Becky Fearon, ARA 2010-2011 President
Hello Alabama Reading Association!
What an honor it is to serve as your President for the 2010-2011 year. It is an exciting time to be a part of this worthy organization. As educators, parents and literacy leaders we are faced with many challenges to provide a literacy rich environment for all of our citizens, young and old. With the changes in technology moving at warp-speed and the economic recovery moving at a snail's pace, it can be a daunting task to keep up and move ahead. But we must! And we will! For the sake of future generations we will find a way! When we realize these challenges are simply new opportunities in which to excel, our creative forces begin to take charge.
One opportunity to meet our challenges will be found at the ARA Fall Conference. The 42nd Fall Conference, November 3-4, 2010, at the BJCC in Birmingham, promises to provide innovative and supportive professional development for all who attend. Our Conference Chair, Peggy Teel and Conference Consultant, Dr. Betty Dean Newman, along with a dedicated conference committee have worked diligently to bring incredible speakers and literacy leaders to our conference. This will be an amazing opportunity to interact with a plethora of experts in which to learn and share about promising practices for literacy. Make sure to check out all the specifics about the Fall Conference elsewhere on our website. Then mark your calendars so you won't miss out on this wealth of professional development.
Another opportunity for support is to become an active member in your local reading council. ARA currently supports seventeen active local councils throughout the state. At Summer Leadership in June, local council officers shared amazing stories about what is being developed and implemented at the local level. From vocabulary parades to reading booths at local fairs to Christmas assistance with children's homes and juvenile facilities, local reading councils are serving our communities and simultaneously promoting literacy. We are also joining the age of social networking by joining facebook and twittering. So much is being accomplished through our local councils. If you are not currently active in a local council, please avail yourself to this wonderful opportunity. If you need help locating a council or wish to begin a new council, please just send us an email with your request.
This year as ARA President I hope to visit each local council during one of your meetings or events. I will be in touch with each council president to arrange an opportunity for my visit. Please be thinking about a good opportunity for me to come. I'm so excited to meet with you and learn about the wonderful things taking place in your council. You are an inspiration to so many. Keep up the good work!
Since my membership in ARA, Jo Anne Bryant, our State Coordinator for the past ten years, has been a mainstay. Her steadfast leadership has provided growth and stability to our organization and guided us safely through many changes at the state and IRA levels. As Jo Anne turns the reins of State Coordinator over to Betty Fowler, we say thank you for your tremendous leadership and for caring so deeply about ARA. She truly has been our guiding light. Jo Anne, please know how much we love you and expect you to remain a viable member. We also want to welcome Betty Fowler, a past president of ARA and a longstanding member of ARA and IRA. She has already hit the ground running to assure a smooth transition in leadership. You will find her delightful as well. We are so fortunate to have such outstanding leaders and members of our organization.
I look forward to a great year ahead for all of us.
I hope your summer brought cool breezes, just enough time, and a completed "to do" list,
