We received dozens of applications for our Making a Difference Scholarship. Even better, an anonymous donor generously contributed two additional scholarships, so we able to award four scholarships in total. Each scholar winner is awarded CDCES Deluxe Online Prep Bundle | 44+ CEs plus additional study tools (a value of over $450) to acknowledge their service.
It was a great personal joy for our team to read these scholarship applications. Each applicant is serving communities with a great need and going “above and beyond” to promote and provide accessible diabetes care and education. It is always a very difficult decision for all of the judges, and we read each application in careful detail considering the financial need, impact, volunteerism, and readiness to take the CDCES exam.
We greatly appreciate the good work of all the applicants and thank them for their service!
Making a Difference Scholarships
We are excited to recognize and reward diabetes advocates who are making a difference in their community while working toward certification (CDCES). In recognition of health disparities, this award considers health care professionals whose daily actions, volunteer activities and advocacy work is making a significant difference in improving the health of their people.
We are excited to announce our “Making a Difference” scholarship winners, Rachel Patton and Mercy Edziah.
Diabetes Educator Flower Scholarships awarded by a generous donor, this new annual Flower Scholarship awards two health care professionals who are taking a leadership role in making significant contributions to under-served communities through their work and volunteer activities. Two of our applicants are living examples of giving back to their communities and are recognized for their hard work, grit, and hope.
We are pleased to announce our Flower Diabetes Educator Scholarship winners, Alexa Guzman and Chinethia Johnson. Learn about the Flower Scholarship here.
Rachel Patton is a trailblazer and fierce advocate for those in need
Rachel works in a non-profit community health center where she serves primarily with people who are un/underinsured, have Medicaid, or Medicare. In her work, she supports people living with diabetes who have barriers in glucose control due to houselessness or depression.
?She has advocated for the accessibility of continuous glucose monitors and other supplies at no or reduced cost for those she works with, even taking the time to call pharmacies to find ways to make supplies more affordable. At community events and health fairs, she has offered her time and expertise to raise awareness about diabetes. She has also created recipe booklets with those in mind who have limited cooking utensils, for example, heart-healthy crockpot recipes that uses items like mugs or spoons to measure ingredients.
Mercy Edziah combines culture, food and cooking classes
Mercy volunteers at a local hospital where she is passionate about increasing her cultural intelligence while working with people living with diabetes from diverse backgrounds. There she leads group classes, peer-to-peer support groups, along with individual sessions.
?Mercy also brings her experience with agriculture and food service to support the hospital’s greenhouse that provides fresh produce for the hospital’s weekly farmer’s market and cooking classes offered in the hospital’s wellness center. In her practice, she individualizes her care plans that match each individual’s access and needs. She is an advocate and pillar of support for people living with diabetes within her community.
Alexa Guzman uses Food Pharmacy Prescriptions to promote health.
Alexa volunteers with her local church and other local health centers to empower her community through education on diabetes management and prevention. In her practice, she works with people who have poor social determinants of health, and little to no access to care.
She is passionate about food accessibility and has adopted the concept of a “Food Pharmacy.” In this practice philosophy, she prescribes food plans that anchor on individual access and that are culturally sensitive. She believes her recommendations should not be confined to only an ”American diet.” Her goal of becoming a CDCES will allow her to expand her impact of providing a high level of care that is realistic and obtainable to those within her community.
Chinethia Johnson is a volunteer extraordinaire.
For Chinethia, diabetes is a disease that holds a personal significance in her heart. Because of her experience with the first-hand impacts of diabetes, she is driven to provide education and support the those she holds dear.
Each month she spends over 40 hours volunteering her time and knowledge either in person, over Zoom or the phone, to people living with diabetes or those who want to learn more about prevention. Outside of the inspiring number of hours she spends each month volunteering, she also juggles being a case manager, a mother, and a grandmother, all while being in school working to obtain her masters in nursing.
Please enjoy these FREE resources that we have put together for you:
![](/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/insta-png-v5.png")
