As executive vice president of Total Quality Engineering, Philip Calhoun draws on a diverse educational background, which includes a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics, and a master’s degree in finance from New York University. Charitably active, Philip Calhoun supports JDRF, formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, which will hold its biennial Children’s Congress from July 24 to 26, 2017, in Washington, DC.

The origins of the JDRF Children’s Congress can be traced back to Tommy Solo, a 9-year-old boy from Massachusetts who wondered why children couldn’t go to Washington, DC, and explain to lawmakers their experience with having type 1 diabetes (T1D) and stress the importance of finding a cure. His mother and other JDRF volunteers also wondered why, and only one year later, in 1999, the JDRF organized its first Children’s Congress. 

Celebrating its 10th iteration this July, JDRF Children’s Congress invites over 150 children with T1D from all 50 states and Washington, DC. These young delegates, ranging in age from 4 to 17, hold in-person meetings with members of Congress, during which they illustrate for their representatives the challenges caused by T1D and advocate for continued research. Such efforts have been vital in procuring federal funding.

For more information about the event, or to make a tax-deductible donation to JDRF, please visit JDRF.org