'American Idol' Finalist and Hickory Records Artist Elliott Yamin to Serve as a Global Ambassador for Inspired by Diabetes Campaign to Help Children with Diabetes

'American Idol' Finalist and Hickory Records Artist Elliott Yamin to Serve as a Global Ambassador for Inspired by Diabetes Campaign to Help Children with Diabetes

Rising pop artist encourages people affected by diabetes to enter global contest supporting children in developing nations and camp scholarships for kids with diabetes in the US

INDIANAPOLIS, Oct. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- "American Idol" finalist and rising Hickory Records recording artist Elliott Yamin -- whose U.S. tour kicked off this month -- is joining the Inspired by Diabetes global campaign to support the care of children in developing nations.

Yamin, who has type 1 diabetes, will serve as a Global Ambassador to promote the Inspired by Diabetes Creative Expression Competition, a global and national contest asking people with diabetes, as well as their family and friends, to express how diabetes has had an impact on their lives -- and share those stories with others around the world through art, essay, poetry, photography and music.

By entering the competition, participants can have a direct impact on the lives of children with diabetes around the world.

For each entry, global champion Eli Lilly and Company will donate funds to the International Diabetes Federation's Life for a Child program, which provides life-saving diabetes supplies to more than 500 children in 13 developing countries. And for every entry received in the United States, Lilly will also contribute funds toward diabetes youth outreach initiatives in the U.S., through scholarships for American Diabetes Association camps.

Yamin was a finalist on "American Idol" Season 5 and has been on a meteoric rise since launching his self-titled debut album in spring 2007. His first single, "Wait for You," reached the Top 3 of the Billboard Pop 200 chart, has been a top five single for 10 weeks and spent 8 weeks at No. 1 on the VH1 "V-Spot" video countdown. The single is also close to achieving "gold" status with nearly 700,000 units sold. Yamin's U.S. tour began Oct. 5.

In addition to promoting the contest, Yamin will serve as a judge for entries from the U.S., and will donate a package of concert tickets and backstage passes to the U.S. grand prize winners.

"I'm thrilled to be joining this important campaign to help children with diabetes around the world," said Yamin, 29, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 16. "Children in developing nations often lack the medicines, supplies, education and basic care they need to survive and thrive. Even here in the U.S., there are kids who want to attend a diabetes camp but can't afford it. By participating in the Inspired by Diabetes contest and expressing how diabetes affects you, you can have a direct impact on a child's life."

Inspired by Diabetes is a global collaboration among Lilly, IDF's Unite for Diabetes initiative and the International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD). In the United States, ADA is serving as the Inspired by Diabetes U.S. national advocate.

Yamin is already serving as a special ambassador for ADA's youth outreach initiatives, and will participate in the IDF-led events to celebrate the first United Nations-designated World Diabetes Day on November 14 in New York.

"Elliott's story should inspire us all," said Darlene Cain, Chair of the Board, ADA. "As the U.S. National Advocate for Inspired by Diabetes, we're excited that Elliott's popularity and passion for this cause can help us spread the word and encourage more entries into the contest. The more entries we receive, the more we can help kids with diabetes here in the United States and around the world."

Inspired by Diabetes Contest information

Children, people with diabetes and their family members and friends are encouraged to enter the contest. Health care professionals are also invited to enter.

Grand prize winners will be selected for both the U.S. and global contests for each participant group, with the winners (excluding health care professionals) receiving a trip to attend a media briefing and formal exhibition of the winning entries.

Participants from the United States will also have their submissions entered into a separate U.S. contest with a chance to win both the global and national competitions. U.S. grand prize winners will also receive tickets and backstage passes to attend an Elliott Yamin concert in 2008.

The entry deadline for both the global and U.S. contests is January 31, 2008.

   Participant categories in the Inspired by Diabetes contest are:    -- Children (age sub-groups 5-6, 7-8, 9-12, 13-17 years old; includes       children with diabetes or family members or friends under 18)    -- Adult with diabetes (ages 18 and older)    -- Family member or friend of a person with diabetes    -- Health care professional    Entries may be submitted in the following "format" categories:    -- Short essay or poem - 500 words or less    -- Photograph(s) - Up to three prints    -- Original drawing or painting - no larger than 43cm x 66cm (17" x 26")    -- Music - Original composition, up to three minutes in length       (instrumental and lyric)    How the donations work  

Inspired by Diabetes builds on the theme of World Diabetes Day 2007-08, dedicated to children and adolescents living with or at risk of diabetes worldwide. The spirit of the competition is to bring families and people with diabetes together to raise awareness of the global burden of diabetes -- and draw particular attention to people who do not have the resources they need to fight the disease.

When people enter the contest, they will receive two "blue circle" diabetes pins, illustrating the global symbol for diabetes. For each set of pins distributed, a dollar is donated to the Life for a Child program. In addition, in the spirit of the Inspired by Diabetes campaign, Lilly will also make a separate donation to support the Life for a Child program on behalf of the contest winners.

Entries from the U.S. will also trigger a donation from Lilly to support scholarships for children from low-income families to attend ADA summer camps. ADA is the largest provider of camp programs in the U.S. for children with diabetes and their families.

To learn more about Inspired by Diabetes and how to enter the Creative Expression Competition, please visit: http://www.inspiredbydiabetes.com/

About Unite for Diabetes and the International Diabetes Federation

Unite for Diabetes is a global campaign committed to raising awareness of diabetes and celebrating the United Nations' World Diabetes Day Resolution, which establishes the global agenda for the coming fight against the diabetes pandemic and designates 14 November as an official UN-observed World Diabetes Day beginning in 2007.

The Unite for Diabetes and World Diabetes Day campaigns are led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), a worldwide alliance of over 200 diabetes associations in more than 160 countries. Its mission is to promote diabetes care, prevention and a cure worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.unitefordiabetes.org/ .

About the American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's premier voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. The Association's mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Founded in 1940, the Association provides services to hundreds of communities across the United States. For more information, call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit http://www.diabetes.org/. Information from both these sources is available in English and Spanish.

About Lilly Diabetes

Through a long-standing commitment to diabetes care, Lilly provides patients with breakthrough treatments that enable them to live longer, healthier and fuller lives. Since 1923, Lilly has been the industry leader in pioneering therapies to help health care professionals improve the lives of people with diabetes, and research continues on innovative medicines to address the unmet needs of patients. For more information about Lilly's diabetes products, visit http://www.lillydiabetes.com/ .

About Eli Lilly and Company

Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers -- through medicines and information -- for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Information about Lilly is available at http://www.lilly.com/ .

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Eli Lilly and Company

CONTACT: J. Scott MacGregor of Eli Lilly and Company, +1-317-651-1494
(office), +1-317-440-4699 (cell); or Diane Tuncer of ADA, +1-703-549-1500 ext.
5510 (office)

Web site: http://www.lilly.com/
http://www.lillydiabetes.com/
http://www.diabetes.org/
http://www.unitefordiabetes.org/
http://www.inspiredbydiabetes.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment