(June 9, 2015) Catherine Read talks with Donna Goldbranson, Executive Director of SPARC (Specially Adapted Resource Clubs) and Lee Ann Caulkins, Director of SPARC Connects. The community of adults with disabilities continues to search for ways to integrate with the larger social community. This means finding ways of getting people with a variety of challenges engaged…
Dyslexia is a diagnosis that has been known for decades. Many school systems have defaulted to a “wait to fail” model of education that hinges on a waiting until a learning disability can no longer be ignored. There are simple and inexpensive methods for screening all incoming students for dyslexia. The Fairfax County Public School…
(April 6, 2015) Catherine Read discusses Affordable Housing with Lisa Whetzel, the Executive Director of the non-profit Our Daily Bread, and with Ken McMillon of the Copmmunity Action Advisory Board. With numerous redevelopment projects in Fairfax City being presented for City Council approval, the issue of those displaced must be addressed.
(Feb. 9, 2015) This is a follow up show to one that aired on December 15, 2014, regarding the regulation of child care homes in Virginia. Mary Cobb Braxton and Kandy Hilliard discuss some of the legislative hurdles on the day before crossover in the Virginia General Assembly. We discuss proposed bills and legislation that…
(Dec 15, 2014) Joining me on Inside Scoop Virginia were Mary Braxton of Prince William County and Kandy Hilliard of Stafford County. Our discussion is about the lack of regulation in daycare homes, where many of Virginia’s 394,000 children are cared for each day. Mary Braxton is a home based daycare provider in Prince…
This book is excellent. Not so much that it’s groundbreaking material, but the research and personal stories validate what most of us already know about what it takes to be perceived as a “leader.” To get the most out of it, you need to be in the frame of mind that values “what it is”…
(Oct. 2014) “We need to remember that our definition of what is right is, as often as not, simply the way that people in positions of privilege close the door on those on the outside. David has nothing to lose, and because he has nothing to lose, he has the freedom to thumb his nose…
(September 2014) A wonderful trip to the Amalfi Coast with Da Mimmo Italian Tours. This tour is so unique: it’s only twice a year in June/July and September. It’s a 10 day all inclusive tour put together by Mary Ann Cricchio, the proprietor of Da Mimmo Italian Restaurant in Baltimore, MD, and her Chef Masood Masoodi….
An excellent book that reinforces much of what I believe about the value of giving. The pivotal idea in this particular book is that there is more than one way of being a “Giver.” Author Adam Grant, the youngest tenured professor at the Wharton School, presents compelling research on the nature of human interactions relative…
(October 1, 2014) Cameron’s Coffee & Chocolates celebrated their first year in business! A non-profit enterprise that was created to employ intellectually and developmentally disabled young adults, they now have 4 full-time and 6 part-time IDD employees on staff. It’s been a great year of many “firsts” and the community of Fairfax City has embraced…
“He may be an asshole, but when he’s your asshole, that’s a very good thing.” Garet Bosiger. A wonderful book that is about the past, the present and the possibilities of the future. It’s a reality check for the global economic theories of the 21st century that look good on paper, and even make sense…
I loved this book! For so many reasons. Brigid Schulte is a reporter for the Washington Post. She lives here in the DC area and many of the experts she consulted are local to where I live. I know her commute and her community, which gives this an authenticity that may not resonate with every…
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