F.E.A.S.T. from the Inside
Well, almost two years since we started, and nearly a year since we incorporated, F.E.A.S.T. is almost too busy to keep up. The phones are ringing, the email box is busy, volunteers are at work, and people are talking about us around the world. As the one who gets the birds-eye view of all this I have the honor of seeing how many wonderful people are contributing and I get to see the impact: we hear daily from families who are grateful for the information or support they get from F.E.A.S.T.
This recent comment sums up why we are needed and the impact of what we do: “I also can't believe that throughout the 7 years my d(aughter) has suffered with A(norexia) N(ervosa), that nobody has provided me with details and options. My current team for my d(aughter) consists of a GP, a dietitian, a psychiatrist, all specializing in ED's, and yet not one of them has talked about options to me before.”
We hear a great deal from the ED treatment and research world as well: asking how they can help families. Increasingly, we hear from the media and the public not directly involved with eating disorders because of the reach, the passion, and the reputation of our volunteers and advisors. I confess there is more work than there is time to finish it, but we are working hard trying, and we are accomplishing a great deal. I wake up each day to my email and phone messages (even when I’m sleeping F.E.A.S.T. is awake somewhere) and feel both urgency and gratitude to be able to do this job. We needed a parent movement to help families directly and to let them speak to the larger world. We asked, and parents are responding: by volunteering, by spreading the word, by donating money, and by telling us what they need. As individuals we can feel unheard but I assure you as members of F.E.A.S.T. the concerns and ideas of the parent community are being heard. We are making progress, and it delights me every day to be part of it!
Laura Collins, Executive Director
Executive Director’s Recent Activities Since the October newsletter,
Laura Collins reports:
- interviews with reporters at iVillage, Regence Radio, and Elle Magazine
- merged and moved member records to a non-profit management program
- carried out our first paid membership drive
- preparing to speak in London and Salzburg in 2010
- was invited to contribute a chapter to an international textbook
- gave three ED presentations in local community
- worked with the ATDT “Mod Squad” moderating the forum
- met with Finance Committee and Executive Board monthly
- met personally with parents and offered information by phone and email
- networked with professionals and advocates in the field
- helped edit and review manuscripts
- updated the website
- suffered and survived a computer crash
- took time off for family during the holidays
- held annual Board meeting and provided quarterly reports to the Board
News from our Board and volunteers
-
On the 24th October 2009, Bridget Bonnin and Carolin Grey attended the Australian National Eating Disorders Workshop in Canberra, Australia. The workshop was part of the Australian National Eating Disorders Collaboration project.
-
Jacques Neher and his volunteer team completed the editing and publishing of F.E.A.S.T.’s ED Glossary in December, now available online: http://glossary.feast-ed.org, and linked from both the NIMH and Academy for Eating Disorders websites.
- Our Board Chair, Christopher Berka, continued his Media Outreach Task Force work. Among the accomplishments have been agreements by several websites to update their discussions of eating disorders, especially information about the family role and the causes of eating disorders.
- Therese Waterhous has been busy with several speaking engagements and offering professional trainings, including as Chair of the Special Interest Group on Adolescent Health and EDs at the American Dietetic Association’s October conference.
- Jennifer Whisman is currently acting as a parent representative for a school-based mental health team initiated by her state department of education.
Our Advisors
F.E.A.S.T. Radio Show
Did you join us for lunch? On January 15 we hosted a call-in internet radio show with some of F.E.A.S.T.’s leadership. It was a wonderful debut for our new audio features and interactive media. You can hear the broadcast tape online from our main page.
Endorsed EDC Talking Points
In December, the F.E.A.S.T. Board voted to make a statement in support of the Eating Disorder Coalition’s Talking Points on Mandatory BMI Screening in school. It was unanimously agreed that the growing trend toward public weighing by non-professionals in the school environment is both misguided and potentially harmful. Full Disclosure We hope all of our members will take note of our most recent Position Statement on “Full Disclosure.” We believe all families deserve to know what type of treatment their loved one is being offered and what evidence exists to support it. Informed families can make better judgments to support a family member’s care. If you are currently researching care for a loved one, please use this document to better understand the issues and discuss them with your caregivers. Please let F.E.A.S.T. know if you have a story of having been fully informed at the outset of care, and how that affected the course of treatment. Please also let us know if you did NOT feel you received this kind of information and if that affected care.
Around the Dinner Table update
from Moderator team member, Axa Carnes
There were 14,229 visitors to the Around the Dinner Table forum between mid-October 2009 and January 13, 2010. Parents who are joining seem to increasingly fall under the category of children on the very young and older spectrum (9 – 12 year old and young adults in their 20’s). A couple of our new members have joined after attending the UCSD intensive program. They bring energy and first-hand knowledge from their training and add much to the forum. Moderators and mentors continue to provide an invaluable service greeting and guiding new members and responding to their questions and concerns.
Members discussed many important topics recently, like finding treatment centers that provide evidence based treatment, exercise addiction, diabulimia, a new baby, helicopter parenting, parents gaining weight during re feeding, siblings who don’t “get it, questions for providers, how to increase calories and the ever popular topic of bio-chemical testing. Some of the forum members are volunteering to work on the FAQ section of FEAST in order to keep it updated and relevant.
December Membership Drive results
As a F.E.A.S.T. member, you know that we are committed to being a parent organization and remaining financially independent from any influence that might represent a conflict of interest or the appearance of one. This means each individual donation matters a great deal. In December we began asking members to make voluntary contributions and the response was striking: eight “Founding Memberships” of $1,000 or more, and 33 “Supporting Memberships” of $25 or more. The most common accompanying note said “Wish I could give more.” Sincere thanks to all of you who support F.E.A.S.T. financially. Your generosity, large and small, is felt by people you will never know in ways that cannot be calculated. Please know that you are making a difference and that F.E.A.S.T. does not take your support for granted.
A special note of gratitude to a family in England whose donation of $10,000 represented both the catalyst and the leap of faith that were needed to turn an idea into an organization and a community of activists. We are all deeply grateful to this family, who wish to remain anonymous, for the trust they put in this organization even before it had a name or legal status. This family wanted the benefits they received from our informal community to be available for other families during their time of need. We are all indebted to that family, and celebrate their child’s recovery and their family’s healing.
Strategic Planning
The F.E.A.S.T. Board of Directors, under the skilled direction of Board member Jennifer Whisman and team, completed our initial Strategic Planning PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope) process in late 2009. Usually done in person, the PATH process was adapted for our use both in an online version and in a phone conference. Due to time constraints, the planning was limited to 3-Year Goals (up to 2012). In future sessions we hope to complete the process by developing 3-Year, 1-Year, and 6-month plans. We all learned a great deal about the process, about varying dreams for the organization, and the limitations of virtual communication. Our “Dream” and our 3-Year Plan are available online.
Volunteer Help Wanted
F.E.A.S.T. is completely volunteer-staffed. We welcome your help! Please see our volunteer page for a list of our current needs. Donations Needed Donating to F.E.A.S.T. is a great way to help other families, and we promise we use your donations frugally. The forum, serving hundreds of families 24/7, costs only $20-40 (US) a month. Having an exhibit table at an eating disorder conference can cost $1200(US) a year. Our services and advocacy are free to all, and funded donation by donation by families like yours. Do we need you? YES.
Good news: donations are tax deductible in the U.S. in accordance with Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3).
THANK YOU FOR BEING A MEMBER OF F.E.A.S.T.!
F.E.A.S.T. (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders)
P.O. Box 331, Warrenton VA 20188, US
+1 (540) 227-8518
www.FEAST-ED.org