For many attendees, the Obesity Action Coalition’s Your Weight Matters National Convention is more than a conference. It is a place where people feel seen, understood and supported, often for the first time. 

But for some, the cost of attending is a real barrier.

The Rob Portinga Memorial Scholarship Fund helps remove that barrier, opening the door for individuals to experience education, connection and community that can change how they see themselves and their health. Below, recipients share what the experience meant to them.

Jess Perecca Jr.

For Jess, the convention is about relationships that don’t end when the event does.

“There’s something special about walking into a space and seeing familiar faces, people you’ve stayed connected with over the years, while also building new relationships at the same time. It’s not just networking, it’s real connection.”

Your support helps make those connections possible and keeps people coming back to a community that continues to grow with them.

Donna Leitzel

For Donna, the most powerful part of the experience wasn’t a session. It was the feeling of finally being in a space where she didn’t have to explain or defend herself.

“The best part of the convention, for me, wasn’t a single session or moment. It was the deep exhale of being in a room where I didn’t have to explain my body, defend my care, or shrink myself to fit.”

Your gift creates that space for someone to feel relief, understanding and acceptance without judgment.

Rachel Griffith

For Rachel, the convention shifted how she understands her body and her health.

“It helped me to understand that my body has a tendency to obesity which is a medical condition that can be managed.”

That shift matters. It replaces stigma with understanding and opens the door to informed, supported care.

More Than a Scholarship. A Turning Point.

The National Convention opens the door to spaces where people are not required to justify their experiences, where they are met with understanding and where connection happens naturally through shared lived experience.

Your gift to the Rob Portinga Memorial Scholarship Fund helps ensure that financial barriers don’t stand in the way of life-changing connection and support. Give today.