Podcasts about community advisory committee

Lisa Mosko Barros is a dedicated and passionate bi-lingual advocate for students with exceptional needs with over 14 years of both professional and personal experience.Lisa founded SpEducational, a non-profit dedicated exclusively to addressing the disparities in special education through parent voice. She also served as the Chief Advocacy Officer for The Oakland REACH, a non-profit organization dedicated to lifting up Black and Latino students in public schools via family voice. Ms. Mosko Barros also served as chairperson for the Los Angeles Unified District's Community Advisory Committee for Special Education (CAC) where she was re-elected for three consecutive years.Most importantly, Lisa is the mother of two children with exceptional needs. She draws from her lived experience to help other parents advocate for all children with disabilities in public schools.When she is not poring over ed code or advising families of their rights, she can be found spending time with her children, cooking paella, and practicing her zapateado.

The Clark County Council this week approved an ordinance establishing the Clark County Accessible Community Advisory Committee or ACAC. https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/county-council-establishes-accessible-community-advisory-committee/ #ClarkCountyWaCouncil #OrdinanceApproved #ClarkCountyAccessibleCommunityAdvisoryCommittee #CouncilorKarenDillBowerman #CouncilorGaryMedvigy #AdvisoryCommittee #AdvisingPolicyMakers #NeedsOfPersonsWithDisabilities #EmergencyPlanning #VancouverWa #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

We are living in politically divisive times, and the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump last weekend shocked the nation. The spread of misinformation and the rise of echo chambers amplify misunderstandings and deepen divides. This environment can lead to heightened stress and anxiety as individuals navigate conflicting ideologies in their communities, workplaces, and even within their families. The challenge lies in fostering empathy, open-mindedness, and constructive dialogue to bridge these divides and work towards a more cohesive society. The Committee of Seventy recognizes that this moment feels confusing and scary and offers excellent resources to help people work out their differences without violence. I spoke with Lauren Cristella, President and CEO of The Committee of Seventy.Website: www.seventy.orgTwitter: @committeeof70Facebook: Committee of SeventyInstagram: @committeeof70LinkedIn: Committee of SeventyThreads: @committeeof70Celebrating America's 250th anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on the nation's journey, honor its democratic principles, and acknowledge the diverse contributions of its people. This milestone allows Americans to unite in commemorating their shared history, learning from past challenges and triumphs, and envisioning a future rooted in equality, freedom, and justice. PHILADELPHIA250 is launching the Community Advisory Committee to bring to life our “By the People, For All People” motto. Joining us are Danielle DiLeo Kim, President and CEO of Philadelphia 250, and Shalimar Thomas, Executive Director of North Broad Renaissance.Website: https://www.philadelphia250.us/North Broad Renaissance: www.northbroad.orgCalling All Girl Bosses was developed by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP) as a blueprint to give Philadelphia girls in grades 6-12 the skills they need to identify a community problem and take action to find a solution. Girls will discover their agency to make real, sustainable changes in their neighborhoods while working towards the highest awards in Girl Scouting. We speak with Kim Fraites Dow, President and CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern PA, and Ava Williams, a Girl Scout Advisory Committee member and Girl Boss.Website: gsep.org/cagb 

We are living in politically divisive times, and the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump last weekend shocked the nation. The spread of misinformation and the rise of echo chambers amplify misunderstandings and deepen divides. This environment can lead to heightened stress and anxiety as individuals navigate conflicting ideologies in their communities, workplaces, and even within their families. The challenge lies in fostering empathy, open-mindedness, and constructive dialogue to bridge these divides and work towards a more cohesive society. The Committee of Seventy recognizes that this moment feels confusing and scary and offers excellent resources to help people work out their differences without violence. I spoke with Lauren Cristella, President and CEO of The Committee of Seventy.Website: www.seventy.orgTwitter: @committeeof70Facebook: Committee of SeventyInstagram: @committeeof70LinkedIn: Committee of SeventyThreads: @committeeof70Celebrating America's 250th anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on the nation's journey, honor its democratic principles, and acknowledge the diverse contributions of its people. This milestone allows Americans to unite in commemorating their shared history, learning from past challenges and triumphs, and envisioning a future rooted in equality, freedom, and justice. PHILADELPHIA250 is launching the Community Advisory Committee to bring to life our “By the People, For All People” motto. Joining us are Danielle DiLeo Kim, President and CEO of Philadelphia 250, and Shalimar Thomas, Executive Director of North Broad Renaissance.Website: https://www.philadelphia250.us/North Broad Renaissance: www.northbroad.orgCalling All Girl Bosses was developed by the Girl Scouts of Eastern Pennsylvania (GSEP) as a blueprint to give Philadelphia girls in grades 6-12 the skills they need to identify a community problem and take action to find a solution. Girls will discover their agency to make real, sustainable changes in their neighborhoods while working towards the highest awards in Girl Scouting. We speak with Kim Fraites Dow, President and CEO of Girl Scouts of Eastern PA, and Ava Williams, a Girl Scout Advisory Committee member and Girl Boss.Website: gsep.org/cagb 

Celebrating America's 250th anniversary offers an opportunity to reflect on the nation's journey, honor its democratic principles, and acknowledge the diverse contributions of its people. This milestone allows Americans to unite in commemorating their shared history, learning from past challenges and triumphs, and envisioning a future rooted in equality, freedom, and justice. PHILADELPHIA250 is launching the Community Advisory Committee to bring to life our “By the People, For All People” motto. Joining us are Danielle DiLeo Kim, President and CEO of Philadelphia 250, and Shalimar Thomas, Executive Director of North Broad Renaissance.Website: https://www.philadelphia250.us/North Broad Renaissance: www.northbroad.org

The city of Vancouver is now seeking community members to join its newly formed Police Community Advisory Committee. http://tinyurl.com/ypyrt67r #VancouverWa #VancouverPoliceDepartment #PoliceCommunityAdvisoryCommittee #ApplyForAPosition #CityManagerEricHolmes #LawEnforcement #PoliceServices #ClarkCountyWa #ClarkCountyNews #ClarkCountyToday

Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) is the default public power provider for most of Mendocino County.  They deliver power and bill customers through PG&E.  They also provide multiple rebate programs to residents who switch to energy efficient appliances or electric vehicles.  They are currently seeking seven citizens to serve on a Community Advisory Committee for a four-year term starting in 2024.  The application deadline is October 2nd and appointments will be made at the November 2nd SCP Board Meeting. Claudia Sisomphou, Communications and Engagement Manager at SCP explains the committee's role and why it's important for Mendocino residents to get involved.  The committee meets once per month in Santa Rosa.  If you are interest in representing Mendocino, you can find an application for the Community Advisory Committee at sonomacleanpower.org.  You can request future agendas in advance or review past meeting minutes and agendas on their website.

In this episode, Jeff interviews Marlyn Barbosa, the Director at Tec Centro, a groundbreaking workforce program operating under the Spanish American Civic Association (SACA). Marlyn opens up about the challenges she faced as she moved to a new country with a different language and culture. Discover how she reached out to SACA for support during the transitional phase and became a client in their Job Readiness Program. It wasn't long before Marlyn's dedication and drive landed her a role as a GED coordinator, utilizing her experience and knowledge to empower others.Marlyn held various roles and responsibilities, including supervising instructional staff, managing program data, and implementing workforce training. Additionally, explore her involvement in the Lancaster County Workforce Development Board, the Commission to Combat Poverty Steering Committee, and the Community Advisory Committee of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, among other community initiatives.Tune in to gain valuable insights into how education and workforce training can empower individuals and communities to overcome challenges and achieve success. 

Kimberlee Curtis is a Tampa real estate broker and owner of the new Gold's Gym being built in the new Gas Worx District. From the Tampa Bay Business Journal: "The future home of Gold's Gym Gas Worx is still a barren warehouse, but Tampa real estate broker Kimberlee Curtis has already mapped out every detail, from where the squat racks will be to a loading dock with skyline views that will be transformed into a functional training turf." "Curtis and her business partners have leased a 25,000-square-foot warehouse at 802 N. 12th St., just south of Four Green Fields. The Gold's warehouse is owned by Ybor City developer Darryl Shaw and was included in the 50-plus acre rezoning approval to make way for the Gas Worx district." "In April, Curtis traveled to Berlin to visit RSG Group's headquarters. RSG bought Gold's out of bankruptcy in 2020 when the chain voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 after Covid-19 shutdowns upended its business model. She's bought $1 million in gym equipment and will invest another $1 million on construction; she said she's waiting on permits to begin." "If their projections hold true, Gas Worx will open by year's end — well ahead of the district's first phase of residential units, which are under construction on the former Tampa Park apartments site. Gas Worx will bring thousands of new residents and office workers to a part of downtown Tampa that's currently a no man's land between the Channel district and Ybor City. But even before Gas Worx opens, Curtis sees huge potential for Gold's — she lives in the Channel district and works out at Crunch Fitness in Grand Central at Kennedy, which she says has 10,000 members." "She is also chairwoman of the Channel district Community Redevelopment Area's Community Advisory Committee. (CRAs have a state designation that allows them to use locally generated money to fund projects within the CRA.)" Follow Gold's Gym Gas Wrote Tampa for more info!

As part of our continuing series highlighting Shenandoah County's Comprehensive Plan - Shenandoah 2045 - our topic today was Community Facilities. Joining us for the conversation is Tyler Hinkle, Shenandoah County's planner, CAC member Laura Bennett, and CAC member Rochelle Dornatt. The Community Advisory Committee plays a key role as a liaison between community and local government. We talked about what the chapter for community facilities includes and both Laura & Rochelle explained what the information sessions have been like and how they'd like more people to reach out to them personally with their input. For more details about Shenandoah 2045, visit their website: https://shenandoahcountyva.us/future/ and follow them on Facebook.

