Hot rods, vintage chrome, and a cause that hits close to home — Rock’n August returns to St. Albert this summer not just as a celebration of classic cars and live music, but as a critical fundraiser powering life-changing diabetes research in Alberta.
Since 1996, the event has raised more than $1.6 million for the Alberta Diabetes Foundation (ADF), helping to fund local projects with global potential, including clinical trials that could change how diabetes is treated.
“We are deeply grateful for their support,” said Melissa Perez, marketing and communications specialist with ADF. “It's not only about cars and music, the support they provide goes much further.”
Every dollar raised at the event stays in Alberta, supporting local researchers at the University of Alberta and the Alberta Diabetes Institute — including Dr. Jean Buteau, whose human clinical trial for an oral beta cell-regeneration drug could revolutionize care for people living with Type 1 diabetes.
“It's really exciting,” said ADF executive director Lindsay Burnham. “If this drug makes it through all phases of clinical trials, it could mean people with Type 1 diabetes simply take a pill a day, potentially reversing or curing the disease. That’s the kind of impact this community festival is making.”
While research remains at the heart of ADF's mission, the foundation has expanded its mandate to meet the real-world needs of people living with diabetes. After identifying gaps in mental health support and access to care, ADF broadened its focus to include prevention, treatment, and community care.
“We changed our mission about a year and a half ago,” said Perez. “We realized many gaps weren’t being filled in the system, so now we also fund initiatives that support prevention, treatment, and living well with diabetes.”
“What will likely happen with our organization in the future is inclusion of programs, services, and more support to Albertans who are living with diabetes,” added Burnham.
Through partnerships with organizations like Pineapple Therapy, a counselling service that offers diabetes-informed mental health care, ADF is connecting individuals to mental health care tailored to the challenges of diabetes. It’s also working to build provider networks and extend outreach to communities beyond Edmonton and Calgary, including St. Albert, Leduc, and other cities in Alberta.
“About one in four people are affected by diabetes or prediabetes,” said Burnham. “When you consider the network of people it touches, like friends and family, it impacts nearly everyone’s life.”
In addition to patient care, ADF continues to invest in the future of diabetes research by funding graduate students, recruiting top researchers, and acquiring cutting-edge equipment. Last year, with donor support, the foundation secured an electrospinning machine, a critical tool accelerating stem cell and islet cell studies.
That fundraising support continues with the Classic Car for a Cure Lottery, an ADF-led draw that keeps the momentum going year-round. The winner is announced during the Rock’n August festival’s kickoff, alongside the unveiling of next year’s lottery car.
For Burnham, who grew up around drag strips and fell in love with Rock’n August long before joining ADF, the connection is personal.
“When I moved to Alberta, this was the first festival I attended,” she said. “Now I get to work with the people who make it possible. It’s full circle and without support like this, we simply couldn't move these breakthroughs from the lab to real lives.”
As car lovers roll into St. Albert once again, their support fuels far more than nostalgia — it's driving a future where diabetes no longer defines the lives of so many Albertans.
