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Blogger Profile – Jane Kelly Kosek

First time WBC attendee Jane Kelly Kosek, will be joining us this year in Penticton, British Columbia. Jane and her husband Steve have beenJane Kelly Kosek Bio Photo writing their blog, 2 Hollywood Winos, for just over one year.

An independent film producer by trade, Jane’s blog provides a “he said, she said” perspective on wine and wine regions peppered with stunning photography of their local travels.

Congratulations to Jane! I know she’ll walk away with great memories and a plethora of information.

Follow Jane and husband Steve’s blog on Twitter and Facebook.

Donor Profile – Allison Markin

“Will work for wine” those four words were the beginning of a journey for Allison Markin of All She Wrote. Allison uses her media and marketingAllison Markin bio photo skills at All She Wrote to create successful and meaningful social media campaigns. Her clients include those in wine, culinary, hospitality and tourism.

A resident of British Columbia Allison was a huge proponent of bringing the conference to Penticton. In addition to all the hard work she has been putting into the conference her donation to the scholarship allowed bloggers to attend and learn about those great Canadian wines.

A huge thank you to Allison for all her hard work behind the scenes, coordinating transportation for thirsty bloggers and her contribution that allows more bloggers to experience Penticton’s wonderful wine country.

You can follow Allison on Twitter and Facebook.

Donor Profile – Mia Malm

Wine industry veteran Mia Malm heads up Malm Communications a boutique public relations and social media firm specializing in wine, food andMia Malm Bio Photo luxury lifestyle.

After a stint in dancing, singing and acting she traded in her Big Apple lifestyle to live among the grape vines in Napa Valley. There Mia’s passion for fine wine and food shines through.

Mia is well established in the wine community and is one of the very few in the US to hold a Diploma in Wine & Spirits (DWS).  Upon arriving in Napa she spent several years working with Constellation Brands, Robert Mondavi, Kim Crawford and many other powerhouse wineries. Mia truly has an innovative vision and a pulse on today’s wine consumers.

Please send a big shout out to Mia and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Donor Profile: Alina Ferguson

Alina Ferguson

Alina Ferguson

Alina joined us for the first time last year in Portland, Oregon. She has been writing her blog, One Girl, One Glass, One World since 2010.  She loves spending her free time exploring Oregon and Washington wine country. A little factoid about Alina is that when she is not out exploring Oregon and Washington wine country, she can be found at the nearest race track. She is a resident of Washington state and also loves spending time in the kitchen cooking up culinary delights.

Alina is a repeat donor to the WBC scholarship fund. We appreciate her continued support of the fund. Support from donors such as herself help give bloggers an opportunity to attend the conference who might not otherwise be able to attend. Please be sure to visit her blog and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook. We look forward to seeing you in Penticton Alina!

Blogger Profile: Gwendolyn Lawrence Alley

Gwendolyn Lawrence Alley

Gwendolyn Lawrence Alley

Gwendolyn publishes the blog, Wine Predator and has been writing her blog since 2007.  This year, she is one of the lucky recipients of a WBC scholarship. She is a WBC veteran and has attended all but one conference. In addition to writing her blog, Gwendolyn is a mom, college teacher, and writing coach. An avid traveler and foodie, Gwendolyn is always seeking to learn more about wine and sharing her experiences with her readers. She resides in Southern California and is always up for an adventure in wine, food, and travel.

Gwendolyn is very energetic and a lot of fun to be around. We always enjoy her company at the conferences and are excited to see her in Penticton! Be sure to check out her blog and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. See you soon Gwendolyn!

 

Editor’s Note:  Gwendolyn is a passionate supporter of the WBC, and the WBC Scholarship.  She was a Scholarship Recipiant in 2010, when we travelled to Walla Walla, Washington.  She is working on her PhD, and we are happy she has the time to join us!

