We had a huge success in Austin with our free benefit concert to raise
money, awareness, and to recruit milk donors for the Mothers Milk Bank at
Austin.  On Mother's Day, we held an outdoor concert in a downtown park.
Local muscians (including one Grammy award winner) donated their time to
sing and play.  Thousands of families attended, and moms received a flower
as they walked through the gate.  Babies and dogs everywhere, lots of
smiles.  People stuffed money into our donation boxes, moms lined up to get
info about becoming milk donors and volunteers, and the tv, radio,  and
newspaper people gave us tons of coverage.  We also passed out copies of our
new brocheur, designed by a very sophisticated ad agency, GSD&M, who does
all sorts of national ad campaigns.  Boy is is terrific.  They donated the
work to create it, and it makes me see why the formula people have such
success manipulating public opinion.  Listen to the way the ad people
phrased things:

"For ill and premature babies, though, mothers' milk proves even more
miraculous.  It can protect preemies against life-threatening diseases and
dramatically improve their health and brain development...Without this
beneficial milk, these infants might have to endure infection, emergency
surgery and a lifetime of poor health.  In fact, medical research has shown
that premature babies are six to ten times more likely to become seriously
ill when fed infant formula than when fed human milk."

They quoted two of our neonatologist/founders,  Dr. George Sharpe:  "Human
breast milk is really as important to these babies as antibiotics are." and
Dr. Audelio Rivera:  "donor milk truly is a gift from moms to other
babies -- something that cannot be replaced by technology."  Donor moms and
recipient moms were also quoted, and a local photographer contributed some
sweet photos.  It is the most beautiful flier.

Anyway, the milk bank is just being embraced by our whole community, and we
are so pleased and grateful.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BSEd, IBCLC
Austin Lactation Associates, Austin, Texas
http://www.lactnews.com

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