First Day of the International Conference!
The IC conference has barely started and it may be a little early to start blogging… but it’s never too early to start talking about something we’re so excited about! I’ve been in town since yesterday and already it has been so invigorating to see people as they are coming in. Connecting with RESULTS friends, matching faces to conference call voices, meeting new people… it’s all happening here.
If you find some of our conversation is a little spicier than usual when you get here, we’ll point our fingers at activist and ally, Valerie Harper, who will be hosting our IC Banquet on Tuesday. A whole pile of RESULTS folks including Sammi Fredenburg, Lisa Marchall, Ken Patterson, and Leslie Reed took advantage of the 50 percent discount to see Valerie play Tallulah Bankhead in a stage production of “Looped” here in DC. Her character was a coke-snorting, scotch-guzzling aging actress who was also the maven of one-liner zingers. I’m guessing we see a different side to Ms. Harper at the IC banquet!
I worked the registration table this morning and was happy to meet activists from Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington, Virginia, Texas and even the UK. It’s inspiring to look at the nametags laid out on the table to see how many folks will come from so far away…all coming for the same purpose of ending hunger and the worst aspects of poverty. The college students are also out and about and forming their own formidable force to be reckoned with. I saw Crickett Nicovich organizing them bright and early this morning in the lobby.
This conference is going to be all about gaining inspiration as well as meeting and attaining goals in our empowerment. So, I want to give a special acknowledgement to Teresa Rugg who met a personal goal of hers this morning that she’s been harboring for years. She got up in the wee hours of the morning today and ran from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial to spend some quite solo time with Abe and back. She told me it was a great moment to stand in his presence with him – all to herself – and reflect on what we’re trying to do before the hubbub of the whole conference starts. Whatever it is that inspires you, whatever it is you want to achieve, I hope you find it here at the RESULTS International Conference. This time is for you to find strength and achieve more for yourself and the world’s poorest people than you ever thought possible. I look forward to seeing you soon!