Donor Profile: Jason Phelps – Ancient Fire Wine

Jason Phelps

Jason Phelps

Jason Phelps writes the blog, Ancient Fire Beverage Blog. He joined us for the first time in 2011 in Virginia as a WBC Scholarship recipient and was also with us last year in Portland. In addition to writing his blog, Jason is also a winemaker, home brewer, and cider and mead maker. He loves traveling and exploring the world of food and wine. A resident of New Hampshire, Jason’s writing has been published in various magazines, newspapers, and blogs.

Jason is a repeat donor. His continued support ensures that we continue to help our newer bloggers have the opportunity to attend the WBC and benefit the way he has. Thank you for your continued support Jason! Please be sure to check out his blog and connect with him on Twitter and on Facebook.

 

 

 

 

Meet your committee!

Happy May everyone!  Just a quick note to say thank you to all of our donors for making this scholarship possible.  Also, thank you to all of our applicants and recipiants.  It’s a difficult job, and once again, we are excited to see everyone in Penticton.

Now, you maybe wondering who your committee is!  I was remiss is not posting this sooner, and there will be detailed bios coming.  The committee members include previous recipiants and bloggers, and are always attendees at the current year’s WBC.  It’s a lot of work, and we aren’t paid, so a huge should out to my stellar team!

Thea Dwelle – Co-Founder, Scholarship Chair 

Megan Kenney - Co-Founder, Committee Member

James MelendezCommittee Member

Monica MohlerCommittee Member

 

For more details please see About the Commitee!

 

Pay it forward!

Good morning kids!  There are only 43 days left until we jet off to Penticton!  But did you know, today is Pay it Forward Day?
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, pay it forward is simple.  Pay for someone’s coffee.  Pay for someone’s toll.  Or better yet, help send a writer to the 6th Annual Wine Bloggers Conference!

We are still trying to meet our challenge, to Make Tom Pay, which will give us a double bonus.  Remember, we have $130 more to go before Tom Wark matches our $500 challenge!  After that, Amy Anderson Gross will match Tom’s donation, by a dollar more!
So won’t you pay it forward today?

The WBC Scholarship is proud to be associated with Enobytes, a 501c education institution.  That means your donations are tax deductible for US tax payers!

 

Scholarship Applications are now CLOSED!

We’re sorry, but application for the 2013 Wine Bloggers Conference Scholarship are now closed.

We have had over 15 applications, and now the hard part begins!

The committee will review each application and make a final determination by June 14th (hopefully earlier).

Good luck!

As always, please spread the word.  We can’t give everyone a scholarship, and we can’t give any one a scholarship without your help.

Happy Blogging!

Make Tom pay, AGAIN!

This just in! Amy, The Vine Sleuth wil lalso be matching Tom’s match!  Tha’ts right, Tom’s 500 smackers are worth $1000!  We can do this!  With 15 applications, we NEED you!  Please make your tax deductible donation TODAY!

These two extremely generous supporters will be on hand in Penticton, wearing handy dandy “Donor” badges.  Don’t you want to be cool like them?  Make it happen!

 

 

Do you remember last year?  When we were all excited to be meandering on up to Portland for the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference?  Well, at the time, we were pushing hard to get some donations, to support the bloggers who applied for a bloggership to attend the conference.

Luckily, support, wine PR professional, and wine blogger, Fermentation’s Tom Wark, has challenged the wine blogging community once again this year.  Tom, who has supported blogging, and this scholarship for many years, has issued an edict for you – my dear bloggers – to support our scholarship by donating up to $500.  Like a PBS pledge drive, if you meet this goal, we here at the scholarship benefit doubly!

In this matching challenge, Tom will donate an equal amount (up to a cap of $500).  I can’t tell you how far this will go!

To participate in this challenge, please donate today!  Be sure to add “Make Tom Wark pay!” in the memo, so we know that this is a matching challenge.

Every $5 counts (err well ok if could be $10 if you all chip in) so please, dig deep and help make Tom pay!  Donate today via this handy paypal link, and make sure you email us with the subject line “Make Tom Pay up!” so we can keep track of the challenge grant!

Bring it people!