As State Presidents’ Representative, I along with Vice Chair, Cathy Einhorn, believe that our state affiliates play a vital role in the mission of LDA; thus, developing a strong leadership team is of utmost importance for each state president.  What are the qualities of a successful LEADER?  A leader should INSPIRE and MOTIVATE others so they can reach their fullest professional potential.  Great leaders SERVE their members and provide them with the resources needed to fulfill their duties. A great leader can ADMIT when they are wrong and have the ability to GROW and LEARN from mistakes. Great leaders think outside the box and work to develop not only their own IMAGINATION but harness the CREATIVITY of others.  Great leaders are always willing to SHARE resources in order to carry out the mission.

The “great leaders” of our affiliates are doing some amazing things, and it is obvious their passion is contagious.  Some are staying busy by fielding an array of phone calls and emails regarding adult testing, college support services, appropriate support services (at public & private schools), and LD assessment guidance & referrals (besides a school psychologist). Other affiliates are working to revamp their social media in order to make their resources more readily available and communicate more effectively in their states.

Some states are working tirelessly to build and carry out various outreach projects. State Leaders are always willing to share their ideas with you. Cathy and I are working to build an “idea bank” to help you ignite the affiliate spark.

President Steve Noble reported that Kentucky is exhibiting at the 2018 Kentucky State Fair, August 16-26 in Louisville, Kentucky. The main state fair page is https://kystatefair.org/. Roughly 600,000 people from Kentucky and surrounding states attend the KY State Fair each year. At the fair he distributes information about learning disabilities and engages with the many hundreds of people who stop by the exhibit booth each day. It is an exciting time and requires lots of volunteer work to staff the booth for the 11 days the fair is in session. The fair is one of our most productive efforts of statewide outreach.

Learning Disabilities Association of South Carolina and President Analisa Smith have had a busy and productive spring season. During the month of March, LDASC hosted a vendor table and shared information about learning disabilities and the Healthy Children Project near the coast at the 2018 Coastal Disabilities Ministry Summit. The Big Homie Lil Homie mentoring program invited our affiliate to their first open house celebration. The Big Homie Lil Homie mentoring program hosted A Mother-Son Affair black tie formal dinner for young African American men and their mothers. LDASC hosted a vendor information share at the 2018 Mother-Son Affair and spoke with attendees about learning disabilities and learning and attention issues. Information related to our our Healthy Children Project was also shared. In the middle of April, LDASC hosted a dyslexia simulation free to the public at our local library on April 14. A display was exhibited throughout the day in the library with information on learning disabilities and HCP. We held a board meeting in April and were thrilled to be joined by two members of our affiliate for the meeting. LDASC hosted a Healthy Children Project information workshop with essential oils make-and-take products on April 17 in Walhalla, SC. Handouts on nontoxic product recipes and information about how to keep the environment safe were provided to the participants in attendance, including several preschool teachers. On the night of April 17, we participated in a multi-organization Community Resource Night in Columbia, SC. The event was open to the public and allowed parents of children with learning and attention issues to learn more about community resources available for children and families and speak directly with organizational leaders. In late April, The Point 100.7 Local Talk Radio hosted LDASC and the Healthy Children Project. LDASC Board Member, Health, Nutrition & Wellness Coach and local Radio/TV Show Host, Mandy Joye, and the President of LDASC & Education Expert, Dr. Analisa L. Smith, discussed the Healthy Children Project. MP3 downloads of the broadcast can be found on TUNEIN APP WQXL.  The month of May was spent working with Safer Chemicals to promote advocacy and awareness of the effects of methelyne chloride on children as related to developmental and learning disabilities, and at times, death. The President of LDASC, Dr. Analisa Smith, conducted an interview with NPR which aired in early May about methylene chloride effects. Several Lowe’s visits and contacts were made on behalf of LDASC and HCP for this matter. This summer, LDASC is again collaborating with SC Branch International Dyslexia Association to continue a joint vision and project to supply every public library in South Carolina with books and information about dyslexia and learning disabilities. Last year, the two organizations joined forces to present SC librarians with a bag containing 12 books about dyslexia and how to teach children with reading difficulties, along with sample reading materials and handouts to print/distribute to parents. The LD/dyslexia bags were distributed last year at a dyslexia workshop sponsored by the South Carolina State Library in Columbia. This year there is a goal to create and fill 50 LD/dyslexia bags to distribute at the dyslexia workshop on August 10 in Columbia, SC. LDASC sponsors the SC Dyslexia Bag project by supplying handouts, information related to LD, and Dr. Jerome Schultz’s book Nowhere to Hide.

