STICC Finds Success At The IECA Conference

John and Max Reuben were in Philadelphia recently to attend the semi-annual conference of the Independent Educational Consultant Association (IECA). Despite having a broken foot and being on crutches, John, and his son arrived in Philadelphia early on the morning of May 6 to participate in the conference and create more awareness about Saving Teens. Max is a proud graduate of two NATSAP programs and has benefitted invaluably from the guidance of his educational consultant. How fortunate Saving Teens is to have had such a role model for success in Max at the Conference, and for his willingness to inspire us and others.

It is our further good fortune that Marilyn Engelman, Chair of the Special Needs Committee and member of the Saving Teens Board of Directors, had arranged for John to speak during the Special Needs session on Friday afternoon. John began by thanking the IECA and Executive Director Mark Sklarow for generously allowing Saving Teens to participate in the Conference. He talked about the mission of Saving Teens, about its Board of Directors and Board of Advisors, and about how we define success. "Success is a family brought back together and a child living a drug free, functional, and most importantly happy and fulfilling life", John said. He then explained that Saving Teen's greatest opportunity to raise more funds and save more families is by connecting with families who have utilized IECA and NATSAP services, through the generous scholarships many programs have offered our families, and through grants, including one from the US Department of Justice.

John then outlined the make-up and nature of our recently formed Educational Consultants Outreach committee, including Leslie Goldberg, Tamara Ancona, Marilyn Engelman, and Lon Woodbury, and talked about the results we have already experienced, which include scholarship agreements from therapeutic schools programs, as well as targeted fundraising initiatives. He invited consultants to learn more about this volunteer committee by meeting him after the session finished. If you would like more information please contact Ann Tomassini, Director of Operations and Development at atomassini@savingteens.org .

Max and John appreciated the opportunity during an information swap, to meet and reconnect with program directors and educational consultants, and returned home enthused by the interest they generated around Saving Teens. As an outcome of this, John believes, "we are positioned to expand the Educational Consultants Outreach committee, and I feel strongly that many of the consultants at the conference will be joining the committee soon."