March 2015
Spring is here, a time when we look toward the future with a hopeful eye and feel reinvigorated with optimism and anticipation. During spring, we see life around us renewing, and we feel driven to get things done! Spring fever makes everything more exciting. We are certain to wake tomorrow and have it feel more brilliant than today!
At IDA, we are re-committing ourselves to creating a future that is far better than today. We are in the process of designing a budget for 2016 that will support new, exciting initiatives. We are engaging new staff to help us better support every facet of our operations. We are initiating a strategic planning process that will involve a variety of stakeholders. We are excited about a lot of things!
We are focused on touching far more people at their point of need. That means providing tools and resources to schools that result in better diagnosis, better instruction, and better results. It means being consistently available to parents, students, friends, and families who are afraid, confused, or disoriented because of dyslexia or other reading challenges. It means educating the general public about dyslexia and what can be done to lead us to future solutions. Finally, it means impacting public policy with credibility, strength, and resolve.
We can do these things, and we are going to accomplish them through strong and viable collaboration. We’re going to collaborate with school systems, universities, teachers, parents, corporations, public-policy officials, and donors. You will see us increase our collaborative efforts in each of these cases.
However, the most important collaboration you will see is with our branches and global partners. It must be that way! If IDA is the body, then branches and global partners are the vascular system through which our lifeblood flows. These dedicated volunteer leaders spend exhaustive hours expanding the presence and impact of IDA across this nation and throughout our international community.
Let’s all take a deep breath and let spring invigorate us! Let’s look at what we have collectively accomplished. Feel proud. And once we’ve done that, let’s set some goals for the next three years that will take our breath away.
Cheers!
Rick Smith
IDA Executive Director