JDRF: Level 4, 80-84 Chandos Street, St Leonards NSW 2065 Tel 02 9966 0400 Fax 02 9966 0172
Media Release
14 April 2009
Boral hits $2 million milestone for type 1 diabetes research
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is proud to award Boral with the 2008 Freedom
Award, recognizing the greatest contribution to fundraising programs from a single supporter.
Boral’s combined staff and corporate donations of nearly $450,000 in 2008 have been invested into the
best Australian medical research programs that seek a cure for type 1 diabetes and its complications.
The 2008 Freedom Award caps a productive eight year partnership that has seen Boral reach an
extraordinary $2 million in contributions to JDRF.
JDRF CEO Mike Wilson said “We are very grateful for the strong support from Boral, which has been a
critical part of our ability to fund 44 research programs across the country.”
“This fantastic achievement reflects a broad-based involvement from Boral staff across the country, led
and guided by the input and example of Boral CEO and Managing Director Rod Pearse.”
Mr Pearse said “I am extremely proud that through our unique partnership with JDRF, which has
spanned eight years, the Boral team has now contributed $2 million to JDRF, with Boral employees
enthusiastically raising $1.65 million of this total amount.”
“There is an endless number of worthy causes that we could support, but by focusing our efforts on
achieving a common goal, we can clearly see that we are making a real difference to the lives of people
with type 1 diabetes and that we are moving closer to finding a cure.”
Mike Wilson explained that through the partnership Boral has helped JDRF communicate the facts about
type 1 diabetes to Australians.
“Unlike type 2 diabetes, the causes of type 1 are not related to everyday diet or lifestyle. Factors in our
environment that are not well understood are causing the numbers of new cases of type 1 diabetes in
Australian children to rise every year by 3%.”
“JDRF is working hard to find a cure so that children and adults with type 1 diabetes no longer have to
endure multiple daily injections, life threatening ‘hypos’ and the fear of developing serious
complications.”
“Scientists are confident that a cure will be found for this disease with continued investment in research.”
Ends.
There are 140,000 Australians with type 1 diabetes and with five new cases every day, Australia has one of the highest rates in
the world. The number of Australian children being diagnosed with this disease is increasing by 3% every year. Typically striking
young people, type 1 diabetes destroys the ability to produce insulin, which is vital for life. It requires an essential daily regime of
multiple injections or continuous infusion of insulin through a pump, as well as 6 – 8 finger-prick blood tests. Type 1 diabetes is
associated with a significantly increased risk of serious health complications. It is an autoimmune disease caused by a complex
mixture of genetic and environmental factors. Type 1 diabetes is not caused by an unhealthy diet or lifestyle. The Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation is the world’s largest not-for-profit supporter of diabetes research and has invested over $1.6
billion since inception in 1970. The mission of JDRF is constant: to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the
support of research.
For more information please contact Lyndal Howison on 0411 110 717.
NEWS 
