We are Touched By Type 1.

23 Years of Impact

What started as a community fundraiser organized by a middle school student and a small group of trusted advisers has blossomed into an impactful and well-respected nonprofit organization – spreading awareness about Type 1 Diabetes.

Founder of Touched by Type 1, Elizabeth Forrest, was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at 10 years of age. As a student in Holley Ricker’s dance class at Millennium Middle School in Sanford, Florida starting a nonprofit organization was not something she’d thought about doing before, but neither was being diagnosed with Diabetes. After her diagnosis, she was driven by a determination not to let diabetes negatively impact her life and inspired to create the nonprofit organization we know today as Touched by Type 1 – as a way to bring attention to the stories of over 1.9 million Americans who are living with Type 1 Diabetes, to offer support to those who have been diagnosed and to raise funds to find a cure.

Meet Our Founder:

Elizabeth Forrest

Elizabeth Forrest knew early on that she wanted to use her passion for dance, which began in Holley Ricker’s dance class at Millennium Middle School, as a way to foster her relationships with others. A proud Floridian, born in Plantation, FL, but grew up in the waterfront gateway city of Sanford, FL, Elizabeth was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the early age of just 10 years old. She made a choice not to let diabetes impact her life & sought out dance as a way to express herself.

What started as a community fundraiser organized by a middle school student and small group of trusted advisers, has blossomed into an impactful and well respected nonprofit organization – spreading awareness about Type 1 Diabetes.

Our Leaders:

  • Courtney Snyder

    Advent Health

  • Dr. Lee Metchick

    Endocrinology of Central Florida

  • Elizabeth Forrest

    Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys

  • Jeffrey Forrest

    WPC

  • Jisel Parra

    T1D Advocate

  • Jonathan Snyder

    Snyder’s Landscapes

  • Michael Garlich

    Garlich Consulting

  • Michelle Shah

    SASS Accounting Services

  • Samantha Arceneaux

    Solar Source

  • Sarah Scott

    Tandem Diabetes

  • Shana Windish

    Zonda

Junior Board of Directors

At Touched by Type 1 we have come to rely on the energy and enthusiasm of our Junior Board of Directors who inspire and lead us to new ways of fulfilling our mission to elevate awareness of the impact that Type 1 Diabetes has on nearly 1.9 million American children and adults and raising funds to find a cure and inspiring those we serve, thrive with T1D.

  • Ava Zarbaugh

  • Grant Bounds

  • Hannah Alaoui

  • Isabella Shah

  • Lauren Vasquez

  • Mikayla Arceneaux

  • Sadie Windish

  • Sophia Sica

  • Teagan Swisher

  • Zoe Reeser

A cure for Diabetes would mean a lot of things: like no longer waking up in the middle of the night due to low blood sugars, not having to worry about being judged by people who don’t understand it, no longer being defined by it, and most importantly it would mean freedom. Freedom from constantly evaluating every decisionwhen it comes to what we eat and even how we move, freedom from explaining that we and our parents did nothing to cause this disease, freedom from the fear and worry that some days bring, and freedom to just be a kid and experience everyday things without the cloud of diabetes. “For some of us, life with Type 1 Diabetes is all we’ve ever known.” Some of us were diagnosed in the last year, others when we were toddlers, and for some of us, life with type 1 diabetes is all we’ve ever known.

One of the things we know to be true is that kids with diabetes have to grow up really fast. For example, while other kids don’t give any thought to the cake or foods they get to eat at parties (or really ANY time they eat anything), or any activity they do that may affect their blood sugar, we constantly have to stop and take all of it into account… Every. Single. Time. While it may help us to excel at math and science, we’d much prefer the chance to just go on with being a kid. And we really don’t want any children yet to be diagnosed to have to grow up too fast like we did.

Though there’s no cure yet, one thing that helps us a lot in the meantime are the technological advancements that have been made since we were first diagnosed. The money that you help us donate towards research not only helps with finding a cure, but with making our lives with Type 1 Diabetes easier to manage. These technologies work to give us more time to be a normal kid; time that doesn’t revolve around numbers, injections, and explanations…oh, the explanations.

The thing we love most about Touched by Type 1 is that it gives us a place where we don’t have to explain anything. We aren’t different than anyone else because we are all going through the same thing. It’s the closest thing we have to a “cure” because, here, everyone is the same.

So, all this is to say, thank you for supporting Touched by Type 1. Thank you for supporting the research that will give us the technology to live life easier despite type 1 diabetes. Most especially, thank you for believing in our dream of a world free of diabetes.

Sincerely,
Touched by Type 1 Jr Board

Thank you for supporting Touched by Type 1, for supporting us, and for supporting our dream of a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.

Elizabeth Forrest is the Founder and President of Touched by Type 1, a nonprofit organization dedicated to elevating awareness of type 1 diabetes, raising funds to find a cure, and inspiring those living with the disease to thrive. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes herself, Elizabeth has lived with type 1 for 25 years, using her personal experiences as motivation to create impactful programs that directly support individuals navigating life with diabetes.

Elizabeth is the visionary behind Dancing for Diabetes, an annual show that brings together 500 volunteer dancers to raise awareness for type 1 diabetes. What started as a small community event has grown into a signature program that uses the arts to spread awareness of type 1 in an upbeat and positive way. The event reaches audiences worldwide, with 1,500 live attendees and thousands more tuning in online each year.

Her passion for creating supportive, empowering spaces for youth also led Elizabeth to develop the Kids & Teens with Diabetes Dance Program, where young people with type 1 come together each fall to learn a dance routine, connect with their peers, and build a sense of community. Parents and caregivers also have the opportunity to network and gain support during these gatherings.

Under Elizabeth's leadership, Touched by Type 1 has expanded as a leading resource for the type 1 community, offering programs such as Type 1 at School, the D-Box outreach initiative, and the Annual Conference, which provides education and resources for all ages. Elizabeth is passionate about eliminating barriers to care, and her organization provides all programming at no cost to participants.

In addition to her work with Touched by Type 1, Elizabeth serves as Chief Operating Officer of Dan Newlin Injury Attorneys, where she has been a key figure for over 13 years. She is deeply involved in the Central Florida community and frequently advocates for issues impacting individuals with type 1 diabetes, including access to care and affordable insulin.

Elizabeth’s leadership and advocacy have earned her widespread recognition, and her commitment to helping others thrive in the face of type 1 continues to drive her work.