Friday, May 28, 2021

Gratitude, Leadership, and a Call to Action from Isabel Estrada O'Hagin, the 2021 SCBWI Tribute Fund Awardee



This February, our Regional Advisors, Jodi McKay and Carrie Pearson, congratulated me on
being named the recipient of the 2021 SCBWI’s Tribute Fund Award. A complete surprise, I was
honored to receive this recognition and thought there were many others who deserved this
award. Being a volunteer means it’s a team effort and that someone else has been doing the
groundwork (more on this later) and for that I am grateful. Thank you, Michigan friends, for all
your well wishes posted on social media!

It’s been a joy to be a member of SCBWI and to serve as a volunteer. Getting the Equity & Inclusion Team off the ground in 2019 and serving as the Team Leader these past 18 months has been challenging yet rewarding. Some of the projects we worked on include the Members For Members
Scholarship Award, the Books With Barbers book drive, and the E & I Corner blog. Another aspect of my volunteer work has been to re-establish the Kalamazoo Area Shop Talks (KAST) with Melanie Bryce. We have enjoyed engaging our community and supporting our local members. 

Being part of the SCBWI-MI Leadership Team has been a real eye-opener, too. You probably already know this... it’s a group of super people who in their humility hide their masks and capes and the big “V” on their leotards. In all these roles one of my greatest joys is getting to know other people who love kidlit!

According to Carrie and Jodi, the SCBWI Tribute Fund commemorates members of the
children’s book community, their lives, and their work by funding all-expense scholarships to
the SCBWI International Summer and Winter Conferences for the general membership. The
nominations are made by the region and the awardees are determined by our headquarters. I
was fortunate to have been included in a group that includes volunteer extraordinaire, Charlie
Barshaw, who received this award in 2014.

From Charlie...
I began my journey with SCBWI in 2009, years after my wife, Ruth, went to a New York conference with an empty sketchbook and came back inspired to create Ellie McDoodle. Soon after I joined the
SCBWI-MI Advisory Committee (the former Ad Com) and helped to put together conferences. 
In 2011, Leslie Helakoski asked me to promote a program called “Networks Day,” when local
groups of SCBWI members would gather to network and get to know each other. In 2012, I
promoted it as “Your Area’s Got Talent,” and by January of 2013, writer Michelle Bradford
convinced me to work with her to create a monthly group in Lansing called the “Mid-Michigan
Meet Up.” In September of that year, former RA Ann Finkelstein took over to co-host our
meetings. Soon, other regions of the state formed their own “Meet-Ups” which over the years
morphed into “Shop Talks.”

In the intervening years I’ve helped run two conferences at Mackinac Island, and I’ve
interviewed editors, agents, illustrators and more writers, veteran and just-starting out, than
you can shake a pen at for The Mitten Blog. And I’ve met the kinds of generous and talented
people who populate SCBWI-MI. It was an honor to receive the Tribute Fund Award, but the
real honor has been working with the extraordinary creative talent here in Michigan.

Thank you for sharing your journey with us, Charlie. How many times have you heard that folks
in SCBWI-Michigan are a friendly, supportive bunch? Volunteering is a team sport. It is good
work that can leave you feeling satisfied to know you made a difference in supporting the
efforts of other creatives within our organization. Whether you’re an organizer, a presenter, an
educator, a tech-savvy guru, or an all-hands-on-deck volunteer, we all gain when we take the
time to lend a hand and become involved.

Take a minute to think about where your strengths lie and how you can share them with others
to make SCBWI Michigan a better team. Volunteer—find the time—the returns are great.

Will you join our team of volunteers? Let’s do some good work together!


Storyteller Isabel O’Hagin (Ph.D.), writing as Ysabel Estrada, has been a member of SCBWI since 2013. As a pre-published author, she writes stories steeped in Latino culture based in the southwest where she lived most of her life. She has written two middle-grade novels, several picture books and is currently working on a YA novel. In 2018 she was recognized as a runner-up in the SCBWI-MI Novel Mentorship Contest. Her publication credits include teacher education articles, book chapters in early childhood music, and serving as the editor for a state education journal.












SCBWI-MI welcomes new volunteers for ongoing and occasional needs! Read more and find a link to the volunteer form












Coming up on the Mitten Blog this summer:

A Writer Spotlight, Ask the Editor, E&I Corner, and our quarterly Hugs and Hurrahs! We want to trumpet your good news! To be included, please email your writing/illustrating/publishing news to Sarah LoCascio by June 8th.


8 comments:

  1. Congratulations Isabel! Your generous work has been of benefit to so many from Michigan and beyond! What a fine example of expanding your passion and talent into serving others. Thank you so much for your leadership, dedication, and innovation! Congratulations to you!

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  2. I am so appreciative of Isabel and our other fine volunteers. Where would we be without them? Thank you. And congratulations to you Isabel. Hugs, S.

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  3. Congratulations Isabel. Our initial meeting was at the very first Mid-West conference. You have done so much since then, and helped others along the way. Wishing you continued success.

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  4. Congrats, Isabel! Thanks for all the hard work you do for SCBWI. We appreciate it.

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  5. Knowing Isabel, she will deflect any attention paid to her personal volunteering onto the team which in my opinion, is the indication of a true leader. But her big thinking and quiet persistence paves the way for change. So appreciate you, Isabel.

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  6. I second all of these comments as well as Isabel’s thoughts about what makes our community so great. Grateful to know and work alongside people like Isabel and all of our volunteers.

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  7. Congrats! What a wonderful legacy. Thank you so very much for all you do.

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  8. Thank you for your positive comments. I attended the Lansing Shop Talks for years and was inspired by Charlie, Ruth, and Ann! Great role models!

    Hey, everyone! Remember to send in your donations for our next round of Members 4 Members Scholarship Awards. Every dollar will make a difference!

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