When I became involved in PTA a little over a decade ago, I never dreamed my path would lead

me where it has. I was just a young mother of two looking to meet people in the community we

had just moved into. I was nervous and a little overwhelmed (or maybe a lot)...but my journey

began with a simple question asked Cool Spring’s Dolphin Dash, “How can I help?” And while at

the time, my question was answered with “Have you ever heard of the Reflections Program?”, in

the 10 years since, “How can I help?” has grown and morphed to mean so much more than I

could have ever imagined.

While “How can I help?” is an important question, I now have to ask a follow up question...How

can I help bring us back together?

No one could have predicted where the last year and a half would lead us. We have come to see the best and worst society has to offer, worldwide,

nationwide, and even here at home. So I have a proposal, Let’s get back to basics. Supporting

and advocating for the needs of our most vulnerable population, our children, should be the

primary focus of everyone involved in PTA, with egos checked at the door.

I welcome any and all to the table. I don’t and won’t ever have all the answers, but what I can

promise,s to listen If something doesn’t seem to be working the way you want or think it

should, let’s talk about it. If something can be done better, let’s talk about it. But you know what

else, if it is working, if there are successes....let’s talk about that too. Let’s celebrate our wins

together. Let’s share that knowledge and those lessons learned with each other. Let’s build each

other up into the amazing community I fell in love with a decade ago. I want to cheer you on. I

want to celebrate with you. Now more than ever, we need to acknowledge those wins and build

each other up.

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So today, I’ll end just as I began with asking each of you a question, “How can I help?” I cannot

wait to get started!

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