Pump Girls
Encyclopedia
The Pump Girls are a musical group founded in 1998 by four girls, Colleen Cottrell, Sara Cronstadt, Janelle Munion and Brittany Rausch, all of whom have type 1 diabetes
.
In 2001, the group changed from a quartet to a trio. There have been a number of personnel changes over the years. More recent Pump Girls have included:
All of the girls remain active in diabetes awareness and support across the nation.
Before early 1998, the members of the group were going through bouts of teen depression
, caused by, among other things, their illness.
That began to change when they decided to join as a group in February of that year. A few months later, they hired H. B. Barnum
of Little Star Records to manage them. Barnum had already worked with performers such as Aretha Franklin
, Puff Daddy and Barry White
. Soon, the girls were able to release their first, self-named CD. Shortly after releasing the CD the group partnered with the Walt Disney Company
to begin touring at various Disney parks and Radio Disney
events.
The Pump Girls have been featured on CNN
, Peter Jennings
' show, and various other media outlets. They tour all over the United States
but live in California
. The Pump Girls have performed at events sponsored by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
, American Diabetes Association
, American Association of Diabetes Educators
, PADRE Foundation and Radio Disney. They have shared the stage with 1999 Miss America
Nicole Johnson as well as other Walt Disney and Radio Disney musicians.
Diabetes mellitus type 1
Diabetes mellitus type 1 is a form of diabetes mellitus that results from autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. The subsequent lack of insulin leads to increased blood and urine glucose...
.
In 2001, the group changed from a quartet to a trio. There have been a number of personnel changes over the years. More recent Pump Girls have included:
- Sarah Ann Carey
- Heather Faland
- Nicole Shiley Kukuruda
- Debbie Lemus
All of the girls remain active in diabetes awareness and support across the nation.
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
, caused by, among other things, their illness.
That began to change when they decided to join as a group in February of that year. A few months later, they hired H. B. Barnum
H. B. Barnum
H. B. Barnum is an American pianist, arranger, record producer, songwriter, and former child actor....
of Little Star Records to manage them. Barnum had already worked with performers such as Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Puff Daddy and Barry White
Barry White
Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...
. Soon, the girls were able to release their first, self-named CD. Shortly after releasing the CD the group partnered with the Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
to begin touring at various Disney parks and Radio Disney
Radio Disney
Radio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
events.
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Peter Jennings
Peter Jennings
Peter Charles Archibald Ewart Jennings, CM was a Canadian American journalist and news anchor. He was the sole anchor of ABC's World News Tonight from 1983 until his death in 2005 of complications from lung cancer...
' show, and various other media outlets. They tour all over the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
but live in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The Pump Girls have performed at events sponsored by Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
JDRF is the leading global organization focused on type 1 diabetes research. Driven by volunteers connected to children, adolescents, and adults with this disease, JDRF is the largest charitable supporter of T1D research...
, American Diabetes Association
American Diabetes Association
The American Diabetes Association is a United States-based association working to fight the consequences of diabetes, and to help those affected by diabetes...
, American Association of Diabetes Educators
American Association of Diabetes Educators
The American Association of Diabetes Educators, or AADE, is a multidisciplinary membership organization for healthcare professionals who specialize in teaching patients about diabetes and how to self-manage the disease....
, PADRE Foundation and Radio Disney. They have shared the stage with 1999 Miss America
Miss America
The Miss America pageant is a long-standing competition which awards scholarships to young women from the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands...
Nicole Johnson as well as other Walt Disney and Radio Disney musicians.