Lilly Diabetes Helps Inspiring Students with Type 1 Diabetes Attend College Through Scholarship Donation

Company supports Diabetes Scholars Foundation Scholarship fund for fourth year in a row

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Feb 11, 2016, 11:00 ET

Diabetes Scholars Foundation. (PRNewsFoto/Eli Lilly and Company)

Eli Lilly and Company logo.

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. and INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Attending college is a major milestone for many young people, but for those with type 1 diabetes, the journey can be extra demanding. Not only do these students juggle class schedules, assignments and campus activities, they also manage the daily challenges of living with type 1 diabetes. On top of that, many are living away from home for the first time.

Lilly Diabetes understands and wants to help students with type 1 diabetes achieve their academic goals. Today they announced they will fund the Diabetes Scholars Foundation (Foundation) Lilly Diabetes Tomorrow's Leaders Scholarship with $100,000 for the fourth year in a row. The award recognizes students who are actively involved in the diabetes community, perform at a high academic level, participate in community and/or extracurricular activities, and show they are successfully managing life with diabetes.

"The Diabetes Scholars Foundation is committed to empowering young adults and families living with type 1 diabetes through education," said Mary Podjasek, president, Diabetes Scholars Foundation. "We are grateful to Lilly Diabetes for their tremendous support of our scholarship program. Together we are changing the lives of these young adults who are living with type 1 diabetes."

Since 2012, Lilly Diabetes-funded scholarships have helped more than 80 young adults begin their university experiences on campuses nationwide.

"Supporting young people who have type 1 diabetes and helping them achieve their life goals through education is one of the most important things we do at Lilly," said Mike Mason, vice president, U.S., Lilly Diabetes. "Every year we are amazed by the caliber of student awarded a Tomorrow's Leaders Scholarship. These young people are dedicated to taking care of their health and their communities. They show us what's possible despite having diabetes, and we are proud to help them pursue their dreams."

In addition to college scholarships, Lilly Diabetes provides the Foundation with funds to help families attend the Children with Diabetes^® Friends for Life^® conference held annually in Orlando. Lilly provides scholarships for eight to 10 families each year, giving them the opportunity to learn from leading diabetes experts and share experiences with other families who have children with type 1 diabetes.

Foundation scholarship applications are due April 15, 2016. Applicants must be U.S. high school seniors with type 1 diabetes and seeking higher education at an accredited four-year university, college, or technical or trade school. The Foundation has awarded more than $1 million in college scholarships to young adults with type 1 diabetes since 2008.

Conference scholarship applications are also due April 15, 2016. Scholarships are awarded to U.S. families with at least one child who has type 1 diabetes, age infant to 18. Since 2008, the Foundation has awarded conference scholarships to more than 3,000 families.

More information and applications for Diabetes Scholars Foundation college and conference scholarships are available at www.diabetesscholars.org. Conference scholarship recipients are announced in May; college scholarship winners are announced in June.

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 empower people living with type 1 diabetes through education. 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 seven years, the Foundation has awarded almost $900,000 in college scholarships and has helped almost 3,000 people attend the annual Children with Diabetes^® Friends for Life^® conference in Orlando, Fla. In 2014, the Foundation received 2,600 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 are building upon this heritage by working to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes and those who care for them. Through research and collaboration, a broad and growing product portfolio and a continued determination to provide real solutions—from medicines to support programs and more—we strive to make life better for all those affected by diabetes around the world. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com or follow us on Twitter: @LillyDiabetes.

About Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY)
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com and newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels.

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