Our Mission

The mission of the South Texas Juvenile Diabetes Association (STJDA) is to enhance the lives of children living with diabetes through personal empowerment, family support, community awareness and public advocacy.

STJDA was founded in 2011 by a group of parents with the aim of providing support to other families like theirs, whose children were living with Type 1 diabetes. Over the years, STJDA has continually adapted to the changing needs of the children and families they serve, including the growing number of children in the Rio Grande Valley who are living with Type 2 diabetes.

STJDA carries out its mission through a variety of programs and services, led by a volunteer board of directors that sets the organization’s goals and promotes its work across the Rio Grande Valley. These services include Camp Freedom summer camp experiences, the school-based Stomp Out Diabetes education and prevention campaign, our signature Shot Spots Bears distributed at all Valley hospitals to newly-diagnosed children, Coffee Connections parent support group gatherings, specialized Family Food Pantry in McAllen and Weslaco, and our annual Sweet Run 5K fun run and walk.