Jessica Carey, MBA volunteers with the Tween Program. She is the proud mother of James, who was diagnosed with T1D in February of 2021. With a background in performing arts and education, Jessica has taught middle and high school theatre in three states, directed many theatre productions, and planned large scale summer learning experiences for students across the country. Currently, Jessica works as the Head of Customer Success for a software company in Washington, D.C., which allows her the flexibility to assist with her son’s diabetes care. In her spare time Jessica loves reading, crafts, and is a very devoted baseball mom.

Chelsea Carr has grown up around diabetes; her brother Jeremy was diagnosed in 2000. She attended her first Friends for Life conference with her family in 2003 and has been to many CWD conferences since that time. It was through the FFL conferences that she first met her husband, Martyn. They welcomed a son, Owynn, in May 2021. Chelsea now lives in Glasgow and works as a data analyst for Vodafone UK. She is also an aerialist and spends all of her free time hanging from the rafters on a trapeze in various venues around the UK!

Kira Dobson, FNP-BC, CDCES, CPT, BC-ADM, is a first time volunteer this year. She is mother to Kairi (green bracelet tween) and Jacob (orange bracelet teen). While she was already a nurse practitioner in Internal Medicine, once her daughter, Kairi, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2018, she pivoted her career to focus primarily on diabetes management and education. She has spearheaded projects in her community to advance the use of technology in management for type 1 and type 2 in primary care. During their first FFL, she realized the importance of having a support network within the type 1 community for all members of the family. "Even with fifteen years of healthcare experience, nothing prepared me or our family for that impact and emotional toll that Kairi’s type 1 and celiac diagnoses would play on our lives. During our first FFL, I think we were all able to finally breathe a sigh of relief knowing we weren’t alone. The first thought that comes to mind when I think of Friends for Life is that it's life changing." She looks forward to working with your tweens at this year’s conference and reconnecting with her Friends for Life.

Avery Green was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was three years old. She started attending Friends for Life in 2017. Avery looks forward to Friends for Life Orlando every year to see her best friends that she has made over the years. This is Avery’s first year volunteering and she is so excited to be able to contribute to the experience she loves so much! Avery has recently graduated and will start college in the fall. In her free time, you can find her playing soccer, playing lacrosse, or hanging out with friends.

Dennis Holterman, 25, has lived with type 1 diabetes for 15 years. Dennis has been coming to Friends For Life since 2013. Currently, he attends Southeast Missouri State University achieving his BA in Performing Arts. After graduation, Dennis plans to move to Los Angeles and become a successful actor, and then use his influence to spread awareness about diabetes. Dennis says, “Friends for Life is a home for people with diabetes to feel accepted and like they fit in. That’s why FFL means so much to me."

Angela Kaminski is from Flagstaff, Arizona. Her youngest son was diagnosed four years ago with type 1 diabetes. Angela is the Director of a small K-12 school. She lives with her husband, youngest daughter, two youngest sons, and two very spoiled dogs. She has three grown children scattered across the United States. In her free time, Angela likes to hike, camp, play board games, badminton, and spend time around the fire with friends and family. Her first trip in person to Friends for Life Orlando was in 2021. It was life-changing for her and her family! They are very excited to return this year. Angela is extremely excited to volunteer this year and spend time with the tweens all week!

Ashley Kirby was diagnosed with type one diabetes on June 21, 2013. She is currently studying Medical Laboratory Science at Texas Tech University with future plans of joining the medical research field. Ashley has been attending the FFL conference for eight years as both a tween and teen, and is excited to volunteer this year with the Tween Team.

Corey Lackey, hoping to connect with other significant others that are affected by T1D, attended his first Friends for Life conference with his wife Lizzie Lackey (T1) in 2022. He is so grateful for FFL and for it being such a great resource and support for all who are impacted by T1D and is excited to play a bigger part by volunteering in the youth program this year.

Jennifer McCormick, RN, BSN, CDCES, CPT, is a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as an adult, and has found passion and purpose in helping others with diabetes navigate the diagnosis and achieve their goals but related to and unrelated to diabetes.

Terrence Nevill lives in Coopersburg, PA with his wife Melissa. He has two children: Carly and Gavin. He also has four grandchildren: Grayson, Palmer, Rory, and Bodie. Terrence was an eighth grade science teacher for 35 years. Terrence has been a high school soccer coach for over 30 years. He has attended all but one FFL conference since his first in 2014.

Dave Rudolph is a native of Granite City, Illinois, about 15 minutes outside of St. Louis, Missouri. Dave has worked with teens and tweens in many roles, including five years as a Youth Minister, six years as a Cub Scout Den Leader, and four years as the founder and educator for STEM Voyagers, a non-profit STEM education program for middle schoolers. As a father figure to two adopted children and two step children including Oliver, the family's Type 1 Hero, Dave has tons of life experience teaching, coaching, and loving the kids in his care. As an only child, Dave grew up wanting a big chaotic family, and life has delivered abundantly. Managing a house of four tweens/teens, four dogs, two cats, and a bearded dragon, has well prepared Dave for this volunteer opportunity.

Shelby Smith, MBA, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age six in 2003. This will be her 17th Friends for Life Orlando conference. She currently does marketing, communications, web design, and social media management for Florida Gulf Coast University. FFL is her favorite part of the year, and she has made the best friendships from these conferences. In her spare time, Shelby's favorite activities include traveling, going to concerts, and playing with her golden retriever puppy, Scruffy. She looks forward to spending her favorite part of the year with the Tween Team!

Jim Stone attended his first Friends for Life Conference in 2004. His son, Andrew, was diagnosed with type 1 in 1998 at 20 months of age. Jim, wife Julia, and Andrew have all been involved in diabetes advocacy since Andrew’s diagnosis, focusing on diabetes accommodations in school. Jim is a retired Army officer and Public Works manager. He and his wife live in Rolla, Missouri. He has been a Boy Scout leader for many years and enjoys working with the tweens.

Sean Swenarton was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2014 and will be celebrating his 10th year with diabetes at Friends For Life this year. He has been attending Friends for Life Orlando since 2014 and has participated in the tween and teen programs. He will be a Junior at Rutgers University in the fall of 2024, studying Accounting and Sports Management as well as being the Treasurer of the University's Running Club. This is his first year as a volunteer and he is very excited!

Claudia Velez, MSN, RN, CPN, is a bilingual and bicultural pediatric nurse in Cincinnati, Ohio. She is mama to Olivia and wife to Manuel. She has a best friend with type 1 diabetes. After attending Friends for Life Indianapolis in 2022, Claudia worked with the Tween group at Friends for Life Orlando in 2023. She is passionate about working with children, providing support, and empowering families in the community. She is looking forward to learning more about diabetes.