Lilly Diabetes supports Diabetes Scholars Foundation with $100,000 donation in 2012

Donation will help fund educational scholarships for children with diabetes

News provided by

Apr 04, 2012, 10:00 ET

INDIANAPOLIS and ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., April 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Lilly Diabetes today announced a donation of $100,000 to the Diabetes Scholars Foundation (Foundation) scholarship fund. The contribution will support the Foundation's mission to empower young people with type 1 diabetes to live their lives to the fullest. The Foundation will use the donation to fund college scholarships for students with type 1 diabetes as well as conference scholarships for families to attend the 2012 Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference in Orlando.

"We are committed to empowerment through education, and we are thrilled that Lilly Diabetes shares that commitment and is investing in the futures of young people with type 1 diabetes through this donation," said Mary Podjasek, president, Diabetes Scholars Foundation. "Life with diabetes is never easy. Our founders' goal was that – in this one small area of life – having diabetes could be an advantage."

Supporting people with diabetes and their families through this donation is an example of Lilly Diabetes' commitment to providing personal solutions for everyday life.

"In everything we do, we encourage people with diabetes to follow their dreams," said Steve Sugino, vice president, Lilly Diabetes. "It's a priority for us to support these amazing young people as they prove over and over again that diabetes doesn't stand in their way of achieving their goals."

College scholarship award criteria include community involvement, leadership, activities, and advocacy. Applicants must be incoming freshmen at an accredited college or university in the fall of 2012, must write an essay, and provide letters of recommendations from a physician treating their diabetes and a high school counselor/teacher. Applications, available online at www.diabetesscholars.org, are due May 15, 2012. Recipients will be announced by the Foundation in June.

Applications for conference scholarships for families to attend the 2012 Children with Diabetes Friends for Life Conference are also available online at www.diabetesscholars.org. Conference scholarship applications are due April 15, 2012, and recipients will be announced by the Foundation in May.

For more information about the Foundation and its scholarship program, 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 four years, the Foundation has awarded over $350,000 in college scholarships and over 200 Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference scholarships. In 2011, the Foundation received over 500 college scholarship applications from 49 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)
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, 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.

HI77345

P-LLY

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111111/DE03493LOGO )
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120404/DE81474LOGO )

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company