Welcome! Please Read!

Marlena

Welcome to Marlena's Teaching Fund! You have the opportunity to make an important difference in the life of a wonderful, unique person and those she mentors.

 What's This Auction About?

Marlena Willis lives with multiple mental health and physical chronic conditions that severely limit her financial ease. Despite these challenges, for the past two years, Marlena has taught Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to anyone with a disability or chronic illness who wants to learn, regardless of their ability to pay. She teaches classes three times a week (one basics class, one deepening class, and one practice group) for an ever-expanding group of people who have come to rely on her and each other as family.

Recently, Marlena has faced unexpected expenses that she cannot cover -- primarily medical care. Because most of her students are living in poverty, Marlena receives very little remuneration for her work. This auction will support Marlena's well-being by allowing her to get medical care and to continue the work that she -- and others -- find so necessary and rewarding. Read more of Marlena's story here.

Celebrating Marlena: Her Students' Words

This fundraiser is also a celebration of Marlena -- a chance for the NVC and chronic illness community to give back to someone who has given us so much. Read how Marlena's classes have changed her students' lives.

WANT TO HELP?

• The most important way to help is to BID! Bid early. Bid often. Bid as high as you can. Bid for compassion. 
• An equally important contribution is to please also SPREAD THE WORD! Tell friends, family, and colleagues to come here; please tweet, post, blog, share on Facebook! "Like" Marlena's Teaching Fund on Facebook! (Use the Facebook and Twitter share gadget on the left.)
• If you'd like to donate without receiving the thank-you prize of an auction item, we welcome donations -- no amount is too large or too small! For your convenience, we have a Paypal button in the upper right corner and at the bottom of this window, both linked to Marlena's account. If you prefer to send a check, make it out to Marlena Willis and send it to Marlena Willis, P.O. Box 11211, Oakland, CA 94611.

AUCTION START & END TIMES

The auction officially opens, and bids will be accepted, starting at 12:00pm (noon) EDT on Friday, MARCH 9. The auction closes, and no more bids will be accepted, on Sunday night, MARCH 18, at midnight PDT.

BIDDING

We ask you to bid generously if you are able, because each bid is not just an opportunity to win something great, but also a chance to show your support for Marlena and for her work. Read the special meaning behind "Bid for Compassion."

The "How To's" of Bidding:

• If you have never commented on a blog before or are not used to computers/internet, you might want to refer to our "Commenting 101: Bidding for Newbies" document, which will take you through the steps. Then return here for this additional info.
• Each item (product or service) is a separate post, with its own comment section. Bid in the comments section after each item you want. When you fill out the comment form, it's very important that you give your name and/or email address or Twitter handle so we can contact you if you win (unless you are commenting through a Blogger or OpenID account).
• To prevent spammers from scooping your email address, write it like this: myname [at] isp [dot] com.
• Bid at or above the minimum amount and above previous bids. Check the comments for updates on the bids or, to receive a notice if someone has outbid you, click on "Subscribe by email" under the comments box where you've placed your bid.
• Bid with Marlena's needs in mind and in your heart.
• NOTE: Comment moderation is on (to bypass CAPTCHA/word verification). This means your comment/bid may not appear immediately. We will try to approve all bids as soon as we're able.
• Each listing states whether there is any geographical limitation on bidding for that item. For more information on this topic, please read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).
• If you have ANY trouble bidding -- for example, if your comment doesn't go through -- please email occupiehome@gmail.com or tweet @aftergadget. We want to MAKE SURE you get your bid(s) in! 
• For details on PAYMENT and SHIPPING, including international bids, please read our FAQ.

SEE IT ALL!

We have almost 70 listings of great items! With 20 listings per page, there are four pages to scroll through. When you get to the bottom of a page, click on "More Items →" to take you to the next page of listings.

THANK YOU!

We are volunteers who are chronically ill. We have come together out of love, gratitude, appreciation, and concern for Marlena, and we share our love with you. We'll do our very best to answer questions and approve bids ASAP. However, if glitches occur, we ask for your patience and understanding.

Further questions? Visit our FAQ. And please, enjoy!