[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 180 (Monday, November 6, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1518]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                          HONORING EVAN CLARK

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, November 6, 2017

  Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 
to recognize Evan Clark, a student at Sandia Prep in Albuquerque, N.M., 
who has made a name for himself as an advocate in the fight to 
eliminate Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. Evan was diagnosed as having 
diabetes when he was 7 years old. Now, at age 15, Evan is bringing 
awareness to the disease at a national level.
  Evan currently serves as New Mexico's delegate to JDRF 2017 
Children's Congress. He was one of 164 delegates chosen by JDRF, the 
leading global organization funding Type 1 Diabetes research. He 
recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Children's 
Congress, which included a Town Hall forum with delegates, professional 
athletes, actors and news anchors.
  Evan also participated in a hearing before the U.S. Senate Special 
Committee on Aging, where he and other delegates urged Congress to 
continue to fund diabetes research. They emphasized the organization's 
key principles for healthcare reform, and the need for robust annual 
funding for the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and 
Drug Administration.
  In New Mexico, Evan is a frequent speaker at JDRF events, such as the 
walk, the gala, Type 1 Nation, and other events that raise awareness 
and money for diabetes research. In 2012, Evan's family was named the 
``Eternal Hope Honoree Family'' during that year's gala, where 400 
guests raised more than $300,000 for JDRF. Evan was most proud of the 
fact that his own school and classmates donated money to fund a cure to 
help him.
  When he's not advocating for JDRF, Evan enjoys the outdoors. He is an 
avid fisherman, rifleman and marksman. He also enjoys flag football, 
basketball and track.
  Evan is an inspiration to his family, friends and the entire 
community in New Mexico. He has taken on a major challenge in the 
battle against Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. I am confident we can find a 
cure as long as we invest in research. And I have no doubt Evan will 
ensure that those investments continue.

                          ____________________