Category Archives: Society

The Latest news about what is effecting Society in North America, These PR articles, bring the newest technologies, initiatives and helpful tools to those who need them.

Society: Disabled Issues / Disabilities

National Braille Press Announces Touch of Genius Prize Winner Paige Connect

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We applaud the Paige Connect team for inventing this amazing device. It’s ease of use, functionality and low price point made it the winner among a lot of other great entries in this year’s Touch of Genius competition


BOSTON (PRWEB)

National Braille Press (NBP) announced today that the 2023 winner of the Louis Braille Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation is Gregory Hargraves who, along with the Paige team, created Paige Connect. The Touch of Genius Prize competition attracts ideas from inventors around the globe who seek to improve the lives of people who are blind and have low-vision. The winner of the competition receives $10,000.

Paige Connect was invented by Hargraves alongside four other recent engineering graduates from Imperial College London (Carolina Gomes, Nina Rimsky, Sergio Gosalvez, Nina Moutonnet). Paige Connect is an adaptation for the traditional Perkins Brailler, that replaces the base of the brailler with a sturdy printed circuit board. This board has its own Wi-Fi with sensors that convert the physical keystrokes on the brailler to a digital output that can be read on a phone, tablet, or laptop instantly.

Gregory Hargraves will be recognized at NBP’s Annual Meeting on June 22nd for this incredible invention, and provide a presentation live from London followed with Q&A. The NBP Annual Meeting will be held at One Channel Center, 1 Iron Street, Boston, at with a reception at 5pm and the speaking program starting at 6pm. To attend RSVP at this link which will also provide an option to join virtually.

“Paige Connect is a device that will enhance the way that individuals write on their traditional braillers, and it will assist teachers to get instant feedback on how the student is typing,” said Brian Mac Donald, President and CEO, National Braille Press. “We applaud the Paige Connect team for inventing this amazing device. It’s ease of use, functionality and low price point made it the winner among a lot of other great entries in this year’s Touch of Genius competition.”

Paige Connect has its own web app that uses Liblouis an open-source software that can back-translate braille into print for the user to collaborate with sighted peers, parents, and teachers. The estimated price for Paige Connect is $125 USD. The next step for the Paige team is to bring the product to market after consumer safety testing and certification.

“The mission of Paige is to make braille affordable for everyone, help people communicate, collaborate, and engage with the braille community to better serve them in their everyday lives, said Gregory Hargraves. “We are grateful for the Touch of Genius Award and we are focused on the next phase to bring Paige Connect to market in the U.S., the UK and all over the world.”

The selection of Paige Connect was made by the Touch of Genius committee that is comprised of eight experts in the field of braille and tactile literacy from across the U.S. who have come together every year since 2007 to judge the award nominations. Committee Chair is Edward Bell, Ph.D. Director of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness at Louisiana Tech University.

The Touch of Genius Adjudication Committee includes: Edward Bell, Joann Becker, Yue-Ting Siu, Judy Dixon, Paul Parravano, Noel Runyan, Janet Ulwick-Sacca and Brian Mac Donald.

The Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation was originally founded with the support from The Gibney Family Foundation. In addition, the Lavelle Fund was instrumental in supporting the Touch of Genius Prize this year.

“The Lavelle Fund for the Blind believes that people who are blind or visually impaired should have all the tools and resources they need to lead independent and productive lives, and we believe in the importance of braille literacy.,” said Susan Olivo, Executive Director and CEO of the Lavelle Fund for the Blind. “We are honored to support the Touch of Genius Prize for Innovation, and we salute all the innovators, past and present, who are working towards this goal. Don’t stop trying, the world needs more innovators like you!”

The Touch of Genius Prize attracts innovators from around the world in the fields of education, technology, engineering, graphics, and literacy. It fosters and rewards innovation by offering a compelling incentive to support and expand braille and tactile literacy efforts for the blind.

About National Braille Press

National Braille Press is a non-profit braille publisher and producer of braille products. NBP creates products and programs to support braille and tactile literacy in the blind community and to provide access to information that empower blind people to actively engage in work, family, and community. For more information visit http://www.nbp.org

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Society: Christianity

Young Faith Vs. Young Love; Only One Of Them Can Reign Supreme

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inspired by the native history of the Rivers State of Nigeria.


STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (PRWEB)

Author Atinuke Durojaiye invites her readers to see how faith is tempted in a young woman’s life in Sweet Surrender: Series One ($12.49, paperback, 9781662880322; $25.99, dust jacket, 9781662880339; $5.99, e-book, 9781662880346).

Mabel Sekibo is ready to start the next phase of her young life. At 24, she came from a poor family who supported her to make sure she graduated from the University at all costs. Best of all, she has been following Jesus for two years! But when she meets a handsome, rich, arrogant, spoiled aristocrat, will it all fall apart?

Durojaiye says she was inspired by the native history of the Rivers State of Nigeria.

Atinuke Durojaiye is an Evangelist, Registered Nurse, Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker, Wife, Mother and Grandmother. Originally from Lagos, Nigeria, she now resides in New York City and is the CEO for Inumidun International Inc dba Purh20, distributor of Purh20 Natural Spring Water.

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Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the world’s largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. Sweet Surrender is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.

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Society: Christianity

An Inspirational Retelling of Life-Changing Events That Brought This Prodigal Back to God

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CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (PRWEB)

“What You Can Become When Your Faith Grows Up” shares author Gaye LaFoe’s personal story of loss, rejection, and ultimate redemption.

Readers get a glimpse into an autobiographical account of dysfunction, prolonged illness, and loss. LaFoe shares her unique personal experiences on her emotional spiritual journey with lessons in faith, struggles, and the search for answers.

