Fundraising
around the World
by Karmen Mlinar, Slovenia
Looking for ways to
get to the 2005 LLLI Conference? Here's some inspiration adapted from
an article in the October-November 2004 issue of LEAVEN, LLLI's publication
for Leaders!
"I love reading NEW
BEGINNINGS and LEAVEN and when an invitation to the LLLI Conference
appeared in these magazines I was very enthusiastic," states
Karmen Mlinar, Leader from Slovenia, a country of two million inhabitants
that recently became one of the European Community countries.
Karmen Mlinar lived by
the slogan "Where there's a will there's a way" when she
solicited funds to attend the 2003 LLLI Conference in San Francisco,
CA, USA. In addition to registration, hotel, food, and transportation,
she budgeted $500 (US) for buying books for all LLLI Slovenia Groups.
A total budget of $2500
(US) did not stop Karmen.
The $2500(US) was more
than five months of her salary as a part-time computer system engineer.
In Slovenia, there is one year of maternity leave, but after that
most mothers go back to full-time work. Karmen has chosen part-time
work because of her family. She is mother to Luka (8), Naya (5) and
happy breastfeeding toddler Jaka (almost 3).
Karmen's dream to attend
the Conference came closer when she was notified that she had won
a Leader scholarship to the 2003 Conference and a donation from the
Matthew Chazelle fund. Receiving these funds gave Karmen the encouragement
to plan seriously to fundraise to attend the Conference. Karmen wrote
more than sixty letters to European Companies. Two of them gave her
some money. The mayoress of Ljubljana city also contributed significantly
to Karmen's scholarship fund. The mayoress is very supportive of LLL
Slovenia. Future Areas in Europe also helped to cover the costs.
To cover living expenses
while at the Conference, Karmen reported and wrote articles for Slovenian
parents magazine and a report for the Slovenian Health Institute about
breastfeeding news.
Karmen said the Conference
increased her knowledge about colic, communication, education, publications
and the internet. Since the Conference, she has shared her knowledge
with co-Leaders and Leader Applicants. She has organized Slovenian
workshops and written short reports from all Conference sessions she
attended. They also discussed the new information from the Breastfeeding
Answer Book.
Karmen moderates the Slovenian
LLL Breastfeeding Internet Phorum. She answers questions as an LLL
Leader and has written short reports for the Phorum also.
She made a Conference report
for the Slovenian Health Institute. They were especially interested
in the report about breastfeeding and HIV. Karmen also remains in
constant communication with health personnel in a local maternity
hospital. They, too, were very interested in information from the
Conference. "It took us a few coffees to go over all the information,"
she stated.
Karmen purchased so many
books that she had to buy a new suitcase just to bring them home.
She felt that she "robbed" the book store since for about
$600 (US) she purchased almost all the books in the English language
for her LLL group library. Her group mothers are really happy to have
new, up-to-date books. Not all mothers speak English, however, and
Karmen works hard at translating. Recently they were very happy that
one of Dr. Sear's books, Successful Child, was published in the Slovenian
language.
When Karmen came home from
the Conference she wrote thank you notes to all of her sponsors and
included pictures as well. She states: "Visiting an LLLI Conference
is one of the best possibilities to gain new knowledge, meet other
Leaders, share experiences, and meet new friends. Last but not least,
it is a great way to feel the atmosphere of people who parent their
children the way I do and feel their enthusiasm."
Karmen says that she came
back from the Conference full of new knowledge, unforgettable impressions
and many new friends-but with an "empty wallet" because
of her bookstore purchases. Karmen says that she hopes to meet us
in Washington DC at the next LLLI Conference. She continues to write
articles about breastfeeding and parenting for two Slovenian magazines.
While she enjoys getting feedback from mothers who write her about
breastfeeding, she is also saving almost all of the honorariums to
help fund her way to the next Conference. She states: "I have
a lot of work to do for that goal, but ... if there's a will there's
a way.
Start exploring ways to
fundraise to help yourself attend the LLLI Conference and discover
the world of LLLI at the LLLI Conference, Breastfeeding: An Ancient
Art---A Modern Miracle, at the Hilton Washington and Towers, Washington,
D.C., USA, July 2-5, 2005.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:34:51 UTC 2007.