In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out, are you a patron of the James Madison Regional Library system who suffers from a plague of library fines? If so, for the next week you can pay off your balance with a food donation that will go to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. To participate in the Food for Fines program, bring a non-perishable item to the front desk and get a dollar off. Do note this does not apply to missing or damaged items. Patrons who are in better standing than me are also welcome to donate an item or many items. For more information, visit jmrl.org. Visit here for a list of the most wanted itemsOn today’s show: A look at several upcoming developments in Albemarle County including the second phase for Southwood and a three-story self storage building in Crozet  More than 83 percent of adult Virginians are fully vaccinatedThe Village of Rivanna Community Advisory Committee debriefs after a rezoning vote did not go the way members wantedGreyhound has a new owner, and Virginia launches bus service from far Southwest Virginia to the nation’s capital On Friday, Governor Ralph Northam announced that 83 percent of the adult population in Virginia is now fully vaccinated. Also on Friday, the Virginia Department of Health reported the percent positivity dropped to 5.3 percent, on a day when the seven-day average for new cases is 1,328. But there are hotspots emerging across the country. Vermont is experiencing its worst surge yet, with a record 595 cases on Thursday and 505 cases on Friday according to the website VTDigger.Dr. Costi Sifri, director of hospital epidemiology at the University of Virginia Health System, said colder parts of the country are beginning to see the increase. “Just as we’re entering the cold and flu season, we’re also entering the season where we may see increased transmission of COVID just because we’re going into the winter months,” Dr. Sifri said. Dr. Sifri said COVID still represents a significant risk and he recommended people continue to wear masks in indoor public spaces. Thanksgiving is less than two weeks and Dr. Sifri emphasized caution.“One thing I’d want to emphasize is the importance of boosters for people who are vulnerable,” Dr. Sifri said. In the Blue Ridge Health District, ten percent of children between 5 and 11 have been vaccinated during the first week a reduced Pfizer dose has been available.The Virginia Supreme Court has rejected three Republican nominees to serve as Special Masters in the next phase of the redistricting process. In October, a 16-member redistricting commission failed to reach consensus on maps for legislative districts for both the General Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives. Senate Democratic Leader Richard Saslaw petitioned the Court to disqualify the three Republican nominees, claiming conflicts of interest due to their previous work on creating maps.The Virginia Supreme Court agreed.“The Court intends to appoint Special Masters who are qualified and do not have a conflict of interest,” reads a November 12 letter from Chief Justice Donald Lemons. “Although the Special Master candidates are to be nominated by legislative leaders of a particular party, the nominees… will serve as Officers of the Court in a quasi-judicial capacity.”Justice Lemons said that nominees must not consult with political parties once they have been appointed. One of the Republican nominees, Thomas M. Bryan, had been hired by the Republican Party of Virginia as a consultant on using 2020 U.S. Census data for redistricting. That information had not been disclosed in the nominating materials. Republicans have until Monday at 5 p.m. to submit three new names, and Democrats are being asked to submit one more name due to a potential issue with one of their three nominees. For more information, visit the Supreme Court’s website. The national bus company Greyhound has been purchased by a German firm called FlixMobility. They operate a service called Flixbus which operates in 36 countries in addition to the United States. Greyhound serves 2,400 stops across the country, and has a ridership of 16 million passengers. “Buses as a sustainable and accessible alternative are now more important than ever,” reads an October 21, 2021 press release.  “Fluctuations in the cost of gas, the recent escalation of car prices, and climate change concerns have increased the interest of many consumers in finding alternatives to individual car usage.” For $46 million cash and $32 million in future payments, Flixmobility will now own the Greyhound name and the bus fleet, but not any real estate or stops. Flixbus has been running buses in U.S. since 2018. Meanwhile, on Monday the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation will launch the Highland Rhythms service between Bristol and Washington D.C. This is the fourth Virginia Breeze intrastate route to be funded by the state agency, which will be operated by Megabus. A ceremony was held this morning at the Birthplace of Country Music in Bristol (read more in the Bristol Herald-Courier)Time now to take a look at recent land use applications in Albemarle County.First, a site development plan has been submitted for a new Chipotle restaurant to be located in Hollymead Town Center. Before the pandemic, there would be site plan review meetings for the public to comment, but those have not been held. However, the Albemarle officials are looking to begin to resume the public process. “These projects are ‘by-right’, which means that if the proposed plans meet the minimum requirements of the County’s zoning, site plan, or subdivision ordinances, they must be approved,” reads the notice for this application. (take a look)A TGI Friday’s Restaurant used to operate on the site and the existing building will be replaced and a drive-through window will be installed in the new building. Another site plan has been filed for a three-story self-storage facility at the intersection of Brownsville Road, Route 240, and Rockfish Gap Turnpike (U.S. 250).  The zoning on the site is Highway Commercial and a gas station used to operate on the site. That building and a couple of others will be removed to make way for the structure. (take a look)Southwood Phase 2In October, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville filed the second phase of their rezoning for the redevelopment of the Southwood Mobile Home Park. The rezoning would amend the first phase to add 93.32 acres from R-2 to the Neighborhood Model District. “Phase 2 is planned within the project's existing mobile home park where development will occur in phases so as to limit the impact to the existing residents,” reads the narrative. “The resident planners who designed and wrote the Code of Development for Phase I has provided input in this next phase that the form, density, and uses established with Phase I should continue into Phase 2.”This phase of redevelopment would include up to 1,000 housing units in a mix of single-family houses, duplexes, townhomes, and apartment buildings. There would also be another 60,000 square feet of non-residential space. (read the Code of Development)Several blocks in phase one are under construction. *You’re listening to Charlottesville Community Engagement, and time now for another subscriber-supported public service announcement. Are you using too many chemicals in your yard and garden? Would you like to learn more about alternatives? The Piedmont Master Gardeners will a free online information session on the topic Monday November 15 at 3 p.m.  Participants will learn how to keep their landscapes safe and healthy using Integrated Pest Management. The Center at Belvedere will host the session, which carries the name “Why and How to Reduce Chemical Use in your Yard and Garden.” Learn more and register at thecentercville.org.  Albemarle County staff have begun work on the update of the Comprehensive Plan with a public kick-off expected sometime in January. A major aspect of the current plan is a growth management policy which designates specific areas for density. This plan was last updated in 2015 and since then Supervisors have adopted several other policies, such as the Housing Albemarle plan.“To accommodate this growth, the County will need to add approximately 11,750 new units to our housing stock over the next 20 years,” reads Objective 1 of the plan, which was adopted by Supervisors in July. “The county must support the development of an additional 2,719 units to fully accommodate projected household growth through 2040.” One of the growth areas is the Village of Rivanna and their Community Advisory Committee met on November 8. Most of its members are not happy with the Board of Supervisors 4-2 vote in October for a rezoning from rural area to R-1 for an 80-unit single-family neighborhood called Breezy Hill. (staff report) (Village of Rivanna Master Plan) (watch the meeting)Dennis Odinov is the group’s chair. “We all know how it turned out and we may be disappointed but what are lessons learned?” Odinov said. “Are there any lessons learned from this?” Members of the group thanked Supervisor Donna Price for her against the rezoning. Price was joined by Supervisor Ann Mallek. Southern Development had initially requested 200 units, but scaled back due to community opposition. The Village of Rivanna Master Plan designated the land as Neighborhood Density Residential, and a map describes that as up to three dwelling units per acre. Members of the CAC maintained the plan only allows one dwelling unit per acre. Neal Means said pressure from the group helped get the number to 80 but he does not have a positive view of Southern Development. “It just goes to show you that the developers really don’t care about the master plan at all and the arguments they made much later about it should be one unit per gross acre and not net, is just an argument,” Means said. “They’re going to try to get as much as they can any time they want, no matter what the master plan says.”Gross density is a simple calculation of the number of units divided by the size of the land. Net density subtracts from the size of the land the square footage that would be used for infrastructure or open space. In the case of Breezy Hill, the gross density was 1 unit per acre, but the net density was 1.4 per acres. To Means, that means the system is broken. “I don’t think the county’s master planning process is functioning well,” Means said. “I think it’s dysfunctional and it needs to be revisited.” Ultimately, elected officials make their decisions based on interpretation of master plans. Odinov said the current version of the plan was not clear enough to state the wishes of the community. “We have no language in the master plan that says one unit per acre, net,” Odinov said “We don’t say it in the verbiage.” The master plan also states that no new developments should be approved until specific transportation projects are built on U.S. 250. However such a directive is not permissible under Virginia law. In Virginia, localities cannot specifically ask for infrastructure to be built in exchange for a rezoning, but developers can volunteer to pay for projects in something called a proffer. “I thought it was a slap in the face,” said Paula Pagonakis. “I took it as a slap in the face when the developer said he could not provide any proffers because he would not get enough profit out of the project. I don’t know how much impact that had on the vote by the Supervisors but I felt a bit insulted.”In Charlottesville, Southern Development has agreed to contribute nearly $3 million upfront for the creation of a sidewalk on Stribling Avenue, a 170 units project on about 12 acres. If Council approves the rezoning, Southern Development will be paid back through the incremental revenue generated.Supervisor Donna Price voted against the rezoning but said the community pressure to reduce Breezy Hill’s scope resulted in a more palatable project. “Did we achieve everything?” Price asked. “No. But we came out I think a whole better strategically than if it had been at 160 or 130.”Price said she supported increased density in Crozet and voted for the 332-unit RST Residences near Forest Lakes. “Highly dense, but it is also right on a six-lane highway up there,” Price said. “I’ve tried to maintain a consistency of if you get to the periphery of development areas it should be less developed and as you move more toward the center of development it should be  more highly developed and more dense.” An update of the Village of Master Plan is not currently scheduled, according to county planner Tori Kanellopoulos. “It would need to be on the Community Development work program and we do have the Comprehensive Plan update that just started,” Kanellopoulos said. “That will take up a significant amount of resources.”I’ll have a report from the Crozet Community Advisory Committee in an upcoming edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement. Special announcement of a continuing promo with Ting! Are you interested in fast internet? Visit this site and enter your address to see if you can get service through Ting. If you decide to proceed to make the switch, you’ll get:Free installationSecond month of Ting service for freeA $75 gift card to the Downtown MallAdditionally, Ting will match your Substack subscription to support Town Crier Productions, the company that produces this newsletter and other community offerings. So, your $5 a month subscription yields $5 for TCP. Your $50 a year subscription yields $50 for TCP? The same goes for a $200 a year subscription! All goes to cover the costs of getting this newsletter out as often as possible. Learn more here! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

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Marc McKenney, Crozet Community Advisory Committee Member, joined me live on The I Love CVille Show! The I Love CVille Show headlines (Monday, September 27) AlbCo Mandating Vaccines For Athletes Will AlbCo Only Play Vaxed Schools? How Will This Impact The Postseason? Will All Students Get A Vax Mandate? Can A Student Transfer B/C Of Mandate? Wake Forest Hammers UVA, 37-17 Marc McKenney Interview Crozet Community Advisory Committee Should Crozet Become A Town?? Crozet Have Its Own BOS Member?? % Of Crozet Citizens Want Town Status Downtown Crozet Project Update Middle Density Housing In Crozet Workforce Housing In Crozet Road Infrastructure Concerns In Crozet School Overpopulation Concerns I Crozet Viewer/Listener Comments Follow I Love CVille On Instagram The I Love CVille Show airs live before a worldwide audience Monday – Friday from 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm on The I Love CVille Network.

As an entrepreneur, business owner, professor, and active community member, his story is one of survival, determination, & service. In other words, MOXIE! You see, Tran's family immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam in March 1995. They came with very little, so he had to work hard. He did not know how to speak English when he arrived in 1995. His personal goals have been and are to champion small business ownership and success by working to remove the obstacles that keep people from achieving the “American Dream”, which he was able to do despite all these challenges. True to his commitment, he became a U.S. Citizen in 2000 and went on to earn a 2006 B.S. and 2009 M.S. in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Louisville, as well as a Doctorate of Philosophy from Sullivan University in 2017. All the while, Di has founded 10 businesses all of which are still in operation. In addition to 18 years of experience as a computer programmer/engineer at a Fortune 50 company and serves as a faculty member at Sullivan University teaching Info. technology. Di says many people helped him along the way, and he believes it is important to pay it forward. So, true to his word, he has found ways to help others achieve their full potential. In addition to teaching at Sullivan, he founded the Louisville Beauty Academy in 2016, which to date has graduated & helped over 250 people obtain good-paying jobs without ANY government support, an accomplishment for which he was named a 2019 Kentucky Colonel. He now owns multiple nail salons and is the owner & proprietor of the Louisville Beauty Academy (LBA). Through these businesses, Di has sponsored people from across the world to come to Louisville, find employment, & earn American citizenship. He also serves as a part-time computer science professor at Sullivan University. In 2018, Tran launched a technical college called the Louisville Institute of Technology & is a 2020 Mosaic Honoree. Through the years, Tran has also mentored 20  individuals to open their own businesses & he continues to teach & mentor many more. Tran currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Independent Business Association (LIBA) & the South Louisville LIBA Committee, is a Board member of BOTH the KY. Assoc. of Career Colleges – known as KACCS & the Vietnamese Comm. of Louisville, as well as Tri An-a $1.5Mil Vietnam War Monument Project. He is an active member of Greater Louisville Inc. and is on LHOME's Community Advisory Committee representing the South End. Di, and his lovely wife Vy, have 3 boys, and all reside in Louisville.

