On Saturday, February 9th, the Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA) will host an anniversary celebration fundraiser to mark 20 years serving gifted children. Attendees will be treated to an evening celebrating the heart of gifted children and fostering hope for the future. The fundraising event will include a silent and live auction, dinner program, and dancing in celebration of serving gifted children for over 20 years.
As part of the festivities, we will be honoring two groups instrumental to the founding of IEA.
IEA Senior Fellows
The Senior Fellows have years of experience working with gifted youth and shaping gifted discourse. Their expertise was crucial to the development of IEA through the research and implementation of the awarding winning Yunasa camps. Their years of service as facilitators at Yunasa and advisors to IEA remain invaluable.
Dr. Patricia Gatto-Walden is a licensed psychologist who has worked holistically with thousands of gifted and profoundly gifted children, adolescents, and adults for more than 35 years. In her adjunct educational consulting practice, she has helped parents, educators, and administrators understand and accept the multifaceted inner world and needs of gifted individuals. Dr. Gatto-Walden additionally provides two-day comprehensive family retreats, entitled “educational consulting and family renewal,” which blend counseling and consulting services. She is a featured speaker at gifted conferences and educational workshops throughout the nation.
Michael M. Piechowski, Ph.D. is the author of Mellow Out, They Say. If I Only Could: Intensities and Sensitivities of the Young and Bright and Living with Intensity (with S. Daniels). Earning a PhD first in Molecular Biology and later in Counseling Psychology, he served as a faculty member at three universities and one small college. He has published extensively in the areas of emotional development, developmental potential of the gifted, and emotional and spiritual giftedness. He is one of the original designers of Yunasa. In 2016 he was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by SENG and the NAGC Global Awareness Network Annemarie Roeper Award.
Stephanie Tolan, M.A. is author of 27 books of fiction for children and young adults, including the Newbery Honor Award-winning novel Surviving the Applewhites and Applewhites at Wit’s End, Listen!, Welcome to the Ark, Flight of the Raven, and Ordinary Miracles. Her non-fiction writing includes Guiding the Gifted Child (co-author), Change Your Story, Change Your Life, and an article about highly gifted children that has been translated into more than 40 languages, “Is It a Cheetah?” She is a well-known lecturer and advocate for highly gifted young people.
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation has been a pivotal supporter of IEA since the organization’s inception. Their generosity has assisted IEA in its general operations, public policy efforts, and technology program.
In 2014, with generous support from Sarah D. Barder, The Bradley Foundation has continued to fund the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship initiative. Since its inception in 2002, the program has awarded 293 high school students with merit based scholarships. These students are provided with the resources and guidance to find and attend an optimally-matched high school program that meets their unique intellectual and personal needs. This guidance and support continues throughout their high school careers.
Support from The Bradley Foundation has enabled IEA to serve thousands of gifted children over the years and continues to help us fight for a population very much in need of services.
Join the Celebration!
Join us on February 9th at our 20th Anniversary Celebration, to be held at The Annandale Golf Club of Pasadena, and help show our appreciation for these and other exceptional advocates for gifted education.
To sponsor and/or purchase tickets or a program ad to the event, click here.