President Tamara Massey of Alabama was excited to share their Outreach Opportunities. On May 8 they participated in a Disability Expo sponsored by the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services which was an excellent networking opportunity with other agencies and with the public. As a direct result, we were asked to provide an LD training for a local agency in Montgomery in August. On June 1, Alabama will be co-sponsoring the  Alabama Parent Education Center’s Annual Raising the Standards Conference for families of children with disabilities, educators and other professionals. We will have a LDA AL vendor table with LD information as well as membership applications. They are currently making preparations for their fall conference at Faulkner University in Montgomery and for their January 2019 ADHD conference at the University of Alabama.

According to Affiliate President, Dr. Kathleen Loftus, Illinois will be hosting their Fall Conference on October 27th and Eileen Kushner will be their keynote speaker. Eileen has worked hard to overcome  learning disabilities and to become a strong businesswoman. She will share her book, Smart On the Inside and all attendees will receive a copy. The conference will include breakout sessions presented by a Special Education lawyer, a psychologist, a transition specialist, an assistive technology specialist, a bilingual LD specialist, and a behavioral specialist.

The Texas affiliate is planning a regional retreat entitled “Student Success Academy” in September in San Antonio with John Willson as the parent speaker and Dr. Karen Kohler as the professional side speaker.

Arkansas held their state conference in April and Co-President, Kimberly Newton, purposely organized the entire conference in a way that kept the overhead quite low. Attendees participated in numerous break out sessions presented by professional leaders within our state. ACCESS Academy Campus donated their facilities and lunch was provided by Taziki’s at a very reasonable price because ACCESS students grow and provide herbs for Taziki’s menu. At the end of the conference, 20 new members were signed up for LDA of Arkansas. On another note and with the help of  a generous donation from the Little Rock Junior Departmental Club, LDAA is proudly awarding Ralph G. Norman Scholarships to three Arkansas students who have a learning disability and want to pursue higher post-secondary goals. The Scholarship Committee has reviewed and sorted the list of applicants from thirty down to eight finalists which will now be sent to the board for further scrutiny at the next monthly meeting.

LDA can only grow with the help of our state affiliates but the responsibility is not yours alone to carry. The  Affiliate Support and Membership Committee and Aaron Goldstein, Coordinator of Affiliate Services, have been working tirelessly to support each affiliate. As part of their annual plan, the Affiliate Support & Membership Committee (AS/M) requested that each state affiliate submit a checklist based on the minimum state standards. Most affiliates have submitted their checklist.  Now what’s going to happen?  The data will be analyzed for strengths and weaknesses and will allow Mr. Goldstein and the AS/M committee to develop strategies, training opportunities, and resources to assist states.

Mr. Goldstein has also been making progress towards the revitalization of some of our state affiliates, and I am so pleased to share a brief progress update. In Pennsylvania, LDA of America members are working to submit paperwork required for their articles of incorporation and tax exempt status. In addition, LDA of America is seeking volunteers to take the lead in re-establishing its California state affiliate.

Cathy and I are so honored to be working with such a remarkable group of men and women who are volunteering countless hours to strengthen our state affiliates. It is a true pleasure talking with you each month.  If we can be of any assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to ask.

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