Emma Klues, VP of Communications & Outreach at Great Rivers Greenway, talks with KTRS' John Carney and Julie Buck about the connections these  greenways can make – connecting neighborhoods, residents, partners, destinations – and the importance of greenway projects being led by community involvement and collaboration. Emma is joined in this segment by Lisa Potts, Project Director for the St. Louis Mental Health Board, local resident and member of the Community Advisory Committee for Great Rivers Greenway's Hodiamont project that will connect to the Brickline Greenway.Learn more and get involved at bricklinegreenway.org.

ساهمت جمعية السيدات المصريات الاستراليات، بإنشاء مستشفى لعلاج الأطفال من الأورام السرطانية يُعد من الأكبر على الصعيد العالمي.

RARE MAMAS RISING - EPISODE 4 Best Case Scenarios with Special Education Community Advisory Committee Chair & Rare Mama Rachel Niemeyer-Sutherland When Rachel's daughter Sophia was diagnosed with Anophthalmia, the absence of a fully formed eye in her right eye, and Microphthalmia or small eye in her left, Rachel left her opera performing career to care for Sophia. At the age of seven, Sophia received the genetic diagnosis of RARB, a gene alteration in her Retinoic Acid Receptor Beta gene. At that time, Sophia was the only known person in the world with her specific mutation. Since then, Rachel has learned how to work with both researchers and other rare parents to advance treatment options. Rachel is also the chair of one of California's largest school district's Special Education Community Advisory Committees. Rachel offers up ways to work with researchers, tips for collaborating with special education administrators, and how she's learned to focus on best-case scenarios. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell me about Sophia? At two days old, I was told Sophia was blind and that her cognitive and motor functions would be limited. A few weeks later, it was confirmed that she had sight in one eye. A year later, we received a cerebral palsy diagnosis and eventually she was diagnosed with RARB. Sophia is now 13 years old, rides a horse, and walks with assistance. Any advice about how to keep pushing for answers?      Journal and keep notes and data to give to doctors. Try your best to learn to speak the doctor's language and learn as much as you can about your child's diagnosis. How do you move forward with a diagnosis where there aren't a lot of other known cases? The first thing I did was research. The next thing I did was widen my network to potentially find other patients. I looked at papers published and connected with the authors. I posted on Facebook about Sophia's RARB diagnosis and my network continued to grow. When you begin connecting with others, share information and knowledge to refine the possibilities. What have you learned about how to work with researchers? I learned about the National Institutes of Health (NIH), learned how to submit to clinical trials, how to do research, and about repurposed medications. Global Genes was a huge resource, and they have a Rare Patient Advocacy Summit each year that is very helpful.  In addition, I take notes and share them with researchers and doctors as giving them specifics is critical. What is your role in your school district's Special Education Community Advisory Committee? The Community Advisory Committee is made up of parents, educators, and community members who work collaboratively to improve programs, services, and communications for students with special needs. We discuss concerns, identify how to support parents, and advise the district and educational specialists. What are some learnings for navigating special education? Create a document that tells everything about your child and share this information. Go to your school district and ask for the organization that serves as the liaison between special education administration and parents and plug into that organization.  Build a relationship with your child's case carrier. What advice do you have for mothers who have a child with a newly diagnosed rare disease? Breathe and realize that a diagnosis is a starting place. It's essential to have hope because you don't know what your child will be capable of. It's important to assess parameters and know the worst-case scenario, but always ask for the best-case scenario. Knowledge is power and will help you navigate through. No matter how bleak the situation, realize the possibilities. Never give up. RESOURCES MENTIONED Global Genes https://globalgenes.org/ National Institutes of Health https://www.nih.gov/ CONNECT WITH NIKKI Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RareMamas1/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/Rare_Mamas/ Website https://raremamas.com/ Email info@raremamas.com

Sharon Burns-Leader is the co-owner of Bread Alone, a pioneering organic bakery that sells its baked goods at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City. She serves on GrowNYC’s (the organization that oversees the market) Farmer and Community Advisory Committee. That’s where we start, but quickly you will see Sharon leads us through her evolution as a person, the evolution of the market and the evolution of grain in the region. Even though this story is centered on this NYC marketplace, it reaches well beyond. Grain development impacts you, whether you eat it or not. It impacts the environment — carbon farming, regenerative agriculture, soil health… so much. The extraordinary progress that’s happened via markets like the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City impact regional food systems everywhere.  We’re just getting started. Let’s talk farm. Let me know your questions, thoughts, comments. Find me on Instagram @xoxofarmgirl. You can find show notes and more about this episode on http://talkfarmtome.com (talkfarmtome.com). Stay tuned. xoxo

Black History Month Feature - Dr. Fred McKinney In this week's episode of The Power of Owning Your Career, Simone interviews the Carlton Highsmith Chair for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Quinnipiac University, Dr. Fred McKinney, who shares his inspirational career story. He says he got the entrepreneurial bug at a young age. Listen as he shares his formula for owning his career. Be empowered as we celebrate black history in the making. Tips from Dr. Fred:

Lisa Mosko has worked for over 13 years to support families with children with learning differences to advocate and plan for their kids' social, emotional, and academic success. She is the leader of Speak UP's Special Education Task Force, which serves to engage, train and empower Los Angeles parents to take action in support of policies that directly impact their kids. Lisa also serves on LA Unified School District's Community Advisory Committee and serves as an elected parent representative liaison between parents and administration at her kids' LAUSD school.Lisa joins me today to discuss why parents and specialist organizations have to be the union reps for differently-abled kids, how Lisa was inspired to be an advocate, and her work at Speak Up. She shares her thoughts on the lawsuit brought against the LAUSD for failing to meet the needs of children with special education needs by not providing in-person learning. Lisa also shares why morale is currently flagging for parents of different learners in LA, and what's next up for Speak Up.“We have to keep looking towards our kids' ability and approach them through that lens and raise awareness for everyone else; there's so much ability in (dis)Ability.” - Lisa MoskoThis week on The Different Learners Podcast:●Why Lisa had to advocate so hard for her own children to have things that should be their right ●What Lisa means by becoming a change agent for kids with (dis)Abilities●Why Lisa got involved with the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) overseeing Special Education Local Plan and why it has been such a fascinating organization to be part of ●What's next for the Learning Rights Law Centre and Alliance for Children's Rights and how Lisa is working collaboratively to help stop children from falling behind in their education●Why Lisa feels that the Teachers Union have been the best advocates for students with disabilities●What Lisa is hearing from higher need kids and parents right now●How we should refer to kids with special needs and the term that Lisa prefers●The power of organized advocating and what people power has achieved during the pandemicResources Mentioned:●Learning Rights Law Center●Alliance for Children's Rights●WritesLaw●Understood.orgConnect with Lisa Mosko:●Speak Up ●Lisa Mosko on LinkedIn●Speak Up on Facebook●Speak Up on Instagram●Speak Up on TwitterConnect with Different Learners:●Different Learners ●Different Learners on Instagram

Today’s Patreon-fueled shout-out comes from a contributor who wants to say: "Early voting is underway for all registered voters. Vote in-person or request a ballot by mail. Register to vote by October 13. Visit elections.virginia.gov/registration/voter-forms to do so today.”*The seven day average for positive test results in Virginia has dropped to its lowest level yet with 4.7 percent reported by the state Department of Health. That’s down from 5.7 percent a week ago. Over the weekend, the state passed the two million mark for the number of PCR tests conducted. On Saturday the VDH reported 975 new cases, 736 on Sunday and 449 this morning. In Charlottesville, 78 new cases have been reported since Friday, with 41 in Albemarle. In Charlottesville, the seven-day average of new cases per 100,000 is 40.7. In Albemarle that figure is 9.9 today, and statewide the figure is 9.1 today. The seven-day average for positive tests in the Thomas Jefferson Health District is at 4.1 percent. That number was also 4.1 percent last Monday and increased to as high as 4.9 percent in the last week. The University of Virginia reported 41 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday afternoon, and will not update their official tracker with the weekend’s results until later on today. Later this week residents of two residence halls will receive follow-up tests, including Hancock where the University reported 16 cases among 115 residents on Thursday. There have been no new updates on the the UVA Facebook page since. Last week, President Jim Ryan announced a five-person limit on gatherings for students on and off Grounds as well as mandatory mask use. * Water that fell on the Charlottesville region this weekend is slowly finding its way into the Rivanna River, and one major overarching environmental goal of the last century is to prevent as many pollutants from going along for the ride. On Friday, a governmental agency that seeks to promote awareness of the Rivanna River’s watershed gathered virtually for an online conference. Anne Coates is the director of the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, part of a nationwide network formed nearly a hundred years ago when few considerations were given to how land was used and the air was thick with sediment windborne from poorly managed properties across the country. “We were formed in the 1930’s in response to the dustbowl,” said Anne Coates, the TJSWCD’s director. “[President] Roosevelt sent letters to all the Governors nationwide asking them to set up local legislation that would allow for what he considered to be for important local influence. He wanted local landowners to work with local directors and decision makers to really determine what the resource concerns were in their area and not have their federal government tell them they needed to do something specific.” Nationwide there are 3,000 such districts, and the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation district is one of 47 in Virginia. The local district dates back to 1939 and consists of elected and appointed officials in Albemarle, Charlottesville and surrounding counties, with direct election of ten of its board of directors. Coates said our district focuses mostly on agriculture, though residential property owners can also qualify for funding in some situations. The goal is to reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment that makes it way into the Chesapeake Bay, which is where rain that falls here ends up. They do that by helping to pay for projects like keeping livestock out of creeks and streams. “Most of our programs are voluntary programs, certainly our agricultural program is, and that’s been primarily, the success of the program is because it’s voluntary based,” Coates said. Coates said partnerships between the government and landowners have resulted in protection of over 3,000 acres of riparian buffers and 300 miles of streambank in the district since 1998. In Albemarle County, that number is 122 miles of streambank. *Over six months have passed since the beginning of the pandemic and that’s enough time to get some sense of how the sudden change in the economy affected the local real estate market. Dr. Lisa Sturtevant is chief economist for Virginia Realtors and she was the first speaker in a series the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is putting on to promote its Regional Housing Partnership. She set the stage by describing where the sales market is at the moment.“We’ve gone through a really dramatic downturn in the economy and we are now in sort of a period of recovery,” Sturtevant said. “And we’ve heard all sorts of different letters for how the recovery may happen. A V-shape, a W-shape, an L-shape. And the latest letter is K and this K shape recovery is one way to think about how some people are benefitting in this recovery more than others.”Sturtevant said some sectors of the economy were hit harder than others, with sharp decreases in the hospitality sector. Still, Virginia and the nation have seen four straight months of job growth, and in August the unemployment rate was 6.1 percent.“But keep in mind last year at this time the unemployment rate was about three percent,” Sturtevant said. She said the number of people who applied for benefits hit a peak in March and April, and then tapered down. “And in mid-September, about 186,000 Virginians were receiving unemployment which is well below where we were this spring but well above where a typical economy would be,” Sturtevant said. Sturtevant said the housing market has improved faster than the rest of the economy. A lack of supply is increasing sales prices across the state.“Inventory, though, supply, remains the major constraint and COVID has exacerbated what was already a tight housing market in just about every regional housing market across Virginia,” Sturtevant said. “We’ve seen similar trends in the Charlottesville area where inventory has been on the decline really for five or six straight years and in August, the number of active listings was down by about 43 percent compared to a year ago.” The next installment of the Regional Housing Partnership’s Speaker Series is set for October 22 and the topic is Regional Housing Strategies and Policies. *Today in meetings, the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority meets at 6 p.m. with updates on safety and redevelopment efforts. There’s still no date for when ground will break for new public housing units at South First Street or when work to renovate Crescent Halls will begin. However, a redevelopment update in the meeting packet has a lot of details about what needs to happen first. Interested in parks and greenways in the Pantops area? The Community Advisory Committee for that part of Albemarle meets at six and has an update from parks planner Tim Padalino.  (meeting info)Interested in Albemarle history? You might consider the Albemarle Historic Preservation Committee will begin its regular monthly gathering at 4:30 p.m. They will get an update on the Crozet Master Plan and potential conservation easements. There will also be a further discussion of new historical markers in Albemarle as well as potential policy options to increase historical preservation efforts in the county. (meeting info) This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at communityengagement.substack.com/subscribe

