Newsletter October 2024

September 30, 2024 The Whole Dyslexic Society

Welcome to Dyslexia Awareness Month!

We hope your transition to routine is going smoothly… we have a great deal to share with you:

Why We Do What We Do:

“Imagine a child who is bright, creative, and full of potential, but struggles with reading and spelling. She begins to doubt herself, internalize failure, and disengage from parts of her learning. This is not because she isn’t capable, but because the education system isn’t built to support her unique way of thinking. For years her parents are told that everyone learns at their own pace and that she will be fine. By the time she is diagnosed with dyslexia, through tests that show both how extremely bright she is and how much she struggles with the basics of reading and writing, she is too old for school-based reading supports and what is offered isn’t helpful to the way she learns. Instead, her parents need to find tutors, advocate for alternative learning approaches, and help her to learn in a word-based world. Without this support, she is at higher risk of dropping out of school, facing mental health challenges, and feeling marginalized throughout her life.

This little girl, who is now an amazing young woman of 14, is my daughter and without the support of organizations like the Whole Dyslexic Society and other alternatives to traditional learning, she wouldn’t be entering high school this year full of excitement for all the learning that lies ahead with the confidence to advocate for herself. I’m quite certain that she will one day change the world because she thinks in pictures, not words.

Thank you to a very gracious volunteer who is representing us at 100 Women Who Care Victoria”

~~~Victoria…..Thankyou!

Check out our updated website: Laura has changed us over the SquareSpace 7.1 to benefit from an easier way to distribute our Newsletters, a donate widget and much more… let us know what you think… and what you need to see!

It is clear our primary objectives are Outreach and Prevention, while we continue to fundraise for Program Sponsorship (formerly known as Bursaries) (see below) and Community objectives.
On Social Media – for Dyslexia Awareness Month – we are releasing snippets of a conversation about dyslexia which was a requirement for TELUS STORYHIVE on our way to the documentary ‘Who Knew… rest of the title to be decided’… our gratitude goes to Rob, Emily, Josh and Millstone Farm Organics for the filmed conversation!

This leads up to our Save the Date - March 9, 2025 for the Premiere of ‘Who Knew.. …….. ……’ at the Star Cinema in Sidney, BC. Sue and Kelly Conlin, our Director are busy in the editing phase of what promises to improve out outreach dramatically!
We are collecting items for a major Online Auction, which will culminate in a Live Auction Finale at the Premiere. If you have any, please do get in touch with us .. info@thewds.org. Thank you !

October 6-12 is Make a Will Week – our gratitude goes to those who could feature The Whole Dyslexic Society in this way.
October 23, Fish Don’t Climb Trees – second free information talk in Sidney BC.
Nadine Schumont is launching her second book this month, she is sharing her book readings on a local school tour!

Fundraising: Program Sponsorship

As you know we fundraise tirelessly to ensure that the programs we advocate are available to everyone, no matter their financial situation. In the grant writing world, this is not the easiest ask. We are so grateful to have Del Coburn who is also tireless in searching out grants and helping us to write them. We are changing our wording to make this task easier. In future our Bursary objective will be called Program Sponsorship. Nothing else changes, our procedure is identical, it is a semantic that will make it easier to approach more funding bodies. The WDS just applied to Telus Stand with Owners and the Ecclesiastical Community Impact Grant.

Prevention

We were thrilled with the success of the professional development pilot for Early Childhood Educators. Sue has been in communication with the Ministry of Education to extend the pilot for ECEs and take it further into K-3 classes. This is not a speedy procedure. In the meantime, one of the attendees has contacted Julie and Sue because she has a new role as the Outreach Coordinator for the Child Care Resource and Referral for 3 School Districts in the Victoria area. She is very keen to share our information with her ECEs and we are very excited at this prospect.

Also, Capilano University has a brand new ECE Centre on its North Vancouver Campus, and Sue has been virtually introduced to two of the teachers. The idea of brand new ECEs having our Davis Learning Strategies for Early Years in their curriculum is extremely exciting!

