The Seattle Guild was founded in 1989 by a group of families who wanted to find a cure for diabetes. The JDRF Dream Gala was created to provide an exciting event where the business and civic community come together to raise funds for critical diabetes research. In its first year the JDRF Dream Gala raised $200,000. Since then, the Guild has continued to grow and work diligently to raise the necessary funding that will help realize its members' collective dream…a cure for type 1 diabetes. Today, the Seattle Guild's Annual JDRF Dream Gala has become one of the largest and most successful JDRF fundraisers in the world. Over the years, this premier event has raised over $40 million for diabetes research, thanks to the generosity of its corporate partners and individual supporters. In 2008, nearly 900 people attended the Gala and raised more than $4.9 million for diabetes research.