At the end of June, a long-time resident of Portland's Albina neighborhood resigned from the Oregon Department of Transportation's Community Advisory Committee on the I-5 Rose Quarter expansion project. Liz Fouther-Branch explained in her resignation letter that she was frustrated that all of the key decisions on the project seemed to have been made, leaving little opportunity for the restorative justice ODOT has said it wants for the neighborhood. Shortly after Fouther-Branch's resignation, ODOT abruptly disbanded the entire committee, saying it would instead rely on input from a new entity called the Historic Albina Advisory Board. Many committee members responded with a letter that said, “We hope that this new Historic Albina Advisory Board (HAAB) will not feel unheard and undervalued in the same way that we have felt as part of the CAC.” We hear from two former CAC members — John Washington, executive director of the Soul District Business Association and Claire Vlach, an urban planner and volunteer for Oregon Walks. Brendan Finnn, director of ODOT's Urban Mobility Office, also joins us.

Your favourite medical science podcast is making the most of ‘the new normal’ - this year’s Raw Talk Live event was broadcast entirely on YouTube! Over 8 weeks, we spoke to researchers all across Canada about all things COVID-19. Our third instalment features Dr. Rima Styra, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and clinician-investigator at the University Health Network, and Donna Alexander, social worker at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, former Vice-President of the Black Health Alliance and Board Member of Black Mental Health Canada and the Community Advisory Committee for Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. We will discuss how our mental health is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the specific psychological effects experienced by healthcare workers and the Black community, and what changes should be made in our mental health systems in response to the “new normal.” Guest - Dr Rima Styra Guest - Donna Alexander Watch this stream on YouTube U of T Alumni Offers from our sponsors TD Insurance & MBNA COVID Decoded Feedback survey Mental Health Resources: The Star: Canada could face a mental health ‘echo pandemic’ in the aftermath of COVID-19 The Star: Here’s what you actually feel: Two Toronto doctors explain the psychology of pandemic CTV News: Half of Canadians report worsening mental health, experts say woes just beginning WNYC News: Advice on Getting Through COVID Isolation From Two Doctors Who Worked Through SARS 2004 SARS control and psychological effects of quarantine COVID-19 Mental Health Services (City of Toronto) Black Mental Health Resources/Services/Organizations: Mental health resources for the Black community in Toronto 8 Mental Health Practices for People of African Descent while Isolated Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth (SAPACCY) Black Health Alliance Black Youth Helpline Black Mental Health Canada Black Mental Health Day WellNest Psychotherapy Services Mental Health Services for Healthcare Workers: CAMH Resources for health care workers during COVID-19 St. Joe's COVID-19: Mental Health Services for HCW Free Psychological Services for Frontline Workers (Canadian Psychological Association) Mitigating the psychological effects of COVID-19 on health care workers Impact on health care workers employed in high-risk areas during the Toronto SARS outbreak  

Your favourite medical science podcast is making the most of ‘the new normal’ - this year’s Raw Talk Live event was broadcast entirely on YouTube! Over 8 weeks, we spoke to researchers all across Canada about all things COVID-19. Our third instalment features Dr. Rima Styra, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and clinician-investigator at the University Health Network, and Donna Alexander, social worker at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, former Vice-President of the Black Health Alliance and Board Member of Black Mental Health Canada and the Community Advisory Committee for Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. We will discuss how our mental health is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the specific psychological effects experienced by healthcare workers and the Black community, and what changes should be made in our mental health systems in response to the “new normal.” Guest - Dr Rima Styra Guest - Donna Alexander Watch this stream on YouTube U of T Alumni Offers from our sponsors TD Insurance & MBNA COVID Decoded Feedback survey Mental Health Resources: The Star: Canada could face a mental health ‘echo pandemic’ in the aftermath of COVID-19 The Star: Here’s what you actually feel: Two Toronto doctors explain the psychology of pandemic CTV News: Half of Canadians report worsening mental health, experts say woes just beginning WNYC News: Advice on Getting Through COVID Isolation From Two Doctors Who Worked Through SARS 2004 SARS control and psychological effects of quarantine COVID-19 Mental Health Services (City of Toronto) Black Mental Health Resources/Services/Organizations: Mental health resources for the Black community in Toronto 8 Mental Health Practices for People of African Descent while Isolated Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth (SAPACCY) Black Health Alliance Black Youth Helpline Black Mental Health Canada Black Mental Health Day WellNest Psychotherapy Services Mental Health Services for Healthcare Workers: CAMH Resources for health care workers during COVID-19 St. Joe's COVID-19: Mental Health Services for HCW Free Psychological Services for Frontline Workers (Canadian Psychological Association) Mitigating the psychological effects of COVID-19 on health care workers Impact on health care workers employed in high-risk areas during the Toronto SARS outbreak  

Jeff Bousson is a program manager with Utah Clean Energy . He is also helping to head up a Community Advisory Committee which is exploring strategies to reduce Park City and Summit County's commercial and residential building carbon footprint. The committee has met a couple of times but there's still time for citizens, HOA's and property managers to join in.

The Community Advisory Committee on Homelessness is a group that will advise the Santa Cruz City Council on its homeless policies. It's focusing on health, transitional campgrounds and public outreach. We report on its Tuesday meeting and potential solutions. Plus, an update on the push toward district elections in Santa Cruz.

