2010 NAAFA Convention A Rousing Success!

OAKLAND, CA, August 16, 2010 (Press-News.org) NAAFA has just concluded another successful annual fund raising convention held this year in Millbrae, CA. During the Annual General Meeting on Friday morning, NAAFA co-chair Jason Docherty highlighted the accomplishments of the past year such as the creation of the NAAFA Child Advocacy Toolkit and our new alliance with the International Association Against Image Discrimination, created especially to fight worldwide image discrimination. Their premier campaign, REFLEXIONS, is a global campaign to promote "Image Discrimination Awareness Week" which will be observed annually and took place April 26 through May 2, 2010.

Friday's Fat Advocacy Training Workshop, led by NAAFA Advisory Board Member Brandon Macsata, was an advocacy primer on influencing Capitol Hill and the new media. Saturday's Child Advocacy Super Workshop featured panelists: Joanne Ikeda, MA, RD Nutritionist Emeritus, former co-director of the Center for Weight and Health University of California, Berkeley; Deb Burgard, PhD, Psychologist and creator of the BodyPositive.com; Lily O'Hara, MPH and PhD (candidate), author and public health lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia.

NAAFA introduced two scholarships in 2010. The NAAFA Plus Size Fashion Design Scholarship was presented to Sarah Rosandick at Friday night's Fashion Show Extravaganza. The NAAFA HAES Scholarship was presented to Jenny Copeland, PsyD candidate at Forest Institute Springfield, MO at the Saturday Night Awards Dinner and Dance.

At Saturday night's Awards Dinner, NAAFA honored other key individuals that have made major strides for the size acceptance movement:
-The Legislative Pioneer Award was presented to NAAFA Board Member Carole Cullum whose tireless efforts behind the scene were responsible for adding height and weight to the anti-discrimination laws of San Francisco, CA .
-The Size Acceptance Vanguard Award went to NAAFA Advisory Board Member Dr. Esther Rothblum for her work with NAAFA over the years researching issues that affect our members which has led to the legitimization of Fat Studies at the University level.
-The International Size Acceptance Trailblazer Award has been awarded to Fatima Parker who faces constant harassment from a hostile audience, for her work in promoting the size-acceptance message throughout the Arab world.

On Sunday evening NAAFA concluded the 2010 convention with our first International Fat Film Festival. We were honored to premier "Weightless", a documentary by Faith Pennick featuring Dr. Liz Nickels, a plus size SCUBA instructor, and plus size women who learn and enjoy SCUBA diving. "Gordita", written and directed by Debby Wolfe, is an emotional look at a young Hispanic woman's blossoming into self-love. And lastly "A Matter of Size" is a heart-warming film about a group of fat Israeli men on their journey to size acceptance as they become sumo wrestlers. Each film depicted a different aspect of life in a fat body.

Join us next year when we return to Washington, DC for more visits to The Hill!

Founded in 1969, NAAFA is a non-profit civil rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.

On the web: http://www.naafa.org

For more information contact:
Peggy Howell, Public Relations Director, NAAFA
email: naafa_pr@yahoo.com phone: (707)246-6116