Chapter elections are coming this year! Please see below for an important message.
LPA is a non-profit organization. It is your source of information and resources for the LPA central Florida region. This organization serves the Brevard, Citrus, Manatee, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Levy, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia areas.
LPA Today Online
The Online Source for LPA Information
January 2010
Pre-Registration for Nashville 2010 Opens January 15
LPA is excited to be heading to Nashville for the 2010 National Conference. Conference dates are July 2-9. Pre-registration for the conference and hotel room reservations begins on January 15. You can register online, by phone, or by mail. If registering online you will need to know the user name log-in and password for the HOH family member. Don't know it? You can request them online on the 2010 Pre-Registration Form page, or call or e-mail the office. Click here for more information.
LPA's Advocacy Committee by Gary Arnold
Over the last few years Advocacy Committee Chair, Joe Stramondo, and I have worked to increase the capacity and the impact of LPA's Advocacy Committee. A critical component of this effort is building the committee to include representation from each LPA District. In 2009, we made important progress on this front. As of today, more than two thirds of the Districts are represented on the committee. In 2010, we hope to achieve 100% district representation. The committee currently has seats open in Districts 3, 4, 6 and 14. If you are an LPA member from one any of those districts and are interested in representing your district on the committee, please contact either the VP of Public Relations (Gary Arnold, garnold@accessliving.org) or the Advocacy Committee Chair (Joe Stramondo, stramond@msu.edu ) to learn more. If you are a member of LPA from a district already represented on the committee, you are still able to participate on the committee. But each district is limited to only one vote on committee decisions.
As an advocacy group in 2010, the committee will pursue several goals, including building an online tool kit that will provide the membership with resources in the areas of health care, education, employment, media, etc..; and providing district representation and leadership on advocacy issues, from proactive outreach and awareness efforts to responding to inaccurate portrayals and representation in the media.
Again, if you'd like to learn more, or if you'd like to participate, contact either me, Gary Arnold, or Joe Stramondo.
$50 for 50 More Years Fundraising Campaign a Big Success!
LPA's $50 for 50 More Years Annual Fundraising Campaign is off to a great start with over $20,000 raised in 6 weeks. This annual campaign provides much needed funds for LPA's ongoing programs and services, including the 888 number, adoption help, scholarships, first-time conference attendees support, our advocacy and community outreach programs and publications, the LPA Today magazine, office staff and national conference registration support. Please consider donating to LPA. Our members and friends are what keep LPA moving forward.
Interesting Facts about LPA
Number of member households as of January 1, 2009 -- 2405
Number of member households as of January 1, 2010 -- 2841
Number of phone calls answered by the office in 2009: 2000+
Most popular questions/calls:
1. Am I a little person?
2. When can I register for conference?
3. My child was just diagnosed with a type of dwarfism.
4. How do I become a member?
5. Is the "m" word offensive? What words should I use?
Attention Chapter 13 Members:
The present officer’s two year term expires October 2010. The following positions will OPEN: President, Vice President, Treasurer, & Secretary. These positions must be filled in the next election before October. Exact deadline to be determined.
If anyone would like to RUN for one of the above positions, you should submit a headshot to Michele McCormick, our Secretary, and send a short paragraph telling the chapter which position you are interested in and why you would like to run for that particular position. You will also need someone to nominate you.
We, Chapter 13’s Officers, cannot stress to our members how important it is to have each and every one step up to the plate. We need to fill these positions. If there was a time we REALLY need our members to get involved, it is NOW.
We need new faces, new leadership, and new ideas. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, we want to hear from YOU TODAY!
Lisa Cameron CH 13 VP