Angie: Hello and welcome to Warrior DIVAS Real Talk for Real Women. This is your host Angie Leigh Monroe reminding you each and every day to be a DIVA and make an impact. For those of you that are new to our show, DIVAS stands for women that are Destined, Inspired, Victorious, Accountable and building a Sisterhood, and make a positive impact in the world we live in. And we are so excited today because we are launching a new part of our podcast. We've been doing our podcast, little snippets, 30 minutes snippets with just me on doing teaching topics, and we have got our first guest in the studio today. But before I get started, I want to remind you, we have our DIVAS Impact magazine, we have the conference, it's on the back of the magazine, coming up soon. And you can find out all about that at DIVASImpact.com, but today I want to give you a little bit of introduction into Trasa Cobern. She is a local gal here in the Dallas Fort Worth area. But I've known about her, known of her, more through her husband than anything else over the last few years. met, I met her I think in 2011 2012, somewhere around there, when she was student teaching my son at the local high school, which I'm an alumni of bout to have our class reunion. And I started just being intrigued by her, the kids love her. That's one thing if somebody if kids love you, that's one thing. But the other part of it too is she's got such a passion for our troops. She's got a passion for our country, she's got a passion for her community. And when I talked to people on DIVAS, they often asked me about what can they get involved in? How can they make a difference? How can they make an impact? and I often tell them politics. Getting to know what's going on in your local community all the way up to the presidency and knowing how to have those conversations and so I've watched her, I don't just put anybody on the show. I don't just introduce people I know anybody to all of you watch her and see what she does. And so when she's not in school, she's been traveling quite a bit. And she's been doing some learning herself and educating herself, improving herself. She's run for city council. She's run for a couple of other positions as well. She serves on the committee here in the Tarrant County for politics. And so when we are talking today, if you're wanting to know how to get involved, this is the woman that can tell you about how to get involved. But my biggest reason for wanting her to go on is she has done everything with grace, she has done everything with talent, with dignity, and a smile on her face. So, this is all about to kick off in a big way. And I want you to welcome with me, Trasa Coburn, Trasa: Thank you, Angie, I am so honored and so touched by all of that, that was just really awesome. I'm gonna I'm gonna, like, take that clip of that podcast and like, you know, keep it on my own personal media so, I can have that if I'm having a bad day. So thank you so much. I am so pleased to be here. Your company, what you guys do with DIVAS impact is exactly what I think is wonderful. For women. I just I'm a huge I was just talking to my son yesterday about how I don't consider myself a feminist I would consider myself maybe a womanist that I think women are so important to our society. And what's good for society is good for women. And what's good for women is good for society. And so what you do is just fantastic. Angie: Thank you so much. Thank you, we tell people all the time, we steer away from the feminist word, because it's gotten such a negative impact. It's part of the reason why we steered towards divas impact is because when you think of a diva, you think of somebody that's, you know all about themselves and all of that. But we want to shift that paradigm, we want to do the same with the feminist movement, we want to help women embrace their femininity and realize how strong and powerful they are within their femininity and not have to be something that they're not. Trasa: Absolutely I was telling my husband, we were coming out of church yesterday, and there was a little girl who had on the little Bobby socks to have the lace trim. And I was telling my husband, I said, you know, when I was a kid, I used to, my mom used to put me in those, I was the firstborn child in the first granddaughter on both sides. And she used to put me in those socks, and I would cut the lace off the socks because I thought that it was so girly and I didn't want to be girly, I wanted to be strong, and I wanted to be you know, independent, and all of these things. And over time, I've learned that, you know, femininity is just another part of who I am. And it's just, you know, filtered into that strength and that, you know, independence. And so, you know, I love to wear dresses, and I love to be you know, girly now, whereas, you know, when I was six, five and six, I didn't like that image at all. So, you know, but we mature and we learn things about ourselves. And so that's I think that's just a wonderful thing to use that femininity and know that we can be strong and feminine. Both. Exactly. So you grew up, you grew up in a couple of different countries. you've traveled around, you've made your way to Texas, of course, you know, we're Texan. So, we love Texas. This is. Absolutely. So, tell us a little bit about things that may be from your youth that kind of you see now led you to where you are today. Oh gosh, I think faith is so important to me and God has led me along my life has prepared me in each step for the step that's coming up. And so sometimes you we don't always see that. And we don't always know where he's leading us. But you know, you'll get 10 years down the road, you're like, oh man, if I hadn't had that experience, like I wouldn't be prepared for this. And I, I was lucky enough to grow up with a dad who was in the military. My dad was a sergeant in the army and we were stationed overseas in Germany three different times. And I was actually born in Germany, spent early elementary there. And then the third time we were there was from the time I was in sixth grade until I graduated from high school and I graduated at a at an American High School overseas. And, and I tell my kids, I teach American history. And so, on the first day of school, I always do a little intro about me and I and I tell the kids I say you know, I'm super passionate about America, America is the best country on the earth. And I can say that with full confidence because I've been to so many other places. And you know, Germany is a wonderful place. I love to go visit there anytime I have the chance to it's a beautiful country. But I would never live in Germany, I would never choose to live there. And I had the choice. You know, when I was 18, I had dual citizenship. And so I had the choice. And I could have stayed and gone to college in Germany. But I came back to college in America and Texas, actually, you know, Texas A&M, took a risk on me and gave me a scholarship there. And that's how I ended up in this state that I'd never lived in before and didn't know anybody. And so took that leap of faith and said, okay, God, I trust you, you know, I'm going to go to this place. And I don't know how I'm gonna like it. And you know, wonderful, wonderful decision turned out great. A&M is a wonderful place and met my husband there. I fell in love with, I fell in love with Texas before I fell in love with my husband, like I was already determined, you know that I was going to stay here and then met my husband. And so that's how we ended up in the Dallas Fort Worth area. He's a Hurst boy. And so yeah, we ended up in Hurst and you know, I've planted my roots deep here. Angie: So, so whenever you left and came back to the state sudden came to Texas and all that stuff, do you feel that being in the military, as a military dependent, really kind of helped you be able to move in and not… Yes, it's scary. I'm not gonna say it's not scary, but gave you a little more freedom. Because sometimes we get a little too sheltered, Trasa: right. And I think it's human nature to like where we are to be comfortable in our little circles. But being a military brat has really just benefited me in so many ways. I used to be very introverted, I used to be very concerned about, you know, what people like me when, you know, how would I project myself, and being in the military, having that atmosphere where people were constantly moving in and out of my life, gave me much more freedom to understand that, you know, like, like, I'm going to be who I am. And then the people around me may shift, the environment may shift, but I'm who I am in me. And so absolutely, when I moved to Texas, you know, I was I was scared, I was a little worried. But I knew that God had me and that it was going to be a good situation. And that, if not, we would move to something else. Right. Angie: So. So I mentioned that you were a city council member for the city of Hurst. And you started, I don't know, when you started getting into politics? Trasa: Um, so I have four boys, and I have a degree in political science. That's what I majored in, in college. So, I've always been interested in politics and government and those things. But when we moved here, we had the boys and so I was Mom, you know, I was full time mom. And I didn't do a lot outside of the house, I did PTA and that kind of thing with their schools. But I was really focused on my son's, I started about 2013, I started being, you know, kind of looking a little bit outside, that's after I'd started teaching full time. And my kids at school challenged me one time and said, Well, what do you do other than vote? Like you talk about being involved in the political process? What do you do? You know, exactly, they have no filter, and they'll and they'll challenge you. And so, I was like, Oh, well, let me I need to be involved, I need to do more. And I really love where we live. And so, I had, and I strongly encourage everybody to do this, if you are interested in your local community, go down to City Hall, ask them if they have citizen boards and commissions, right, because most cities do. And so all you have to do is fill out a little application, it takes you maybe two, three minutes to fill out the application and turn it in, most of the cities have it online where you can just fill it out online, and you don't even have to go to City Hall. And so, but back in 2013, it was all you know, paper based. So, you know, filled it out, mailed it in, and then they called me for an interview, and I went down and interviewed for a board was appointed to a board called the neighborhood Community Advisory Committee. And it was a really great experience, just got to hear some inside stuff about Hurst got to know kind of what was happening. There was a city council member who was a liaison on our committee, so got to know her. And so that's how I got my first taste of, you know, what it meant to be really involved, right. And then I loved it. And then from there, I went to the library board, which is, you know, kind of a bigger board and more and more involved. And then the city council member who was on my first board actually came to me and said, I'm retiring, will you run for my spot? And so, it was the fact that I was already involved, that made that connection. And so it's all about, it's about who you know, but it's also about how you know them too. It's a it's majorly about showing up. So, if you're not in the system, then people don't know you. They're not aware of your strengths. They're not aware if you're capable. And there are lots of people who just show up and say, I'm going to run for city council, and they've never been involved in the city before. And the voters generally tend to not like those people, right? Because they're like you didn't do your homework, you know, you haven't been involved. You're your Johnny, come lately. Where have you been? Angie: I think I think we talked about that one time before is there's people that show up, even for the school boards, then they may be involved a little bit on their PTA level, they may be involved as a room mom or something like that. But they're not showing up to school board meetings. They're not showing up to these big things that are important. I heard somebody not too long ago, was standing in a board in a meeting room with the school superintendent, and went up and introduced herself to him like she didn't know who he was, but she was running for the school board. Yeah. And I'm like, wait a minute, you know, this, this is not something that's okay with most. Right, you know, we want to make sure that the board members, Yes, we want them to be able to not be Yes, men and women, but we want them to know what's going on and know how they would shift things in a positive direction before they ever get there. Trasa: Well, and we like people who I do anyway, I like people who've done their homework, who show me that they're willing to put the time in right to know the situation, know who the important people are, who the important issues, what the important issues are, so that they can actually have a grasp on it. Because if you just show up and say I want to run for city council, because I want to be a city council person, you know, like, Where's your investment there? Right? What are your issues? What are your problems? Why, why are you doing this? So? Yeah, I say, you know, show up? Absolutely. Angie: Well, we, my husband and I also own a plumbing company here in the state of Texas in this last legislative session in the state of Texas was a bit tumultuous for us. We went under a review, we had some challenges, there was a march on to the Texas steps. And I'm just going to tell you that it was an interesting experience. I've never done that before. I've never been a part of that before. But it was very interesting to be there, and kind of be part of the democratic process in a way. Yes, the governor had signed something, extending it two days before, but letting your collective voices be heard over something. So, I guess the other part is, is there's a lot that we did staying home with our kids during times where maybe we felt like some women out there today that our voice can't be heard our voice isn't this. But when we join our voices with other people, Trasa: Right. Angie: That how we make our big powerful state. Absolutely. Trasa: That's such a, I'm a huge proponent of the First Amendment and its freedom of speech and freedom to assemble is such an important thing. And you know, people think a lot about, you know, the big protests and the things, you know, the Women's March and the, you know, a million man march and those things, but those, those are just kind of the culmination of so much else that's happened for people to speak up and speak out. And I just think I was in Philadelphia this summer. And I saw a protest from a group that I don't agree with politically, right. But I took a picture of it and put it on my social media, I said, I don't agree with their message, but I will fight to the death for their right to stand here in front of Independence Hall and have their protest, because I think that that is one of the reasons that we are so free in this country is that you know, and I try to tell my kids at school, I'm like, you know, when they'll say, Well, you know, America is not that great. And I'll say, you really don't know, like there are other places in the world, even places that are democratic, you know, nominally democratic, that people don't have the right to get in a group. People don't have the right to send letters. People don't have the right to speak out. And you know, that is such a marvelous gift to us. And the First Amendment, you know, the, the Constitution just protects us so much, and the kids don't know it. But a lot of adults don't know it either. And that's a shame. Angie: Well, was Philadelphia, where you were learning about the Medal of Honor. Yes, yes. That was a great article that you wrote it on. Trasa: The Fox. Yeah, I actually had to I had one on the Dallas Morning News. And then I had one, right, Fox News right online. Angie: And so I thought that was great. And I'd love for you to share a little bit about your experience there. Trasa: Okay, so the Medal of Honor Grove is a place that is in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and the group that maintains it is called the freedoms foundation. And it was basically created by President Eisenhower and a bunch of notables back in the 50s. to, you know, have a place where these men and women honored and so the grove is this marvelous, like three acre site, and it's just got trails, walking trails, and then every state has an obelisk that has the names of every one of their Medal of Honor recipients on the obelisk, like engraved, or else a plaque on it. And I was walking around the first morning, I got there. There are I we'd gotten there the night before. And so, the first morning, we didn't really have time built into the schedule for our class to go walk the grove. And so, I got up at six o'clock that morning and went and walked the grove. And it was such a powerful experience to me being the daughter of a serviceman and seeing these names of men and there's one woman who basically gave everything, you know? and some of them were awarded quite a few of them are awarded posthumously. So the majority of these people died doing what they got honored for. And so it's just marvelous. And then we have the chance to meet Jim McLennan who is one of the newest Medal of Honor recipients. He earned his medal of honor in Vietnam. He did not receive it until 2017. He was the first one, also honored by President Trump. And he in the interim, he was a teacher and a coach for 39 years. And so he was a marvelous person and marvelous representative to meet. And he talked about how, you know, talk about involvement, talked about, you know, loving your fellow man talked about being a teacher and a coach, and how, you know, that's equally as hard, as you know, as earning the Medal of Honor. Right. So really just a powerful experience. And so that's what I wrote about in those two articles. The first one is me walking the grove, and just talking about what that meant to me. And then the second one was talking about, you know, how I kind of expected to really meet superheroes when I went to this conference. And you think of Medal of Honor recipients as being people who've done this, you know, amazing, you know, save people's lives, and they've done things that are superhuman, and they are there, they're marvelous, and I'm not denigrating what they do at all. But what was so remarkable to me was the fact that they are ordinary people who do extraordinary things. And one of the Medal of Honor recipients actually has said, and I think it's, I think it's Patrick Baka actually said, “Every person has within them the capacity to do extraordinary things.” And I think that's so much more powerful than saying, these guys are superhuman, and I can't be like that, right? It's more powerful to say, guess what, I can do this too. You know? Angie: I think it's interesting, because a lot of the Medal of Honor people, they went through boot camp, they went through special training, they went through all these things. But they also brought the things from them that were ingrained from their families, from their livelihood, before all of that. And there's that part in the movie, the blind, The Blind Side, where he puts his arm up in front of the little boy, because he's got this innate ability to protect, right, he you know, and so many of our Medal of Honor people are, like many others, that are our police officers, our firefighters are our other first responders that they have that innate ability built into them. But there's a bunch of us out there that have never been any of that, right. And we have it as well, you know, call it the mama bear syndrome, whatever it is, but we will, we will fight to the death for what we stand for, and what we are our true to. And I get I get interested in looking at some of these Medal of Honor winners that go, I just showed up for my job that day, and instinct kicked in, they knew that they were willing to risk their life in that moment to save the 10 guys behind that right or the other guy beside them, or whatever it was, they made a split second decision, because of everything from birth till then that had been ingrained in them Trasa: Absolutely, that is so true. And I love that picture of just it being so selfless. It's just the ultimate selflessness to me. Yeah. And some of us, you know, are never going to be in that situation, I'm never going to be in a firefight where I have to save people's lives. It's just, you know, our chances are pretty good that I won't be right. But every day, we make choices in our lives that do protect other people in that help other people and you know, are kind to other people. And so other people make those exceptional choices to they may just not be in such a dramatic fashion. Angie: Exactly. So I was talking to somebody the other day, and they were talking ugly about somebody and and, you know, I used to be one of those the girls that could pile on with everybody else. And I've gotten to where I push back now, I'm like, Well, how do you know they weren't having a bad day today? How do you know in this one snapshot that you had with them that you just didn't miss set them up for being in a worse place than a better place about piling on them? And so those are those actionable moments that instincts, we can choose to be life givers instead of life suckers. Trasa: Yes. So true. It's a you know, and that's one of the things that the one of the reasons I teach is because the kids I teach, I choose to teach in a majority minority area, and, you know, could teach anywhere I wanted to, and I teach in this school and in this district, because that's where I want to teach. And one of the things I always keep in mind is, I don't know what happened to that kid from the time they left school yesterday, till this morning, but they're going to see a smile on my face, they're going to see that I care about them, because I don't know what battle they're fighting. And I don't want them to have anything added to it from me, like I want to take somebody that some of that pressure and some of that burden off of them. You know, if I can now they may be you know, perfectly fine and have a great day. But then you're not going to hurt anything by smiling at them and being nice to them. But you're going to make a difference to some of those kids who may not see another smile on another face, you know. And so that that is just it's I view teaching as a mission field. Angie: Exactly. Well, and you talked about the Medal of Honor winner that was a teacher and a coach for 30 years before he was given the Medal of Honor. He showed up to work every day. He was a he was there. He was present, he was doing every day stuff just like he did right before that magical moment in his life, no matter how that turned. He showed up every day he interacted with those kids every day. Now. Did he share anything about how things shifted for him once he got the Medal of Honor? Did people talk to him differently, treat them differently? Trasa: Um, I don't know that he really shared that he focused more on the fact that he felt that his impact as a teacher and a coach over those 39 years had been so much greater than that one moment in his life in Vietnam, the one day, you know, and he's still very close with his buddies from Vietnam. But he says, you know, he had 10,000 students go through his class, and he's like, you know, those 10,000 students, like I meant something to them and that's way more impactful than what I did for these, you know, eight guys. And so that was really just powerful. I thought, you know, that he had focused on that. And it was just interesting, because, you know, if he had gotten that Medal of Honor, back in 1969, you know, how would that have changed his life? Would that have made a difference in the way he approached people in the way he, you know, in the way he approached other people, or the way they approached him, would it have changed things this man, as opposed to him just live in his life, and then getting this, you know, great honor later on in life. And so that was neat. Angie: So, I want to I want to flip the script on you just a little bit. Okay. And you can say, with how deep you want to go in this conversation or not, but there were some people in your family that became quite well known. Trasa: Right? Angie: And did that have a positive or a negative or a little bit of both impact on on y'all? Trasa: Oh, wow. Um, it's had both it's definitely had both. It's overwhelmingly been positive. I mean, so my family my dad is, is Silas Robertson, and most of the world knows him. His uncle Si, Uncle Si. And, and I always have to explain that because like, my dad is Uncle sy. He's somebody else's uncle, but he's my dad. And so you know, and the funny thing is, I show my kids at school, I always tell them the first day who I am because my the first year that my dad and the family became famous, he came to visit my school. And I had him just visit with the faculty. I didn't think anything about the kids, you know, because I didn't think that they even know who he was. And they got mad at me later, they were like, how dare you not tell us who the you know who you are and who your family is? Like, why didn't you bring him to see us? And so, I always tell the kids now I'm always like, Okay, this is my family. And I just want you to know, and the kids always are so funny, you know, they'll come back the next day and go, I googled you and you're famous. Like, no, I'm not famous, but I do know some famous people. But it's been, it's been overwhelmingly positive. We've gotten to do some really cool things with them. We got to go on a cruise, we've never been on a cruise and they took the whole family on a duck dynasty cruise. And so that was cool. We've gotten to go, you know, to some fun things. We've been on the show, you know, we might my whole family, we were on a show for season five finale when Mia was about to have her surgery. And so, we've gotten to do some really cool things that a lot of people don't have the opportunity to do. It has been a little negative in some senses. Like, when I was running for city council, I approached a door, and I knocked on the door and the people came to the door. And when they saw who I was, they turned their back to me and closed the door. And I just thought and it was because and they said something about my family. And so I knew it was because of my family. And it was kind of after Phil had had his altercation with GQ. And there had been some negative press about our family. And so, and so yeah, so they didn't want to talk to me because my family was. So, we've had a couple of run ins like that. And there was the funniest one that I just still think it's hysterical is my husband was working the polls for me last year when I was running for tax assessor. And he struck up a conversation with a lady and she said, Well, I don't think that Miss Coburn can be very smart. And he said, Why do you think that? like this is a woman who's you know, had a full academic scholarship to college, she's smart. And and he said, she she looked at him and she said, Well, she's relative to that Duck Dynasty family. And they're all just rednecks. And I just don't think they're very smart. And he just laughed, he just said, he had to take a step back and go, you know, most of Trasa’s, cousins have master's degrees. Most of them are very well educated, just because they have long beards and long hair doesn't make them not smart. But this lady was just fully determined that my family was not very intelligent. And so, I just laugh about that. I just think it's really funny that you know, that even in the world we live in where we don't always jump to conclusions, there are still some conclusions that people jump to just on just based on appearance. Angie: Well, and I think that's one of the other things when we're talking about politics, people automatically jump to a conclusion because of something was presented on social media, or a commercial that came out or, you know, I think it was earlier this year, there was a commercial that came out and everybody was upset about it. Talking about men, and it was I can't even remember the commercial that was out. But I watched the commercial. I'm like, Well, I'm not offended by it. My husband, I'm like, are you offended by it? Because but everybody's making these commentaries and several of them were saying, I've haven't watched the commercial but and I'm like,… Trasa: That is a huge thing right now is social media is people you know, you put a you put a link to a story. And it has a headline, and the majority of the people who post on my social media Don't, don't read the story. They just read the headline, and they respond to the headline, it's like guys, come on, you gotta look a little deeper. Everything is not a sound bite. And that's what we're kind of in the soundbite world where everything has to be a little you know, 32nd sound bite, and you can't get the full story about someone in a 32nd sound bite? You can't Angie: You can't. What was it? I think it was 2013 when they had the march for life on the Texas steps. And I was on vacation at that time, up in Arkansas. I had my old blog up at the time. And I had written an article about the balance of life and death while I was on vacation. And I wrote it from a very personal sense. There are people out there that are going to be angry on both sides. I knew that when I wrote it. I