A new tag began circulating around Steemit lately, leading me to track down the post by @steemfestdreams that started it. What an exciting opportunity they're offering to one lucky person! Three judges will choose a winning entry for the Steemfest Dreams contest, and that person could win an all-expenses-paid trip to Steemfest 3 in Krakow, Poland.
I’m planning to go to Steemfest this year. As a community leader and member of a team witness, I feel it’s pretty important for me to meet some of the people I’ve networked with and become friends with over the course of my year on the Steem blockchain. However, my plans are contingent upon a miracle. My own resources are too meager for me to afford the trip.
The Writers Block
My good friend, witness partner, and now business partner @GMuxx will be attending for his second year. He and I co-founded @thewritersblock together, which spawned within the Minnowsupport Project Discord as the Fiction Workshop. It grew beyond our wildest dreams into one of the most active professional writing communities on the Web. Now we are on the cusp of launching both a front-end interface for the Steem blockchain and a publishing house that will draw talent from this community and market it to the mainstream. Not only will the authors on our imprints benefit, but so will the blockchain. All profits will be invested in Steem. In this way, Steemhouse Publishing will allow us to be both content creators and investors, while continually attracting attention to, and new users for, the blockchain.
Noblewitness
As a member of @noblewitness, my primary contribution is networking and serving as a voice for content creators on the platform. GMuxx and I both serve this purpose within the team. For both of us to be able to attend Steemfest and talk face-to-face with other Steemians about our missions and goals—well, let’s just say it would be the opportunity of a lifetime. Our team has worked together to advance our ideas in a way that’s both bold and agreeable, and we’ve built some bridges that some predicted could never stand. Representing our vision at Steemfest 3 would be the next logical step in realizing our dream.
TARC
I am also the Director of a 501c3 US-based charity for animals. My rescue, @tarc, is located in Central Appalachia, which is one of the most impoverished and socially-challenged regions of the nation. We operate with almost no local funding, no local support, and very few volunteers. In 2014, we acquired seven acres with a residence on it to house the forty-plus dogs typically in our care. This was a “fixer-upper” that has never been fixed up. While I do have a home and husband nearby, I spend almost all my time here caring for the pets abandoned and abused by members of this community. In winter, we have insufficient heat. Year round, we have insufficient indoor plumbing. Many repairs are needed. I recently wrote a post for @anomadsoul’s “Road To Steemfest” initiative that describes the situation in more detail.
The notion of me boarding a plane and flying to Poland is one that eighteen months ago I would have scoffed at. That was before Steemit. Steem has changed my life in more ways than I can properly count. My heart tells me I’m supposed to be there for Steemfest 3. My circumstances say otherwise. I will ignore my circumstances and believe in the Steemfest dream. And hopefully, I will see you there!
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://www.authordianeryan.com/uncategorized/steemfest-dreams-better-believe-i-have-one/