Read on for creative ways to get involved in the fight against type 1 diabetes (T1D), plus a spotlight on a bonza Ambassador who’s making a difference down under.
Creators for Cures Returns in May
This spring, we’re celebrating our community of creators with the second annual Creators for Cures fundraiser. Here’s your chance to get all artsy-craftsy in the name of type 1 diabetes research… or all music-y… or all video gamey… hey, whatever creative vibes you’re feeling, put them on display in May!
During these eight days of creative fundraising, each day will focus on specific activities:
- Sunday, May 12: Horror
- Monday, May 13: T1D in Gaming
- Tuesday, May 14: Artists
- Wednesday, May 15: Makers
- Thursday, May 16: VTubers
- Friday, May 17: Gamers
- Saturday, May 18: Musicians
- Sunday, May 19: Australian Creators Day
Want to do a charity stream during Creators for Cures? Set up a campaign on Tiltify and share your plans with us in this survey.
Cyberpunk Game Jam: April 26–May 4
Game Asset Bundle is a group that’s raised more than $120K for JDRF over the years with bundles of royalty-free asset packs for indie game developers. This Friday, April 26, they’re kicking off a one-week cyberpunk game jam—the perfect theme for a community that’s already living in the future with cybernetic pumps and CGMs!
Here’s the challenge: Craft a game that dives deep into the neon-infused streets, where mega-corporations rule, hackers resist, and AIs might just have a soul. Whether you’re a solo netrunner or part of a coder crew, you’re welcome to use any game engine, as long as the final product runs on Windows.
- Are you jamming? Let us know about your entry on Discord! You can even stream your game dev process to give us a peek behind the curtain.
- Prefer to play? Check out the entries and vote for your favorites May 5–12.
In honor of the game jam, we have some special content planned on the JDRF Twitch channel:
- May 1: See how a game jam entry evolved into the indie cyberpunk adventure Old Skies during a special Dev Diaries stream with designer Dave Gilbert.
- Week of May 5: Community members ECZilla and Dark Insanities will take over the channel to stream entries during the voting period.
T1.Done Speedrunning Event Recap
The first weekend in April was the debut of T1.Done, a new speedrunning event dreamed up by Ready Type 1 Ambassador Nukkuler and her husband, Spikevegeta. Spike and a crew of eleven featured speedrunners flew through twelve games to raise more than $11K for T1D research and advocacy!
T1.Done (pronounced “T1 dot done”) gets its name from the competitive scene, where speedrunners type “.done” in chat to signal they’ve finished a run. The event included blindfolded Super Mario 64, Skyrim with Crowd Control, a chaotic Super Mario Bros. 2D Shuffler, and plenty of other shenanigans. Relive the fun through the archived videos on our website.
Streamer Spotlight: Sharmander29
Australian streamer Sharni (aka Sharmander29) was just ten years old when she was diagnosed with T1D in 2009. She did her first charity stream in November 2022 after learning about JDRF Game2Give through the JDRF website, and has raised just shy of $1,700 to date.
“I was already streaming on Twitch at the time, and finding a community of like-minded people who also fundraised for JDRF, played games, and could relate to each other was such a comforting and accepting experience,” Sharni recalls. “My favourite part about being a Ready Type 1 Advocate is being able to spread that feeling to others.”
On Twitch, Sharni gravitates toward cozy/comfy Minecraft streams, road rage Mario Kart, and chaotic multiplayer games with chat. She and other Aussie streamers will team up on May 19 for a special Australian day of Creators for Cures—with all the money they raise going directly to JDRF Australia so they can make an impact close to home.
“I can’t wait to bring a spotlight to the incredible content creators in Australia and New Zealand, and introduce JDRF and its community to those who may not know about it,” Sharni says of JDRF Game2Give’s first-ever regional fundraising push. “This is an amazing opportunity to connect with audiences with or without diabetes in a new way—to entertain, educate, and fundraise in a fun and engaging way that everyone can enjoy!”
Interested in supporting JDRF Australia but can’t participate in Creators for Cures? Stay tuned for updates on our Australian Diabetes Awareness Week charity streaming event coming up in July.
Australian streamer Sharni (aka Sharmander29) was just ten years old when she was diagnosed with T1D in 2009. She did her first charity stream in November 2022 after learning about JDRF Game2Give through the JDRF website, and has raised just shy of $1,700 to date.
“I was already streaming on Twitch at the time, and finding a community of like-minded people who also fundraised for JDRF, played games, and could relate to each other was such a comforting and accepting experience,” Sharni recalls. “My favourite part about being a Ready Type 1 Advocate is being able to spread that feeling to others.”
On Twitch, Sharni gravitates toward cozy/comfy Minecraft streams, road rage Mario Kart, and chaotic multiplayer games with chat. She and other Aussie streamers will team up on May 19 for a special Australian day of Creators for Cures—with all the money they raise going directly to JDRF Australia so they can make an impact close to home.
“I can’t wait to bring a spotlight to the incredible content creators in Australia and New Zealand, and introduce JDRF and its community to those who may not know about it,” Sharni says of JDRF Game2Give’s first-ever regional fundraising push. “This is an amazing opportunity to connect with audiences with or without diabetes in a new way—to entertain, educate, and fundraise in a fun and engaging way that everyone can enjoy!”
Interested in supporting JDRF Australia but can’t participate in Creators for Cures? Stay tuned for updates on our Australian Diabetes Awareness Week charity streaming event coming up in July.
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