also knew that the very first comment I got that was going to be a hate comment. I was gonna stand up and dance because I was stirring something. Right? Didn't matter if I was if they were completely wrong, completely, right, whatever. I was stirring something. But the very first comment I got back with somebody that's going well, if you were a female, you would know this. And you obviously you've never been raped and you know listed off these different things that were in the article about my sexual assault about being a female about, right, but they don't like it. They didn't read it. They just saw pro life and decided to attack. And it's the same thing for our pro life followers too. If you're hearing the pro choices out there Planned Parenthood's out there. You need to educate yourself apps you need to know what you're against my friend Connie is the CEO of life choices pregnancy crisis, Pregnancy Resources Center up in Decatur, she had an event this weekend, they had the rally for life event. And she's got a half a million dollar budget to battle against a county that has what a $31 million budget for Planned Parenthood. You. It's kind of David and Goliath on that. So, there are issues that you're going to take up and you're going to want to defend and you're going to want to do and you're going to be the David in it. It may be the plumbing bar, it may be prolife, it may be gun control, it may be whatever that is you may be on the positive side on one and on the negative side for another but, How do you find those places to find your voice and find ways to connect? I know you went to an event recently with I've been Facebook stalking her. He went recently to any event with a group of senators or Texas senators or something like that. What was it last week? Trasa: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, I was at a republican Women's Club, the where a where a representative was speaking. Right. And yeah, so there were a lot of candidates and people who are, you know, currently in political jobs who want to keep their political jobs. So, they're running for next year, right, you know, years primary already. And you know, the thing is, I would strongly recommend that if you want to get involved, you know, at your city, I've already explained that. But if you want to get involved in the community, that's, you know, a little bit larger if you want to get involved in pro life issues, or if you want to get involved in something you're passionate about; first of all figure out what you're passionate about, figure out what your issue or issues are. Prolife is a huge one for me. I am I actually just attended an event yesterday that was at the courtroom where Roe v. Wade was decided in Dallas, right before it went to the Supreme Court, you know, it was decided, and they decided to overturn the law that banned abortion. And so, we had a prolife event in that courtroom, which was really just amazing. It was just really powerful to be in that place. And kind of be fighting about it, fighting against it, and kind of, you know, flipping the script on what had happened there. But so find out what your issue is. And then you know, you can if your issue aligns with a political party, then you can absolutely contact the party. So I'm involved here in Tarrant County with the Tarrant County GOP, the republican party in Tarrant County, and we have a website, it's you know, TarrantGOP.com And so you can go to it and or it might be.org. Now I have it bookmarked. So, I don't know exactly what it is. Isn't that terrible? That's what happens when we bookmark things, or we have our phones remembering everything for us or smarter than we are. So you can go to that it has a calendar of events. And so and I assume that the Democratic Party in Tarrant County would have a similar thing, I haven't looked at their at their website, but you can go to you can look at the different republican women's clubs, the different republican clubs that are for men and women both. And you can, you know, just go to one that's local to you and just see if you like it, you know, the people are usually really great. You know, you meet some people who are really interesting, in some ways, you know, but you but in any group that's passionate about what they do, you're going to have some people who are all the way across the spectrum. So, you're gonna have people who you jive with people who you don't necessarily would hang out with, you know, outside of this issue, but maybe you align with on this issue. And then some people who you just wouldn't you know, that your personality and their personality don't match. So, you know, you just have to find where you fit, both with the issue and with the people. And so I strongly advise people to be involved in politics, though, because it just does matter. Angie: Right. Trasa: What we do, what our choices are, at the political levels, whichever level who we send to make those decisions, right matters hugely. Angie: Well and I think, I think one of the important things you've shared today is, you were home, you were taking care of your boys, you were finding a new way, as they were growing up, you're finding a new way to get involved with school, your students challenged you, and you found ways to get involved, you didn't jump right in and go, I want to be the mayor, I want to be the governor of texas or I want to be the president of United States, you stepped in you just like you waited into the process. Trasa: Absolutely. And that's I think that's a safer way to do it as well, because the political landscape is so fraught with danger in so many ways, you know, that you don't necessarily know what the people you're talking with believe. And so it's better to go in kind of slow, in my opinion, instead of just jumping straight in and saying, Oh, well, I'm here and this is what I want, you know, you can do that. But then you just have to figure out because you can't make a difference by yourself, right? Like one person is not going to make a difference. But what it what makes a difference is when you find those people who align with you, and then you become a powerful group. And so, and you know, that's what you have to figure out is like, who are my allies, and who are the people who are opposed to us. And I don't use the word enemies, because I think there's too much of that in politics right now, where we like, demonize the other side. And so, I think that's one thing that we really need to pull back from, because I have some dear, dear friends who are very far left of me. But I love them with all my heart, and we can have conversations, and we can agree to disagree. But I would never say that they are evil for what they believe they strongly believe what they believe, because their life experiences have led them to that point. Exactly. You know, and so we can have conversations about it. And I can hope that you know, maybe I'll say something that will shift their perspective on something, and I'm sure that's probably what they think about me as well. But I can love somebody who is different for me politically. And so that's something that I'm seeing right now, that's very concerning is when people say, I don't have any friends who have different political beliefs than I have. I'm like, whoa, hold on a second. First of all, you're not very strong in your own beliefs, right? If you can't face somebody who believes differently than you, like, if you can't have a conversation with somebody who's different, then your beliefs aren't very strongly founded. You know, if I'm a Christian, and I can't have a conversation with an atheist, then I'm not very firmly founded in my faith, you know, and politics are the same way if I can't have a conversation with somebody across the aisle and seek where we do have consensus, you know, where we do agree, then you know, I don't I don't think I'm very firmly founded where I need to be you know, I need to back up and look at my beliefs if I can't talk about it with somebody else. Angie: And I think I think it's also important to know you don't have to get involved in dance with every fight you get involved invited to you know, we have a couple of friends I'm one of those also that has friends on all spectrums, independence, liberals, Republicans, you name it, Whig Party, whatever it is. The we want to be something we don't know what yet party, I have people from all spectrums on my Facebook pages and on my personal page, and they'll post something up there. And occasionally, I'll go in and debunk facts. I'll put facts in there. And depending on how they want to respond to those facts, will normally dictate how long I want to stay in the conversation, because they'll either turn it personal, which if they turn the conversation personal when we're talking about political or social issue, then I'm done because it there, they don't have an argument. They're just looking for something to strike. Trasa: It's ad hominem. Yeah, no. Angie: But if they don't want to see the facts, they want to keep throwing different things out there that are not factual. Again, I don't engage in the conversation. I tell them, let's share where we're getting our data from, and, and go from there. And there have been times that I've dug a little deeper on the other sites issue. And what I've found a lot of times is most of the people I'm arguing with, just want to be heard, Trasa: right? That is so true. It is just goes down to a people issue, we all want to be seen, we want to be heard, we want to be accepted. And if we can find a way to see, hear, and accept people on the on the basic level, we can open up minds and hearts to hear on a deeper level. Absolutely. I think social media is problematic in that sense, because people do just gut react to things and they don't always think it through I have a I have a 24 hour rule on my social media, like, you know, if I need to hide something, I'll hide it, and then I'll come back and respond to it. But I have a 24 hour rule that I'm not going to just post something right away when I see something that is maybe offensive, or that bothers me, you know, I'm not just going to go and type stuff and just, you know, hit send, because that just you're just inflaming. You know, it's just instigating things. And so my husband had the 24 hour rule when he was coaching, that's what he always told his parents, so I took that rule and internalize that. And so he always told parents, you know, he's like, if you have a problem with me, as a coach, take 24 hours, then call me and we'll meet somewhere and talk. And he's like, but we're not talking right after the game. We're not talking right after the practice, you know, wherever you were upset about, like, give yourself a little cooling off time. And like, we'll talk about it rationally as adults later. And that's how I feel about social media is that everybody just wants to, you know, they do want to be heard. And so, they just type real quick, and they hit send. And then later, you're like, Oh, I shouldn't have said that. I don't know. Or you go back and delete it. But people have already seen it, you know. And so, it's just so much better when people when you just take a step back, and I've learned sometimes, sometimes it's I'm a quick responder I liked when somebody emails me, I want to give them a response right away. But I've learned sometimes it's better to just let that email sit, or let that social media post sit. And then somebody will come back and say, you know, I'm sorry, I posted that, let me let me change that or whatever. Or they'll send you an email and say, guess what, I figured it out like, bro, you don't have to respond to it. It's not urgent, you know? So you kind of have to figure out priority wise, is something urgent that I need to respond to it? Or is it just that I have this impulse to respond to it right this second, you know, and so that's, that's, you know, kind of, I've tried to, I've learned over time and in politics that sometimes it's just better not to respond. Angie: Right. Well, in the I got tickled the other day, whenever I saw this bantering going back and forth, back and forth between a person, two people that I know. And it was about women's issues. Now, being in the military growing up as a military brat, there were women in the military, but they weren't as many as there are now. But part of the issue was they were discussing the whole world cup, soccer team and all that stuff. And, and I'm not even gonna step off into that, right, because I do have my opinions about it. But it's not necessarily the women's side opinion is not necessarily the men's side of opinion. It's a, we need to look at it differently than it's being looked at type thing. But I have a bunch of veteran followers as a vet myself, I have several female veterans who follow us and they're going to the VA’S today, and they're being called will win you're dependent card, right? Or they go, it happened to me, I was at the local VFW, Legion, something like that asking for an application for my son, because he's in the army. My husband's already a VFW member up at the Newell, West Virginia where he's from. And so I asked for an application for myself, because I've never been one, I figured I could start getting involved with veterans issues. Did they give you an auxiliary, they gave me an honorary three times? Oh, my goodness, what? Three times they kept giving me anything. So there are some things that as women, we are betting our heads up again. But it's how we handle betting our heads up against things, right, that can make a huge difference. So I just said, nevermind, I'll fill it out online, Trasa: right? Like all Angie: like most women, do. We just handle it ourselves. And the guy kept on what I don't see what the problem is. The problem is, is I served I've got a DD 214. I've got these different things. So how do how have you seen in your political experience? How to shift views, and mindsets in some of the most toughest areas that we have? So maybe you have somebody that has a perspective of how some, this is the way we've always done it? Right? How do you get them to shift that, oh, there's new technology, there's new things, there's all these ways, we don't have to do it that way anymore, we can do it. Trasa: I have a theory that the only thing that changes people's minds, is personal relationships, is the impact that somebody has on you. And the only you can't get online and change anybody's mind on Facebook or on Instagram or on Twitter, you know, you can post all you want on somebody else's page, and they are not going to change their mind, the only thing that's going to change their mind is when they have a personal experience with somebody that actually changes their mind. So, I always figure that it's best to be the person who could be the change. And to do that you have to have a relationship with those people. So, you can't just say, oh, you're an idiot, like I can't talk to you. And you know, unfortunately, you know, when we're dealing with, like the VFW and things, sometimes you're dealing with much older veterans, right, who lived in a time where women were not part of the service and women were not, you know, in their world view as veterans. And so, you know, they're still running into that, you know, they need to, they need to shift their impressions a little bit, what's going to change their mind is when they meet women, veterans, who are wonderful people, and who are strong and who are still feminine, and who are all the things that you know, we want our women veterans to be, that's going to change their impression when they have the time to actually meet those people, and they're not going to meet them, if you had stormed out and said, I'm never going to belong to this VFW, you know, then they're never going to meet you in that social atmosphere where they're like, Whoa, and Angie’s a woman veteran, Wow, she changed my total vision of what women veterans are, is changed, you know, and so I really feel that you've got to keep those avenues, those personal avenues open. Because otherwise, you just you just lose that opportunity. Right. And that's, you know, I see that as far back as a history teacher, you know, I see that with integration of schools, you know, because we were not going to everybody lived in their little bubbles, my kids, you know, I teach at the most diverse High School in Texas, right, it's been named by niche.com, several years running. And so, my kids teaching civil rights to this diverse group of kids, they don't get it, like, it's hard to explain a time when they couldn't be in class together, they don't understand the rationale. And so you kind of have to say, Well, you know, people weren't being necessarily ill intentioned, it's just, you know, I would have lived in a white bubble, you would have lived a little Hispanic bubble, you would live in a little African American bubble, and our bubbles wouldn't have connected. And so I wouldn't have known you, and know what a great person you are right? Without us, you know, forcing the issue. And then without having, you know, a made situation where suddenly black kids and white kids and Hispanic kids could go to school together. And now, I teach at this great High School, where it's so interesting, the kids don't see color, right? And it's fascinating. And you know, my son, my son, his first girlfriend was African American. And he didn't tell us about that. When we were going to meet her. He was telling us all about her. And he never once mentioned her skin color. And so when we met her, we were like, Oh, wow. And we're like, hey, how come you didn't mention that? He goes, Well, because that didn't really matter. Right? It was so awesome, that this generation has gotten so far past that, you know, whereas, you know, when we were growing up, and before, that was such a big issue, you know, and it's kind of how I grew up, because being in the military, it was so integrated. And like my high school was so multicolored, multicultural. And I had people who spoke Spanish as their first language, and French is their first language and, you know, just such a melting pot of people. So, I feel very comfortable with the school I teach at, and so it's marvelous. But that's what that's what changed. people's minds was not the forced Brown, the Board of Education, what changed people's minds was, I'm sitting next to a kid who looks different than me, and guess what, we're both interested in the same things. And we both like the same sports and hey, we're really good people. And I get that person. Angie: Well, I think it's interesting that we have, like you said, the high school is very culturally diverse A few years ago, I think it was 74 different languages spoken there. I don't remember if Trasa: I think it's 75. Now, but yeah, it's pretty close. Angie: It's amazing. But one of the things when I went in the military, we didn't have a well with the high school there. We didn't have as diverse a school at that time. But it was still very diverse. And I had friends of every socio economical group, every social group, Belden campus, every nonsocial group. And when I went in the military, I felt like I was well, well prepared. Absolutely. My son has said that to you know, he says, he feels he can talk to anybody about anything, because he has this this background from what he learned at school. What he also found was some of those other people. And I'm not saying whether it's a skin color, a faith or anything like that. Some of the other people look at him, and they see a straight white guy from Texas, and they can't get past it. Yeah, he's fine. But he they can't get past right. And they can't be friends with him. Because they see that and, and it kind of throws him for a loop. He's like, wait a minute, you know, my mom's had a, like six different countries represented around our dinner table at one night in you can't accept me. Right? Right. So, it's a little bit of a different feel when it comes to that, but I encourage him to embrace those moments, because it tells a little bit more about what some of the things that happened back in the day. And by embracing those moments, he could prevent them from happening in the future, Trasa: and he can be a representative to that person, right? And teach them hey, we can be friends, regardless of that, you know, and, and your judgment might not be correct for, you know, and that's what people, that's what the personal interaction does is it helps people see past that first impression that you Oh, my gosh, you know, like, people look at me, and they just go, Oh, you know, she's like her family. And so some people are, you know, are afraid to, you know, to have a connection with me, because they're, they're afraid that my opinions are the same, or, you know, or not, you know, and so it's really interesting to have that, you know, you have to be an ambassador almost, you know, for you for yourself and just say, you know, look, I'm not I'm not like that it's not what you're imagining, right, that my experience has been, is not true. You know, people always think it's really funny. People always think that, like, I grew up very wealthy, because of my family being so successful now, and we actually had a lady come from WFAA to interview me a couple of years ago. And they drove up to my house and they came in and they go, we thought we were in the wrong neighborhood. And I said, Oh, you did. And she was like, we thought that this is a really like middle class neighborhood. And you would live in like a really fancy house. And you know, your house is lovely, but it's not like it's just on a regular block. And it's just, you know, it's a 2000 square foot house. Angie: Right, you’re approachable Trasa: Yeah, and so she was so but it was so funny, you know, that she thought I was going to live in a mansion, right? Because of who my family was. And I was like, oh, man, you know, it's not who I am, like, you know, even if we had all that money in the bank, which we don't, but I wouldn't live, you know, are in other places. I like where I live, right? Angie: So we're coming to the close to the end of the show. So what are some other things that you would like to share with the audience today about who you are, what you're passionate about, what you would like to challenge the audience to do, any of that stuff? Trasa: Gosh, um so we’ve talked so much, mean, I feel like I've talked a lot about those things. But I am passionate about kids. That is, you know, probably the number one thing I never thought that I would be family oriented. I always thought I'd be a career woman. And family was a far distant second. And God had a total different plan. For me, I was married by the time I was 21. And then had a child by 22. And you know, have four boys and stayed home for 12 years, which was not on my plan whatsoever. So I'm passionate about kids, but I also am passionate about God. He has done marvelous things for me, and I have a great life and a great balance right now. And so, I just I, you know, there were periods in my life where I wrestled with God. And I disagreed. And I thought I had a better plan than he did. And I and it never worked out. And so, he was always right. I mean, teachings, one of those things, I never wanted to be a teacher. And I fought it, and then ended up saying, fine, God, I'm going to do it, but it's going to not work out. And then of course, I love it and I love the kids, and I love what I do. So, I would say, Well, number one, follow what God's plan is for your life. You know, even if you wrestle with a little bit, that's okay. Jacob wrestled with God. And he was still, you know, one of God's favorite people. So you know, God doesn't do, he doesn't demand unquestioning obedience from us, he demands obedience, but you can question all you want along the way, you know, so you may not agree, but he's going to take you where you want to go and whether you know it or not, you know, and then I just, and I'm passionate about public policy, I just think, you know, what we do matters and what our decisions are at the public level matter to our lives. And so I would strongly just encourage people, a couple of things, one, if you're not involved with the educational community, in your area, you know, schools or public places, you can go observe a class, you can go get involved, we have a great program at our school called, called Trojan talk, where we have community mentors come in once a month, and spend time with the same group of kids over the year. And so, you know, we'd love to have people come and join us for that. So if you live in, you know, Hurst, Euless, Bedford, if you want to be part of the Trojan talk community, you know, come see me, email me, we are always looking for people who want to be involved with kids, and you know, and they need good mentors, they need people from outside the school, they look at me, and they say, Oh, she cares about us, but she's a teacher, she has to care about us, you know, they don't realize that I choose to care about them. Yeah, I choose to be a teacher, because I do care about them. But they need outside people for that. The second thing is get involved in your community in some way. You know, it doesn't have to be politics, even. It can be volunteering. I'm a huge advocate for volunteering, there's an organization called six stones in Bedford that I'm on the board of and we haven't we have an actual a back to school event coming up on August 10 that you can volunteer for if you look at six stones.org. And so you know, volunteer, get involved, do something that's outside your little bubble of your house, because you know, and if you're in a position where like, you've got four kids, and they're small, don't feel bad, that you're still in your house in your little bubble, because that's God's plan for you right now I have I have a dear friend who she's always saying, Oh, I wish I could travel like you, I wish I could do the things you're doing. And she's got two little boys who are six and four, and a husband who's National Guard. So, he's gone every other weekend. And I said, Honey, your time will come, now God has you in this place for a reason, you know, you'll have this time to travel and do other things a little bit later. So just kind of be aware of you know where your spot is, and where God's calling you to be. And then get involved as much as you can. Angie: I like that verse from Micah 7:7 that says, I'll wait and hope for my Lord, because I know he sees me. And so in those moments, you know, like your friend right there, and several other women I've been talking to lately is, you may be in that waiting season, and for what you're really hoping to do. But there are so many things that you can do and touch where you're at right now, shaping the young lives of our future generations is one of them. And so, in honor of having you here today and honor of you being a teacher getting ready to go back to school, and all of that stuff, I think you touched on it earlier about being present and being involved. We do a little segment at the end called EVERYDAY DIVAS and, and this week, I'm going to put out Julie Cole as our EVERYDAY DIVA for the week. And the reason I'm doing that is because Julie Cole was some I met when our kids were in high school and she was everywhere. I mean, woman is everywhere. She now serves on the school board for our district. And she just started out being a mom, just serving where there was a need in the school where her kids went to school and being present. And being able to say, Yes, I can do that or She even said no, a lot. But not as often as she said yes, I think I mean, she said no a lot to a lot of great things. Because she knew she was set up for even more things than what she was stepping towards, works a full time job has her kids has her husband, all of that stuff. But she is one of those people that is going to live all along living life day to day every day, not looking for any shout outs, not looking for any praise. But we want to just honor that she not only stepped forward and just saw a need and met it. But she kept moving forward, and she leads our school board very well, and is another mate a great community builder. So today, DIVAS, if you're out there, I want to challenge you to be a community builder, whether it's your community in your home, or it's your community, in your church, your school, whatever that is, we want you to be a community builder. But every day, just remember to make an impact, whether it's big, whether it's small, a positive impact on those that you do, you have a choice as to what battles you engage in. And we're going to keep moving forward. So, thank you so much. Trasa Robertson Coburn, I didn't want to throw that out at the beginning, because I wanted to build up to that. And I wanted people to get to know you for who you are for all of that. Because we shared some amazing things today that really just helped me a lot. I know a friend of mine, this weekend shared something about all the voters in you know, we all vote for the big elections. But we don't always show up for the midterms or the the community elections. And those are where we can really start shifting the paradigm. And eventually, those are the people who got beat up the chain to the big elections. So, I really appreciate your time today. And I look forward to visiting with you. And we're going to have her social media and website and all of that in the comments of the podcast. So be sure to go and like, follow her. Send her comments, tell her how she inspired you today. And I just thank you so much for being here today. Trasa: Thank you so much for having me. Angie: All right.

