NORWALK, Conn., April 19, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Smart
Kids with Learning Disabilities (SKLD) will hold its annual gala,
Make Waves, at 7:00 pm on Friday,
April 26 at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club in Greenwich, CT. Long-time broadcasting
executive Dick Ferguson will serve
as Master of Ceremonies and Dave
Sylvestro, a school psychologist at The Southport School,
will be the evening's auctioneer.
At this year's event, SKLD will honor Dr. Benjamin N. Powers with its 2019 Community
Service Award. Dr. Powers is an educator, researcher, and
thought-leader, and he has served as Headmaster of The Southport
School, a leading day school for students with dyslexia and ADHD in
Southport, CT, since 2012.
Throughout his career, he has championed evidence-based approaches
to teaching children with learning disabilities that recognize
individual strengths, promote independent thinking, develop
self-esteem and self-advocacy, and fuel academic achievement.
Dr. Powers is as an affiliated research scientist at Haskins
Laboratories in New Haven and at
the Grenoble Ecole de Management in Grenoble, France; and is co-director of the Academic
Center of Excellence for The Dyslexia Foundation. He is co-author
of "Great Expectations: A Current Perspective on Education,
Disability, and Society," a chapter in the forthcoming book All
About Language: Science, Theory, and Practice (Brookes Publishing,
2019).
Powers holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from
Grenoble Ecole de Management, an Executive MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor
of Arts from La Salle University. A
Certified Dyslexia Practitioner, he is an associate member of the
Academy of Orton-Gillingham Practitioners and Educators, serves on
a number of advisory boards, and is an honorary board member of
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities.
"It is an honor and privilege to receive this Community Service
Award from Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities," says Dr.
Benjamin N. Powers. "Smart Kids is a
well-respected voice for families and children, and they have
impacted thousands of lives. I'm fueled by organizations in the LD
community, like Smart Kids, which contribute to making our world a
better one for individuals with learning and attention issues."
Also at the gala, the Fred J. Epstein Youth Achievement Awards
will be presented to student winners hailing from across
the United States. The major award
is for $1,000. The Youth Achievement
Awards recognize the strengths and accomplishments of young people
with learning disabilities and/or ADHD despite their struggles in
school.
The gala will feature a cocktail reception, live and wine
auctions, in addition to the awards program. Auction items include
house tickets to the hit Broadway musical Hamilton, exclusive
premium tickets to the Yankees and U.S. Open, and a private
cocktail cruise on Long Island Sound.
Gala tickets are available for purchase online.
The Summit Sponsor for the Gala is the Southfield Center for
Development in Darien and
Wilton, CT – a family-centered,
interdisciplinary practice dedicated to providing comprehensive
evaluation and care with an integrated solution to the needs of
children and adolescents. Additional sponsors include The Canell
Group at J.P. Morgan Securities, Fusion Academy of Greenwich and
Fairfield, Lindamood-Bell Learning
Center in Darien, CT, and The
Southport School.
About Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc.
Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities, Inc. is a nonprofit
organization dedicated to empowering the parents of children with
learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit disorders (ADHD)
via its educational programs, award-winning website and blog, and
free e-newsletter. The organization also educates the public about
these children's gifts and talents. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, Anne
Ford, and The Southport School Head Dr. Benjamin N. Powers are Honorary Board members.
Henry Winkler, Golden Globe
award-winning actor, director and author, serves as the
organization's Honorary Chairman. For more information, visit
http://www.SmartKidswithLD.org.
SOURCE Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities