Diabetes & Eye Health: When Diabetes Starts Affecting Vision
Diabetes can damage the tiny blood vessels that supply the eyes, potentially leading to diabetic retinopathy. The damage can begin before anyone notices a change in their vision.
Small Circles
is a youth-led awareness campaign for diabetes and insulin resistance, in partnership with the Children's Diabetes Foundation.
0
diagnosed in the US today
Proud community partner of the Children's Diabetes Foundation, supporting the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes.
0M+
Americans living with diabetes
0M
Adults with prediabetes or insulin resistance
0/5
Don't yet know they have it
Awareness is where change begins.
Small Circles Foundation started with a handful of students who noticed how much confusion and stigma still surrounds diabetes and insulin resistance. We're not doctors: we're organizers and connectors who believe clear information and real community support save lives alongside good medicine.
How your support moves
- 01You give, through the Foundation or our fundraisers.
- 02We direct funds to the Children's Diabetes Foundation, our formal partner.
- 03CDF channels support to the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes for research and care.
What we are (and aren't). Education, awareness, and
community fundraising. Not medical advice, and never a place we
collect private health information.
See how to help →
In our words
“Every school, every friend group, every family is a circle. String enough of them together and you get a movement.”
The Small Circles Foundation
Diabetes, explained simply.
No jargon, no fear-mongering. Just the basics everyone deserves to understand, whether it affects you, a friend, or someone you haven't met yet.
01
Type 1 Diabetes
An autoimmune condition where the body stops producing insulin entirely. It isn't caused by diet or lifestyle, and it's managed, not cured, through daily insulin and monitoring.
02
Type 2 Diabetes
The body still makes insulin but can't use it effectively. It develops gradually and is shaped by a mix of genetics, environment, and daily habits, often more preventable and manageable than people think.
03
Insulin Resistance
Often the quiet stage before Type 2, cells stop responding to insulin the way they should. It's common, frequently reversible, and rarely talked about outside a doctor's office.
04
Nutrition & Blood Sugar
Food isn't the enemy. Understanding how meals affect blood sugar helps everyone make informed choices, with or without a diagnosis.
05
Spotting the Warning Signs
Constant thirst, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing cuts: knowing the early signals means people get diagnosed sooner, not later.
06
Breaking the Stigma
Diabetes is not a personal failure. Language and assumptions matter. We work to replace judgment with understanding.
Sourced from the CDC and the Children's Diabetes Foundation. General education only, not medical advice.
There's a place for you in this circle.
Whether you've got twenty minutes a week or want to help run the whole thing, pick the path that fits.
No experience needed, online or in person.
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Open to current volunteers ready to help run things.
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A small group running Small Circles at your own school. We give you the tools.
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Bring Small Circles to your school.
One to three students is enough to start. We hand you the content and the playbook, you bring the local energy.
- 01Get a few people together. Someone leads, the rest pitch in.
- 02Grab the toolkit. We send ready-to-go graphics, facts, and talking points.
- 03Get it out there. Share what you did and tag us so we can amplify it.
1-3
students is enough to launch a chapter
100%
of content and graphics provided for you
3
simple steps from idea to impact
Every donation completes the circle.
We don't keep a cent. Every dollar goes to our formal partner, the Children's Diabetes Foundation, funding real research and care at the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes.
Give on GoFundMe
Find us here
Instagram@thesmallcirclesfoundation Emailthesmallcirclesfoundation@gmail.comPlease don't share private medical information here. For anything personal, talk to a licensed healthcare provider.
Questions, ideas, partnerships: let's talk.
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