The future of Santa Cruz’s homeless policy is going to be guided by a new committee. It’s called the Community Advisory Committee on Homelessness, and it was created on Tuesday night by the Santa Cruz City Council. We break down what you need to know about Tuesday's meeting, including a proposal for rental housing data collection and the city's new 5G cell tower policy. Plus, some news about Santa Cruz Local.

Over the past few years, we have made tremendous headway with regards to improving educational programs for special education students. Robin Cowan, a member of the California Special Education Community Advisory Committee and mother of two, actively strives to spread awareness and advocate for the importance of special education.  In this episode, Robin shares insight on what is going on behind the scenes of these committees and how you can get involved. If you’re interested in learning more about the pivotal work community advisory committees are involved in or simply how you can get more information on local area plans, tune into this episode of IEP Podcast with your hosts, Vickie Brett, and Amanda Selogie.  Show Highlights:  Who makes up special education advisory committees  How the school district governs the committee  The operational system for orchestrating meetings and advising the committee  How Robin became aware and got involved in the committee  What the board has accomplished within the school districts  Building trust and collaborating with the school district Helping parents understand what resources are provided and available  The influence that individual experiences have had over the changes being made and striving to become all inclusive  Making change at a local level  Communicating with parents and schools to keep everyone aligned  Helping students in their projection of becoming an independent member of society  Resources Mentioned in the Show: Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the show to receive every new episode delivered straight to your podcast player every Tuesday. If you enjoyed this episode and believe in our message, then please help us get the word out about this podcast. Rate and Review this show in Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, or Google Play. It helps other listeners find this show. Be sure to connect with us and reach out with any questions/concerns: Facebook Instagram Twitter IEP website This podcast is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not to be construed as legal advice specific to your circumstances. If you need help with any legal matters, be sure to consult with an attorney regarding your specific needs.  CAC for Special Education          

