions for everyday life," said Jackie Giovanoni, global director of advocacy and professional relations, Lilly Diabetes. "Each recipient is an inspiration―to their families and friends, to their communities and to us at Lilly Diabetes. We are incredibly proud to help them in their academic pursuits and can't wait to see what they do next."

In addition to the college scholarships, Lilly Diabetes also provides funding to a separate Foundation program that grants conference scholarships to families to attend the annual Children with Diabetes^® Friends for Life^® conference in Orlando. Over the years, the Foundation has provided conference scholarships to more than 400 families. This month, 46 families and 12 young adults will have the chance to learn from the world's leading scientists and clinicians in diabetes, meet thousands of others just like them, and share experiences with other families with children with type 1 diabetes. Ten of those Foundation family scholarships were made possible through support from Lilly Diabetes.

For more information about the Foundation and its scholarship programs, visit www.diabetesscholars.org. Additional information about Lilly Diabetes' patient support programs can be found at www.lillydiabetes.com.

About the Diabetes Scholars Foundation

In 2004, a group of parents who have children with type 1 diabetes created the Diabetes Scholars Foundation. Their goal was to lessen the burden of diabetes through education and give those affected by it tools they need to cope with the disease. Headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Ill., it is the only foundation that funds college scholarships open to all students in the United States with type 1 diabetes. In the past six years, the Foundation has awarded more than $700,000 in college scholarships and has helped more than 400 families attend the annual Children with Diabetes^® Friends for Life^® conference in Orlando. In 2013, the Foundation received 1,000 college scholarship applications from 50 states. Information about the Foundation is available at www.diabetesscholars.org.

About Lilly Diabetes

Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care since 1923, when we introduced the world's first commercial insulin. Today we work to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes through research and collaboration, a broad and growing product portfolio and a continued commitment to providing real solutions—from medicines to support programs and more—to make lives better. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY)

Eli Lilly and Company, a leading innovation-driven company, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers―through medicines and information―for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.

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SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company

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