As Canada Marks 100th Anniversary of First Successful Injection of Insulin, JDRF Canada Sets Out to Make History Again with Walters Group as a Proud Partner  

On April 4th, five Canadians will live atop a 40-foot flagpole for 100 hours with a goal of raising $15M towards JDRF Campaign to Accelerate.

TORONTO, March 10, 2022 — JDRF Canada, the largest charitable funder of type 1 diabetes (T1D) research in the country, is publicly launching its largest-ever fundraising campaign, the $100M Campaign to Accelerate. The campaign aims to accelerate the pace of T1D research being done in Canada to help find a cure. Canada discovered insulin and by supporting research, Canada can cure diabetes. 

To make history again, five brave Canadians impacted by T1D will live atop a 40-foot flagpole in cities across the country as part of JDRF’s Let’s Make History Again event. They will do this for 100 hours this spring, beginning on April 4, to help raise $15 million to help find a cure for T1D. 

Walters Group is a proud partner in this incredible initiative.

The flagpole structures facts & figures:

• Each  structure weights 4500kg  (4.5 MT)
• The bottom of the flagpole platform is 40’ above grade
• The base is 15’ square and the platform is 8’ square

All five flagpole structures were fabricated and painted entirely by volunteers across five of Walters plants (Hamilton, Dartnall Stoney Creek, Feature Walters and Princeton) on two Saturdays.

• Over 120 Walters volunteers donated their time to fabricate and paint the flagpoles
• Our suppliers generously donated all material, paint, bolts, fall arrest anchors, and even t-shirts!
• Our suppliers also donated numerous door prizes and all our volunteers were well fed.
• We will soon be erecting the flagpoles in five locations across the country. 

We were honoured to have David Prowten, President & CEO JDRF Canada and Vanessa Oliver (Flagpole sitter) speak to the team.

Walters Amazing Volunteers in Action

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CLICK HERE To view a fantastic video which includes film footage from Walters volunteer fabrication day and warm wishes from David Prowten and Vanessa Oliver.

“We are thrilled to see the enthusiasm and efforts of our employees and volunteers who have come together around the JDRF Flagpole 100 Challenge. The Walters Group family is passionate about making a difference!”, says Peter Kranendonk, Chief Executive Officer of Walters Group. “Building History is our purpose and this transformational campaign inspired us because we care about every fellow Canadian who struggles with or is affected by type 1 diabetes. These structures are being built with our hearts and our hands in the hope and with the prayer that all of us together will Make History Again with great therapies and a cure for T1D!”

To learn more or to donate to the JDRF Canada $100M Campaign to Accelerate, Please CLICK HERE.