Today on Bytemarks Cafe, we'll find out about an initiative backed by the World Health Organization called the Age Friendly Cities. We'll find out what recommendations were made by the Community Advisory Committee and what steps the City will take to implement them.

When a parent like Katy Franklin, who has a child with autism, donates time to aid other parents, it is a gift. Time is at a premium in her life. She is helping other parents navigate the special needs program of the San Francisco Unified School District.  Katy is a member of the Community Advisory Committee on Special Needs of the San Francisco Unified School District School Board.  The Committee sends out a newsletter twice a year from the committee to the parents of extra needs children in the district, that is distributed by the San Francisco Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA).One issue was sent out, and then the difficulties began. When given the second newsletter in July 2007, the SELPA manager David Wax assured the Committee that it would be translated into two languages.  This took until January 2008 but came back without any translation. A further delay was caused when the Committee was told there were “issues” with the ‘frequently asked questions’ section of the newsletter. Katy had included the questions the Committee members are continually asked by parents in an effort to increase the knowledge of the parents.  It became an issue for SELPA because these questions and answers educated the parents on their rights in getting an equitable education for their child. At that point, SELPA and David Wax sent a letter from a law office telling the committee that they were not allowing pages two and three to be sent out (including the question/answer section). This is a case of a government agency censoring, without authority over the Committee, but it gets worse.  Under the guise of investigating a complaint of Katy’s, SELPA sent a lawyer to Katy’s son’s school to investigate his homework and all communication between Katy and her child’s teacher. It gives you goose bumps. You can download the newsletter and the letter from the law office and see for yourself what SELPA doesn’t want parents to know.  After you listen to the interview that Senior Dad Stan Goldberg has with Katy Franklin please listen to the closing segment as Katy perhaps provided us with the clue for us to tease out an answer as to why some autism numbers in the SFUSD appear so out of proportion. 

A few years ago when I was investigating different methods of teaching children I encountered a teaching method that was gentle yet effective. A small widespread school district in Alaska had adopted a method of teaching where every child learned at their own pace. The method had some elements of the Glasser system which includes a heavy reliance upon choice. The method that was used in Alaska, which I called the Chugach method after the school district that originated it, was a definite paradigm shift. It changed the factory model of education where time is the constant and learning is the variable to a model where learning is the constant and time is the variable. I spoke with Bob Crumley the superintendent of the district and learned about the program. In the ensuing years I have spoken to many people about this method of teaching. I have to confess after this period of time I am still in enamored with the method. Bob Crumley joins me again and we discuss his districts use of this IEP for all and everyone at their own pace method of teaching.In 2008, the San Francisco Unified School District's Special Education department decided to illegally censor the Community Advisory Committee for Special Education’s newsletter. This Committee is state-mandated to provide oversight of SFUSD’s special education department and reports directly to the School Board. The School Board did not support the Committee and allowed the Committee to be censored. As an aftermath of this cataclysmic event, the director of special education retired. Shortly after that, the head of the Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) also left the school district. After one interim special education director, in the spring of 2010, the school district engaged the services of the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative to audit SFUSD’s special education department. David Riley, Executive Director of the Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative, joins me to elaborate on this far-reaching audit.Stan tells us about swimming issues

Senator Joe Nguyen was born in White Center, raised in Burien and currently lives in West Seattle. His experiences growing up in an immigrant community as the son of Vietnamese refugees and being raised by a single mother informs much of his service today. He is the chair of Wellspring Family Services' Associate Board, which works on issues related to family homelessness and is committed to housing 2,000 children and their families in the next two years. Part of the board's work includes advocacy, and we were able to pass Wellspring's first bill (HB2861) providing support for trauma-informed care, which was signed by the Governor in the 2018 session. Nguyen is also involved in police relations as a member of the Community Advisory Committee for the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight in King County. His work focuses on building bridges between community and law enforcement to achieve equitable policing. He is a Senior Manager at Microsoft and lives in West Seattle with his wife Tallie, a special education teacher in the Highline Public School District, and their two children, ages 1 and 3. Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vietnamese-with-kenneth-nguyen/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy