New leadership, Wrapping for Inclusion and more - The National Inclusion Project's Newsletter - The Voice.
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The Voice
The Project's Bi-Monthly Newsletter

National Inclusion Project Leadership Announcement


During the 2015 Champions Gala, executive director Jerry Aiken announced that after 8 plus years with the National Inclusion Project he was retiring.  Jerry led the organization during its formative years and in conjunction with the board and staff established the Project as a leader in social and recreational inclusion. Jerry’s involvement will continue as a member of the board of directors.

Nick Leisey was introduced to the Champions Gala audience as the next executive director for the Project. Nick has been a long-time friend of the organization and is well known by many of our supporters. Nick will bring his background in education, inclusion, and fundraising to the team as the National Inclusion Project embarks on its next stage of ensuring inclusion becomes the expectation for all children.

Thank you for the great support of Jerry’s leadership over the years. Our achievements are the results of your support, and as we move forward with Nick at the helm your continued support will be essential to our ongoing success. Thank you for not sitting on the sidelines!
Our 2015 Wrapping for Inclusion (WFI) season is about to get started and we are gearing up for another great year!  Volunteers across the country will set up stations in malls, Barnes and Nobles, Macy’s, Old Navy and more in order to bring holiday cheer and spread awareness about the National Inclusion Project. 

The Wrapping for Inclusion team challenges YOU to get involved!  We’d like to have at least 2 new sites this holiday season.  Whether you wrap for 1 day or 14, we welcome your assistance! 

Contact Christy or any WFI coordinator to learn more about this project and how you can get involved. Check out our WFI page for more information. Together, let’s grow the campaign!

Did you know you can help the National Inclusion Project while shopping for your friends and family?  Choose the National Inclusion Project as your charity/cause at these online sites and they donate a portion of your total purchase to us!
 
Amazon Smile: Visit smile.amazon.com to create your free account and let the shopping begin.  Amazon Smile will do the rest!

Goodshop: Log onto www.goodsearch.com and explore hundreds of your favorite retailers.  Enter their website through the link provided on goodshop and shop away.  Voila! You just contributed to the Project. 
 
For more details, check out our website.
 

Please note that the National Inclusion Project offices will be closed for the holidays on November 26 & 27 and December 24 - January 3rd.

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT
Leslie Grimes

"My belief is that children are our biggest investment into the future success of the world, all children deserve to be valued equally. Too many children suffer from being excluded for various reasons, but it all comes down to one common denominator...fear. It is the fear of something different from ourselves, fear of not meeting the standards of what others view as acceptable...whether that standard is applied to how we look, how we dress, how we act, or if we are born with a label attached to us because we have a disability. The fear that creates exclusion is born once our children start to recognize those differences in each other, and no one tells them it is okay to be different."

Leslie started volunteering with the National Inclusion Project from its inception in 2003 because she believed in our mission to bring awareness to the importance of inclusion for children with and without disabilities and to provide opportunities for inclusion through recreational play.

"I know the pain of feeling excluded, because I was bullied as a child, and my own children were bullied..." Click here to read more...

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Circle of Heroes Champions Gala in Sept! Thanks to all of YOU - our supporters, volunteers, presenters and honorees - it was a great weekend and we raised over $300,000 to send kids with and without disabilities to inclusive camps!

For those that are not able to attend the event, we still have a few of the Champions Gala thank you gifts in the office. If you donate the price of a ticket ($250+), you will also receive the special personalized and signed flash drive with the never before recorded song 'Anchor Me' by Clay Aiken. (only while supplies last).

Click here to read more about the Champions Gala weekend of events.
 
To learn more about the National Inclusion Project, please visit our website at www.inclusionproject.org.
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PO Box 110104
RTP, NC  27709