Welcome to The 2nd Annual Stronger Together Challenge!

November 14, 2020 is World Diabetes Awareness Day! The 2nd Annual Stronger Together Challenge will run from 11/07/021-11/21/21. All money raised through donations and the Classic Stronger Together t-shirt/tank sales will be donated to the organization @beyondtype1 who is helping fight for a cure!! BeyondType1 is currently fighting to help make insulin affordable in the US. They created getinsulin.org to help any diabetic who may be struggling to afford or secure insulin which they need in order to live! This is a bigger problem than maybe what many of you realize. I love that we have an organization fighting on our behalf!! To learn more about BeyondType1 click here: https://beyondtype1.org/about-beyond-type-1/

So why Stronger Together? Stronger Together is more of an idea, it’s a tribe of people seeking to love on the diabetic community and beyond! The phrase along with the hashtag “type1strong” stemmed out of several conversations I had with my friends Alana, Jason, Jess, Seb, Kelsey, Trenton, Nicole, Abigail and countless others within the Street Parking community back in 2019 who for the first time in my life inquired about what it truly was like living with type 1. For the first time in 8 years I didn't feel alone in the struggle. I have always felt that humankind has been created to be relational! I feel we are at our peak and thriving when we are actively engaged in real life giving relationships with the people that are around us. We are so much stronger together than what we can ever be separate. Type 1 is my struggle, but I guarantee you that you have your own as well.

My friend Jess has a t-shirt with the saying "High Fives & Suffering & Hugs." We need more of this in the world! People bearing one another up in love! People sharing each other's burdens, checking in on their friends and being the type of friend someone can check in with!! As I look at those dealing with various forms of diabetes, I feel most of them are living in the shadows. The complexity of their struggle hidden from the world. For the type 1 diabetic, being “type1strong” carries this idea of being vulnerable, sharing the struggle, and never giving up! For the non-diabetic it's being willing to be the support system! I have one goal in this: To encourage at least one person in my lifetime who is living with diabetes that they are not alone in the struggle! I desire to be transparent about my own struggle, my emotions, and my journey living with T1D. Maybe you’re not a diabetic but can relate in some way to the tension. If this resonates with you I invite you to join the Stronger Together tribe! We are “strongertogether!” We are “type1strong!” - much love DJ

Programmed by STREET PARKING the Stronger Together challenge is: 

One workout, that is scalable, your scores don't matter, all to raise awareness about the struggle of living with type 1 diabetes! This workout was designed to mimic how I feel daily trying to manage my T1D! It's a grind where you're forced to stop and make hundreds of micro management decisions daily! Registration opens 8.14.21! Please share this with anyone you know who may be interested! Last year we raised $527 through the month of November. What will that number be this year?? We are Stronger Together!! The Challenge will not have a cost to register. All money raised through t-shirt sales and/or separate donations will take the place of your registration fee. Every dollar helps so if a shirt is out of reach this year simply donating $1-5 to this years fundraiser works! Every participant that registers and completes the 2nd Annual Stronger Challenge will be automatically entered into a prize drawing the will take place at the end of November!

All T-SHIRT & TANK SALES ARE A PRE-ORDER OPEN THROUGH 9/19/21 PRE-ORDERS WILL SHIP AT THE END OF OCTOBER!!!

Finally, I am excited to announce the new "With Hearts Courageous" t-shirt a new partnership for 2021 with Vetwod. All proceeds from every shirt sold will be split between Vetwod & BeyondType1!! To learn more about Vetwod click here: https://linktr.ee/vetwod

With Hearts Courageous: Routed in Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Military, first responders, firefighters, police, nurses, doctors, dispatchers, etc run toward danger daily! For the most part, they see everyone on their worst days! They walk into the unknown with boldness and bravery that’s not present in most of us! They have a deep desire to serve others well and they do so without hesitation!

T1D’s- are some of the bravest people I know! Their physical bodies are legit working against them 24/7. While their battle is much more mental than physical, showing up daily where you get no days off takes a huge amount of courage and a completely different mindset! T1D’s are also proven to be some of the most lonely people because it’s so much easier to withdraw. I saw a stat where adult’s diagnosed with Type 1 are 4 times more likely than the average person to suffer from some sort of depression!

The battles we all face daily can be physical and/or mental. No matter what battle is staring you in the face when you wake up, attack it with a bold heart full of faith and bravery! It could be a demanding job that requires your all 24/7, or maybe you’re fighting cancer or an autoimmune like Type 1. It could be as simple as working through a tension-filled relationship. We are STRONGER TOGETHER when we lean on one another!

Whatever that battle is, live your LIFE with HEARTS COURAGEOUS!

We are thrilled you want to participate in our event. Information regarding the competition date, workouts and divisions can all be found on our landing page. From here, you can also register, view leaderboards, donate, and more!

If you have any questions, please reach out to strongertogetherdj@gmail.com for assistance.