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Team Type 1 Foundation Announces More Opportunities for TID Athletes with the Launch of Team Type 1 Athletics Program

Team Type 1 Foundation Announces the Team Type 1 Athletics Program

ATLANTA, GA.  February 2, 2021 – TheTeam Type 1 Foundation, the world’s largest non-profit sports and diabetes organization, is excited to announce the addition of a new program that will offer all athletes with Type 1 Diabetes a platform to showcase what’s possible with Type 1 Diabetes. The new Team Type 1 Athletics Program will prove What’s Possible with T1 athletes of all ages and sports, professional and amateur. The program allows all individuals with T1D excelling in athletics the opportunity to provide inspiration and hope to others facing the same battle.  It is the chance to show the world that even with a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes anything can be achieved.  

“We have been successful in getting the TT1 message out through the Global Ambassador program, and providing equal access to medicine through the Sustainable Diabetes Program, said Phil Southerland, CEO and co-founder, Team Type 1 Foundation, “the addition of the TT1 Athletics Program will help motivate even more of the T1 community that it is possible to thrive with Type 1 Diabetes”.

Since the beginning of the Team Type 1 Foundation the focus has been to inspire, educate and empower everyone with diabetes.  The Global Ambassador Scholarship Program provides scholarships to young college athletes that strive to show the world What’s Possible. They come from all sports and use their platform to raise awareness and inspire youth about all that they can do even with a Type 1 diagnosis.  Team Type 1 Foundation’s Sustainable Diabetes Program works with Governments to bring equal access to medicine. The launch of the TT1 Athletics Program will increase exposure of all T1 athletes and give them a platform to provide hope and inspiration to the T1 community.

 “As an organization that exists to support the community of people affected by diabetes, I am excited to be involved in this platform that will incorporate fellow diabetic athletes”, said newly appointed Program Manager for Team Type 1 Athletics Program, Collin Drake. “I’m stoked to help lead the charge for the launch of the Team Type 1 Foundation Athletics, where inspirational diabetic athletes of all sporting specialties can come together to highlight their accomplishments and show the benefits of incorporating an active lifestyle as a part of their diabetes management.”

Collin is a cross country mountain bike racer, aerospace engineer, husband, father who is living and thriving with Type 1 Diabetes. Collin graduated with an undergraduate degree in aerospace engineering from Cal Poly Pomona and a Master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University, which is where his love for an analytical approach to athletics training and diabetes management was fostered.

Collin was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1998 and has over 20 years of experience managing diabetes while training at the highest levels of competition and sport. Active in the Southern California mountain bike racing circuit, he strives to live his life in a way that inspires, educates, and empowers people living with diabetes. He has been racing with Team Novo Nordisk and Team Type 1 since 2014, demonstrating that living with diabetes does not have to be a limiter, but can also be a motivator to lead the healthiest life possible.

When Collin isn’t working or training, he enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife Lauren and son Leo.

Team Type 1 has made a measurable impact on the lives of those with diabetes through all of our programs and the new program will be no exception 

Today, Team Type 1 is the world’s largest diabetes and sports organization, spreading our message of hope and inspiration.Our mission is to show the world that with proper health, exercise and equal access to medicine, anyone with diabetes can achieve their dreams.

As the world’s largest diabetes and sports organization we strive to dispel the stigma that people with diabetes can’t. WE CAN! WE DO!

WE ARE WHAT’S POSSIBLE!!

www.teamtype1.org.

Media Contact: info@teamtype1.org


Mike Kipniss

Team Type 1 Foundation Announces New Chairman of the Board

ATLANTA, Ga.,  2021 – TheTeam Type 1 Foundation, a nonprofit organization pursuing a global mission of education, empowerment and equal access to medicine for everyone affected by diabetes, is excited to announce Michael Kipniss as their new Chairman of the Board. A longtime TT1 Board Member and father to a Global Ambassador, Mike will be the perfect person to lead the foundation into future growth in the coming years.

“I am excited to have Mike Kipniss step into this role as he has been committed to the mission of TT1 since becoming a board member 10 years ago,” said Team Type 1 Founder and President Phil Southerland.  Mike is deeply involved in the diabetes community and dedicated to the growth of the Team Type 1 Foundation”.

Mike has been involved in the Diabetic community ever since his youngest child, Heather, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in July of 2005, when she was only 6 years old. He and his wife Pam have supported the Juvenile Diabetes Resèarch Foundation (JDRF) and Camp Kudzu, the only Camp in Georgia dedicated to serving youth and their families living with Type 1 Diabetes  

“It is a true honor to be considered to succeed such a champion of Diabetes Awareness”, Said Kipniss of co-founder Phil Southerland. “Phil has been such an integral part of my family these past 15 years since we first met him at Camp Kudzu. Heather’s life changed forever and his positive energy, attitude, and leadership as a role model has been invaluable to Heather and her ability to not only live with type 1 diabetes, but thrive”.

Mike served on the Camp Kudzu Board for 6 years during which time he was Board Chair for three of those years. 

Mike and his wife of 27 years have lived in Milton, GA for the past 18 years. In addition to Heather, now 21, Pam and Mike have two other daughters, Stephanie and Hannah, and a son, Dawson. Mike has been in the Financial Services industry for over 30 years and is a Senior Partner with MassMutual and the Piedmont Group here in Atlanta.

Team Type 1 has made a measurable impact on the lives of those with diabetes through all of our programs. Founded in 2005, TT1 operated as a grassroots initiative to inspire people with diabetes to better manage their disease. In the last 15 years we have awarded over 500 college scholarships to deserving young athletes with type 1 who want to inspire others. They participate in outreach all over the country to tell their stories. We also advocate for equal access to medicine around the world and recently worked with government organizations on Rwanda to get almost 12 million test strips donated to the people of that country.  Our most recent program, the TT1 Athletics Program, will allow us to promote athletes of all ages and sports by giving them a platform to tell their story and have a light shine on them.

Today, Team Type 1 is the world’s largest diabetes and sports organization, spreading our message of hope and inspiration.Our mission is to show the world that with proper health, exercise and equal access to medicine, anyone with diabetes can achieve their dreams.

As the world’s largest diabetes and sports organization we strive to dispel the stigma that people with diabetes can’t. WE CAN! WE DO!

WE ARE WHAT’S POSSIBLE!!

www.teamtype1.org.


Media Contact
info@teamtype1.org

The Team Type 1 Foundation and Abbott partner to donate glucose meters and nearly 12 million test strips to help people living with diabetes in Rwanda

Kigali, Rwanda – January 16, 2020 – Resulting from a good partnership with the Ministry of Health, Abbott through the Team Type 1 Foundation has donated glucose meters and close to 12 million test strips to advance disease management for people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in Rwanda for the next four years.

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