Career Moment: Milk Banking Article for O Magazine

Disclaimer: Shameless PR going on here. For those of you who don't know, I manage the Human Milk Bank Association for North America (HMBANA). It is one of my favorite clients, especially now that I am a mom and breastfeeding veteran. But mostly because out of all the clients I have ever managed this group is not in existence to make a profit. Unlike my other groups, I do not spend my days trying to figure out how to make HMBANA money. They are one of the few associations that I have managed that actually give back to the world. I love being a part of them and working with these amazing & talented women.

These preemie quintuplets were fed donated breastmilk at our Indiana Milk Bank and are all healthy & strong! www.hmbana.org

Sorry but I have to brag. At last, the long awaited article was published in this month's O Magazine. What a great career moment for me. I seriously had to read it in installments b/c it made me tear up.
No, this isn't a push for you to go out and give Oprah more money by buying her magazine! But you should read the article, especially if you are a mom. It's fabulous & I'm so excited for the breastfeeding and milk banking awareness that this article will generate. Email me if you want a copy or thumb to page 196 of O Magazine next time you are at the checkout stand.

For more background info, here is my unofficial email that I shared with colleagues, peers, co-workers, etc once it hit the newsstand:

I just wanted to share some news that we (the HMBANA Board of Directors) are extremely proud of at the moment. We have been working with a writer for O Magazine (Oprah's global magazine) and are very happy to announce it was published in the March issue on stands now. It is titled "The Gift" and is a wonderful article that highlights the importance of breastfeeding and the emerging growth of the milk bank industry. As you know, HMBANA is a small organization but we have 10 hard working milk banks in North America that produce thousands of ounces of donated milk which in turn helps save hundreds of babies' lives every year. Breast milk is especially important for preemies that are in the intensive care unit and it is literally liquid gold to their tiny helpless bodies.

Needless to say, I'm very proud of the strides HMBANA has made this past year & wanted to share it with you guys. We've really focused on getting more publicity--which in turn will create more awareness and hopefully more grant money for our milk banks to operate since they run on a non-profit status. But more than grant money, this magazine article will help push breastfeeding and milk banking out to the general "Oprah crowd" and will provide more interest and energy so that mom's around the world will donate their milk and help save little lives.

So, if you have a moment next time you are at the checkout stand, grab O Magazine and thumb through it. We have been flooded with fabulous responses and everyone of us on the HMBANA boardare brimming with excitement and pride!