Blog
Help Me Support Best Buddies Leadership Scholarships
This year's Best Buddies Challenge: Hearst Castle fund raising bike ride proved to be a great success. Mae and I had a terrific time riding along our beautiful California coastline. Thanks to all of you who helped us meet our goals to help place Best Buddies into mentorships and jobs.
Please consider joining this further appeal to help us raise at least $1,000 more for scholarships to a Best Buddies training program. We were moved to make this appeal after hearing first hand from Best Buddy graduates about the value of the two-day conference.
Charles Calhoun and Lauren Potter, who stars on Glee, spoke eloquently about the challenges they faced and how they succeeded in overcoming many obstacles. (To see the presentation Charles made, please click here.)
During this leadership conference, the Best Buddies participants will develop their leadership skills and train to become speakers, advocates, and leaders.
Please consider helping others have this empowering experience with a donation of $25 to $100. Please send checks to Tamara Torlakson, Best Buddies, 921 11th Street, 10th Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814. Checks should be made out to Best Buddies International.
I appreciate your support of this outstanding organization!
Best regards,
MORE ABOUT BEST BUDDIES
Founded by Anthony Kennedy Shriver in 1989, the Best Buddies mission is to establish a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The Best Buddies International Leadership Conference brings together leaders with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities from high schools, colleges, and (for the first time) middle schools worldwide, providing personalized trainings that develop the skills needed to organize a Best Buddies chapter. Over the past 22 years, the Leadership Conference has inspired thousands of leaders to be Best Buddies ambassadors and to bring about social change in their communities.
With your support, we can help pay for the airfare, lodging, and food to attend for the weekend.
Supporting STEM Education
Earlier this week Tom attended an announcement by Texas Instruments to support math education through the Power of STEM Education Initiative.
Here's an ABC-7 News story about the announcement.
Finding Balance: Obesity Among Children with Special Needs
Children with special needs are 38% more likely to be obese, a startling statistic that needs attention and action now!
Please join me in celebrating the launch of Ability Path's report Finding Balance: Obesity and Children with Special Needs, a comprehensive look at how parents, educators, and the community can help fight the obesity epidemic in the special needs community.
Launching Team California for Healthy Kids
Today we launched Team California for Healthy Kids at San Jose's Thomas P. Ryan Elementary School!
Athletes and others involved in the campaign will be visiting schools throughout the state to encourage local efforts to increase physical activity and increase access to water, fresh fruits, and vegetables.
The Team's co-chairs are Paris, ultramarathonman Dean Karnazes, fitness expert Lorrie Sullenberger, Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Bill Walton, and UCLA Professor Toni Yancey, MD, MPH.
Because student health and student learning go hand in hand, we want to empower every child and every family in California to make healthy food and physical activity choices every day.
With Team California for Healthy Kids, we'll help make the healthy choices the easy choices.
The campaign's materials are posted on the California Department of Education's Web site at http://www.cde.ca.gov/eo/in/tchk.asp or at the Team California for Healthy Kids site at http://www.teamcaliforniaforhealthykids.org.
Visiting the Kiwanis Club of the Delta-Antioch
It was wonderful to have an opportunity to talk about California education issues with the members of the Kiwanis Club of the Delta-Antioch yesterday! I was also honored to receive my 30-year membership pin. That was a great surprise!
It was great to see so many familiar faces. This club has always had a close connection to teachers and our schools. It is an honor to be a member!
Update: You can read a Contra Costa Times story about Tom's visit by clicking here.
Honoring MESA Teams for National Competition Wins
This CSU External Relations Newsletter includes a report about Tom's recent visit to Long Beach to honor two teams that won major Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) competitions.
Visiting the California STEM Summit
I had a great time at the California STEM Summit today in Davis--including the chance to build robots and fly airplanes with STEM students!
The STEM Summit allowed us to learn about critical STEM education issues, advance key STEM initiatives and programs, and foster new collaborations. You can learn more about this important work by clicking here.
Update (10/14/11): Click here to see photos from Tom's visit to the STEM Summit.
"Thunder Soul" Movie Highlights Importance of Teachers and Arts Education
The new movie "Thunder Soul" is now showing in select Southern California theaters. I was able to see the movie with some of my staff a few weeks ago.
Thunder Soul highlights the power and importance of teachers and arts education. Click here to see if it is playing in your area. http://thundersoulmovie.com/theaters
Genocide Education Survey for History-Social Science Teachers
The California Department of Education, with the assistance of the Genocide Education Project, has prepared a brief on-line survey regarding the teaching of the Armenian Genocide.
Please pass this message along to any history-social science teachers you know in California. This genocide education survey has been created with The Genocide Education Project to allow us to have a better understanding about how this subject is taught in California schools.
Discussing Education in Santa Cruz
Tom enjoyed an opportunity to talk with superintendents, school board members, elected officials, and business leaders about our schools and my optimism for our childrens' future in Santa Cruz.
You can read a Santa Cruz Sentinel story about his presentation and the subsequent conversation by clicking here.