Legendary artist and songwriter Neil Diamond will be honored with the Inspirational Lifetime Achievement Award by the Children’s Diabetes Foundation (CDF) at The 39th Annual Carousel Ball on October 11, 2025 in Denver for his remarkable legacy, heartfelt generosity and unwavering dedication to CDF.
One of only three to ever receive the award across the organization’s almost five-decade history, the beloved music icon will accept the honor at CDF’s biennial gala, presented by Dexcom, the global leader in glucose biosensing. The event, held every other year in Denver and Los Angeles, brings together the biggest names from the film, television, music, and business industries to increase awareness of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and raise funds for clinical care, prevention and diabetes research. Additionally, the MacMillan Family will be recognized with the High Hopes Tribute Award for their incredible support and service with CDF spanning nearly three decades.
Diamond has proudly served on CDF’s Advisory Board and has attended the organization’s fundraisers for many years, including contributing a performance in Denver in 2001, as well as at The Carousel of Hope Ball in Beverly Hills in 2012, where he famously sang an impromptu duet of “Sweet Caroline” with George Clooney. Diamond joins only two others: Sidney Poitier and Diane Warren, recipients of the award in 2016 and 2024, respectively.
“Neil Diamond is a once-in-a-generation talent. As a best-selling recording artist the world over, he is an undeniable force whose songwriting has earned him countless musical accolades. At this year’s Carousel Ball, we have the profound honor of recognizing Neil for another of his many talents: his generous spirit. For over 35 years, Neil has lent his timeless voice to our efforts to find a cure for diabetes. On behalf of the patients and researchers his generosity has touched, we can’t think of anyone more deserving of our Inspirational Lifetime Achievement Award,” said event chair Dana Davis and honorary chair Barbara Davis. “We’re also proud to recognize the MacMillan family, who have been a critical part of our efforts to help propel the Children’s Diabetes Foundation into a leading agent of change for type 1 diabetes.”
The MacMillan Family will be honored with the High Hopes Tribute Award for their nearly three decades of commitment as enthusiastic supporters of CDF. The family has served on several committees, donated auction items, made generous contributions, and brought dozens of guests to the wonderful and important events that support the Foundation. The family’s Cherry Hills estate is also the site of some of Denver’s biggest fundraising events.
“The MacMillan family is happy and proud to be this year’s High Hopes Tribute Award recipient. We hope that this year will be met with record-breaking success,” said the MacMillan family. “In 2023, the mission became truly personal when our grandson Darius was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just a few days after his ninth birthday. We quickly became one of the thousands of families to receive the invaluable expertise and guidance of the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes (BDC). The entire MacMillan family is grateful to have this world-class facility available to us, and we have an even greater desire than before to ensure that the BDC can continue to provide the best available care for all children with type 1 diabetes.”
The event, a Hollywood institution since 1978, is held every two years in Beverly Hills, Calif., with this year’s fundraiser taking place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Denver, the home of CDF’s primary operations and its state-of-the-art clinic and research facility, the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes (BDC), serving 8,000 patients annually.
Guests can expect to enjoy cocktails, silent and live auctions, dinner, exciting musical performances – all to celebrate the remarkable things the BDC has accomplished and brought to the forefront of diabetes care, as well as the exciting research and influential moments the facility has been a part of since its inception.
Proceeds from The Carousel Ball benefit CDF and focus on patient support, awareness and diabetes research. Diabetes, which afflicts over 463 million people, is rapidly on the rise. Each year, approximately 64,000 Americans are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Of those, approximately 30,000 are children. The Carousel Balls collectively have raised more than $117 million.
● Over 40% of Barbara Davis Center patients are uninsured or underinsured.
● On average, the first year of care for a newly diagnosed type 1 is $20,000.
● Type 1 diabetes is the only disease where patients and caregivers are making life-and-death insulin dosing decisions, and they are doing it every hour of every day.
● The Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes provides state-of-the-art care to more than 8,000 active patients: 4,600 children and 2,900 adults with diabetes from the Rocky Mountain Region and from around the world.
Neil Diamond’s illustrious career, spanning over five decades, has seen him sell over 130 million albums, placing him among the best-selling rock musicians ever. He has had 18 Top 10 albums and scored nearly 40 Top 40 singles, with 10 reaching number one. His 1969 hit “Sweet Caroline” has continued its unbridled grip on pop culture and has become a permanent fixture at sporting events and a TV and film soundtrack favorite. A GRAMMY Award-winning artist, Diamond is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He also has received two of the highest honors bestowed upon songwriters: the Johnny Mercer Award and the Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, Diamond has garnered the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award, NARAS’ MusiCares Person of the Year Award, and the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor for his lifetime of contributions to American culture. His achievements include a Golden Globe Award, 13 GRAMMY nominations, an American Music Award, an ASCAP Film and Television Award, and a Billboard Icon Award.
The 2025 Carousel Ball is presented by Dexcom, with additional sponsorship support generously provided by Dependable Cleaners, RBC Wealth Management, Eva Schoonmaker, and the Hyatt Regency Denver.
To purchase tickets and tables and learn more about the event, click here.