While we have hosted many Davis Learning Strategies for K-3 Teachers and will continue to do so, plus the extension of DLS into Early Years, it is obvious that while individual teachers welcome the strategies, our success is minimal. Often a new principal decides a new program will take place in that school, or the trained teacher leaves. We notice that when more than one teacher is trained in a particular school that is more successful and they can encourage each other. However, the education system as a whole is not welcoming us with open arms. Thanks to Del, we are exploring a route to independent research undertaken by an academic institution as we feel this will advance our objective of getting Davis Learning Strategies into schools via the education system.

Outreach

Sue gave a free information session to 30 people in Sidney on September 16. The secret to success for a full house is host the talk in a brewery!

A huge thank you to Small Gods Brewery who were so accommodating and gracious. As she had a waiting list, Small Gods have agreed to host another free talk on Wednesday October 23…….. download our flyer here………….

On Sept 12, Sue and Gisa met with Big Sisters in Vancouver. They shared information about dyslexia and talked about collaborating. They have a Study Buddy initiative and feel both the volunteers and the parents would benefit from hearing what we have to say.

Sue is very encouraged by the continuing support for our documentary ‘Who Knew……..not decided on the rest of the title’.. the Fine Cut will be submitted to TELUS STORYHIVE in November, the release is due January 2025 and already there are Facilitators in the USA and New Zealand hoping to hold their own premiere! We really do seem to be in a very supportive flow!

SAVE THIS DATE… Sunday March 9, 2025 doors open 4pm.

Leaving a Legacy Through Giving

October 6-12 is Make a Will Week in Canada, a time to reflect on how we can secure the future for our loved ones and the causes we care about most. Having a will is a powerful way to ensure that your assets are distributed according to your wishes. But it’s also an opportunity to make a lasting impact through legacy giving.

Legacy giving, also known as planned giving, allows you to leave a portion of your estate to a charity that matters to you. Including a charitable gift in your will is a beautiful way to continue supporting the causes close to your heart. It doesn’t require wealth—just a commitment to making a difference for future generations.

For supporters of our charity, legacy gifts help us provide essential services like funding for the Davis Dyslexia and Autism programs, and promoting dyslexia awareness. Even a small percentage of your estate can make a significant impact on the work we do, helping to create a better future for those with learning differences.

Our Giving Guide:

NEW!! We have created some information pages on our website for Legacy Giving and Donor Advised Funds. These are ways in which you can support your favourite charity. You can read all about them on our Giving Page HERE.

Purchase our Gifted with Dyslexia Pins. Purchase our Pins Here

TruEarth Eco-Friendly Laundry Soap and Products. 20% of all sales go to our Society. Please follow the link to our Tru-Earth product page to purchase. Tru-Earth Eco-Friendly Products Here

Donate a Car Canada. Looking for simple and free car removal? Donate a Car Canada accepts Vehicle Donations for The Whole Dyslexic Society. When you donate your car, truck, RV, boat, or motorcycle to The Whole Dyslexic Society through Donate A Car Canada, it will either be recycled or sold at auction (depending on its condition, age and location). Read more about Donate a Car Canada…….

See how donations can result in tax credits by reading the article below. Read More…Tax Benefits of Charitable Donations

Partial proceeds go to The WDS from sales and rentals of Ed Roman’s highly acclaimed “Red Omen” video. For more information on renting or buying Red Omen click here

We gratefully accept donations through our Canada helps charity page. We have a variety of donor options. Thank you !

Canada Helps - General Fund

Canada Helps - Bursary Fund

Canada Helps Tribute - Donate in honour of or in memory of a loved one.

Canada Helps Securities - A donation of securities or mutual funds is the most efficient way to give charitably. Since capital gains taxes don't apply, our charity receives the full fair market value when the security is sold, and you get a tax receipt which reﬂects your larger contribution. This allows you to give more and get more. TO READ MORE ABOUT DONATING SECURITIES OR MUTUAL FUNDS CLICK HERE

We are a registered charity with the PayPal Giving Fund. You can donate to our organization using your PayPal account with no fees. Thank you ! PayPal Giving Fund