Accomplishments
Project Maria has accomplished much since its inception. The following describe examples of how we have fulfilled our mission.
See our Events page for more information about these groups and other opportunities for involvement with Project Maria!
Each February/March, we organize events and disseminate information for Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Past events have included a Care Cards workshop where cards are made and then sent to those in local eating disorder treatment facilities, Body Positive Yoga sessions, and eating disorder book recommendation exhibits at local libraries.
From 2016-2021, we held an annual Art Jam. At this family-friendly festival, we celebrated our community, featured local artists and performers, and raised awareness of eating disorders. The Silent Auction we held generated the needed funds to support our organization’s missions.
Each fall we field a team for the Madison NEDA Walk and we promote the NEDA Walk in Milwaukee on social media. We have also attended the Out of the Darkness Walk in Madison and participates in NAMI’s Walks Your Way (was Paint the Town Yellow Walk for Suicide Prevention) in Janesville.
The Dorn Family has served as guest speakers at venues like the Madison NEDA Walk, MercyHealth Family Practice, Madison College, Milton High School, and Crown of Life Christian Academy.
Project Maria began offering the monthly Family and Friends Support Group in Fall of 2017, monthly Body Positive Yoga at Basics Co-Op in Spring of 2018, and the monthly ANAD Support Group in December of 2019. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we suspended in-person meetings and pivoted to bi-weekly yoga offered by Mari Sroda. Beginning in 2022, we are working toward in-person meetings for the Family and Friends group and the Eating Disorder Peer Support Group.
We attend various conferences and community functions to get the word out about our mission. These functions have included the Southern Wisconsin Mental Health Conference, Summit at Youth Mental Health, Basics Co-Op Block Party, and the Milton Area Chamber of Commerce (we became a member in 2019) Community Day.
