The La Leche League Alumnae Association is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2007 Alumnae Award: Barbara Parker, Martha Sears and Marian Tompson. Each of these women exemplifies the qualities in the award criteria. Each one has demonstrated courage and passion as they have worked for societal change. Barbara, Martha, and Marian make it clear that the passion and ability for their work was born out of a passion for La Leche League. By having the courage to take a stand against cultural norms, they have changed the hearts and minds of their own family members and countless others in the world.     Barbara Parker, who was active in LLL on the local, state and regional level for 20 years, was diagnosed with two primary breast cancers in 1990 while she was a Regional Administrator. Her passion to understand and make a difference led her to local, regional and national advocacy efforts in breast cancer research. She was a leader in the development of research advocacy for breast cancer.     In the mid 90s she was employed as a patient advocate in the Duke breast cancer SPORE (specialized program of research excellence). Duke was one of the first to pay an advocate and launched her work nationally. She attended research meetings, bringing to the attention of researchers patient questions and issues and commenting on their ideas from a patient perspective. She has participated in National Cancer Institute grant reviews and committees, and has been involved in clinical trial development in two national cooperative groups. She was an invited author of a chapter on advocacy role in a book for clinicians about clinical trial development. (Cancer Clinical Trials: Proactive Strategies "The Advocate Role in Clinical Study Development and Partnering with Patient Advocates in Your Local Institution" Springer, 2007). She worked for ten years in national legislative advocacy in Washington talking to the NC representatives and senators about breast cancer issues.  She made a difference for patients at the seat of power. Barbara has been a pioneer in the field of research advocacy, building on her own personal experience. Her work in changing the paradigm on a national scale has influenced a variety of different institutions, making a sustainable difference. She approached these challenges with courage, discipline, passion and overcame any stigmas about breastfeeding and breast cancer to step out and make a positive impact on the lives of many women at a vulnerable time in their lives. Two online articles about Barbara can be found at http://alumnae.llli.org/Alumnae/Life-Parker.htm http://research.unc.edu/endeavors/win2005/breast_cancer.php     Martha Sears is the mother of eight children, a registered nurse, a childbirth educator, a La Leche League leader for over 25 years, and a lactation consultant. Martha is also the co-author of 24 parenting books that have been translated into over 12 languages. She has spoken throughout the world in many capacities, speaking frequently at national and international conferences.  She works directly with parents to empower family decisions that honor and reflect LLL values.     She has educated countless parents and grandparents, has positively influenced coming generations by teaching parents more nurturing parenting practices, and she has guided many families into better nutrition. In addition, her work in the area of mental health has been remarkable, drawing on her lifetime interest in the way family members can change the way they interact to create healthier relationships and individuals.  Her integrity and her example to women around the world have had a tremendous cultural impact. Martha continues to make herself easily available to mothers on a one-to-one basis, and she brings heart and soul to any event by actually demonstrating the kind of mother-to-mother support that is so critically needed in our culture. You can read more about Martha at http://www.askdrsears.com/about.asp.       Marian Tompson, Founder, President and CEO of AnotherLook, is being recognized for her brave and steady efforts to educate health professionals and others about HIV and breastfeeding. A LLL Leader for over 50 years, she has educated herself and many others regarding the complicated science involved. She dared to begin questioning the medical/scientific/pharmaceutical establishment on the unfounded conclusions being drawn.     Her efforts have furthered the investigation and provided a clearing house and forum for others interested in this critically important health issue. AnotherLook is dedicated to gathering information, raising critical questions, and stimulating needed research about breastfeeding in the context of HIV/AIDS. It calls for answers to questions not currently being asked that will foster the development of public health policies and practices leading to the best possible health outcomes for mothers and babies. Marian has shown tremendous courage, conviction and tireless effort in advocating for a population of women that might otherwise be dismissed or forgotten. She has stepped out with courage and passion to address a controversial topic and respect the rights of all parents to make informed decisions concerning the health of their babies without fear of having those babies taken from them. This great grandmother took her LLL experience to become an international leader in the fields of science, healthcare/public health, and humanitarian endeavors. Marian has 7 children, 16 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Her work can be seen at www.anotherlook.org.

The LLLI Alumnae Award is given to past or present LLL Leaders who have gone on to demonstrate excellence in their professional, personal, or volunteer accomplishments, and who are recognized as leaders in their field. These accomplishments may be in any area, including business, government, the arts, media, education, social services, sciences, health care, literary or humanitarian endeavors.

Award Criteria Nominees must be submitted by another person, with the following criteria included: Contact information (mailing address, email, and phone number) for nominee (if available) and nominator A description of the nominee's professional, personal, or volunteer accomplishments An explanation of why this person is a recognized leader in her field or endeavor Information on when and where the nominee was (or currently is) an LLL Leader Choose one of the following options to submit a nomination: Mail your nomination (responding to the questions listed above) to Janet Jendron, LLL Alumnae Award Committee Chair, 623 Timberlake Drive, Chapin SC 29036 USA Email your nomination (responding to the questions listed above) to jjendron@usit.net. NOMINATE online If you have questions you may contact Janet Jendron, LLLI Alumnae Award Nominating Committee Chair, at 803-935 5273 or jjendron@usit.net. All nominations must follow the guidelines and meet the deadline of April 2, 2007.

Past Recipients 2003: Marjie Hathaway, who teamed up with her husband Jay and Dr. Robert Bradley to found the American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth, teaching the Bradley method of natural childbirth. Marjie was a LLL Leader for 25 years. She has worked for over three decades to change the way that mothers and fathers view birth and their relationships with health care providers. The impact of her work has moved far beyond the United States. She was directly influenced by the La Leche League Founders in the early days, and her work influenced our early principles. Her teachings and the strength of her convictions have influenced the lives of mothers, fathers, babies, siblings, health professionals, and countless others. Her League roots empowered her to maintain a long-lasting and totally committed contribution to the family health throughout the world. Marjie was at the Alumnae Tea on July 4, 2005, to receive the award. She richly deserves our honor and appreciation! Read more about her award. 2003: Barbara Nicholson and Lysa Parker, founders of Attachment Parenting International (API), promote parenting practices that create strong, healthy emotional bonds between children and their parents. Through education, support, advocacy and research, their organization seeks to strengthen families and increase awareness of the importance of secure attachment, ultimately helping to reduce or prevent child abuse, behavioral disorders, criminal acts and other serious social problems. 2001: Peggy O'Mara, founder of Mothering Magazine. Established in 1976, it is the only independently owned family living magazine in the world and is published in more than 65 countries. With Peggy at its helm, Mothering celebrates the experience of parenthood as worthy of one's best efforts and fosters awareness of the immense importance and value of parenthood and family life in the development of the full human potential. 1999: Mary Ann Cahill, Edwina Froehlich, Mary Ann Kerwin, Viola Lennon, Betty Wagner Spangler, Marian Tompson, and Mary White, the Founders of La Leche League International, for their foresight, passion, graciousness, stamina, generosity, and great wisdom. [Back to Top]

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