“My testimony although it is about me, LaFoe said, “Is really about how God can change a situation radically, direct your path, and bring you to a place of total victory.”

This book is intended to be uplifting and encouraging for readers to start, continue or grow their relationship with the Lord. LaFoe wants to get this book into the hands of young people who are trying to find their way and to anyone seeking answers from God or wrestling with faith.

“I thought God had left me,” LaFoe said. “I placed Him in the same category as other men in my life who had let me down or rejected me. I got away from God for many years as a young adult filled with bitterness. But, after a life-threatening situation, I realized that He had been there all the time, directing my steps behind the scenes.”

“WHAT YOU CAN BECOME WHEN YOUR FAITH GROWS UP”

By Gaye LaFoe

ISBN: 9781664270381 (softcover); 9781664270398 (hardcover); 9781664270374 (electronic)

Available at WestBow Press, Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the author

Gaye LaFoe has a bachelor’s degree in business. She worked in the corporate world before retiring and has been a speaker and singer as well. LaFoe enjoys different hobbies, including event planning. She has been married to the love of her life for 39 years and they have two children and four grandchildren. LaFoe and her husband reside in the Chattanooga, Tenn. area.

To learn more, please visit http://www.gayelafoe.com, and while there check out her new blog, Until He Comes.

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General Inquiries:            

LAVIDGE – Phoenix                        

Ashley Baccaro

480-648-7557

abaccaro@lavidge.com

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Society: Disabled Issues / Disabilities

National Ability Center, in Partnership with Outride and Osseointegration, Debuts Trailer for First-Ever Short Film, “Tread Setters”

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“I never thought I would excel at anything athletically because of my disability, but I’ve turned my disability into my ability.” – Steven Wilke, adaptive cyclist and longtime volunteer at the National Ability Center


PARK CITY, Utah (PRWEB)

Today, the National Ability Center, a leading non-profit organization that provides world-class adaptive recreation and outdoor adventures for individuals and families of all abilities, in partnership with Outride and Osseointegration, released the trailer for its first-ever short film documentary, “Tread Setters.” The documentary follows four adaptive cyclists as they ride the 100-mile White Rim Trail in Canyonlands, Utah in one day. The four adaptive cyclists in the film are Annijke Wade, Josie Fouts, Roger Withers, and Steven Wilke.

“I never thought I would excel at anything athletically because of my disability, but I’ve turned my disability into my ability,” said Steven Wilke, adaptive cyclist featured in “Tread Setters” and longtime volunteer at the National Ability Center. “My disability has opened more doors for me than I ever thought possible. Through this film about my friends and I on the White Rim Trail, I aim to encourage younger people with disabilities know that they can do anything. Outdoor recreation is a perfect avenue for a complete transformation of mind and body to become the best ‘you’ possible.”

Unlike other trails that start with an incline and end in a decline, the White Rim Trail is the opposite, making it one of the more difficult trails to ride. This unique terrain combined with heavy rain two nights before the ride made it even more challenging to manage for the production crew and four cyclists.

The film was made possible by the adaptive cyclists, producers, director as well as additional partners and production and photography team members:

  • Matt Didisheim: Executive Producer

  • Tasha Tinagero: Executive Producer

  • Louis Arévalo: Director

  • Austin Smock: Cinematographer

  • Annijke Wade: Adaptive Cyclist

  • Josie Fouts: Adaptive Cyclist

  • Roger Withers: Adaptive Cyclist

  • Steven Wilke: Adaptive Cyclist

  • Utah Office of Tourism: Annual Partner

“Working on a film that brought together such a diverse group of athletes and two impactful organizations has been extraordinary,” said Tasha Tinagero, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships Manager at Outride and Executive Producer of “Tread Setters.” “Witnessing the power of collaboration and the strength of unity in this project has been incredible. This process has truly been a testament to the transformative power of cycling and the broad potential for positive change when organizations like Outride and the NAC are at the forefront of a movement. This project developed into an endeavor where barriers were broken, stories were shared, and the human spirit soared.”

To watch the trailer for “Tread Setters,” visit the NAC’s YouTube channel. The full film will be exclusively debuted at SBT GRVL in August. “Tread Setters” can be seen at various film festivals near the end of 2023 and into 2024, with an official public release on YouTube and Vimeo to follow. Tune into the NAC’s social media channels to stay up to date on where and how to watch. To learn more about the National Ability Center’s programs or to become a volunteer, visit discovernac.org. To learn more about Outride, visit outridebike.org.

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About the National Ability Center

The National Ability Center provides world-class adaptive recreation and outdoor adventures for individuals and families with disabilities, physical, cognitive, and developmental, including competitive athletes, youth, veterans, and more. Rooted in Park City, Utah for nearly 40 years, with an additional facility in Moab, the National Ability Center empowers participants by building self-esteem, confidence and lifetime skills through inclusive programming and activities such as alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, horseback riding, cycling, swimming, rafting, archery, among others. With Vail’s EpicPromise as the National Ability Center’s largest annual community partner, NAC is globally recognized as a leader in adaptive sports. For more information, visit http://www.discovernac.org/discovernac.org.

About Outride

Outride is a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering communities’ cognitive, socio-emotional, and mental well-being through research, school-based cycling programs, and community grants. At Outride, we believe in the power of cycling to transform lives. We envision a world where billions of people use cycling to improve the well-being of their communities. Outride has a direct focus on expanding opportunities to access the benefits of cycling, partnering with programs that intentionally work to provide the social, emotional, and cognitive health benefits of cycling to underrepresented demographic groups.

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Society: Christianity

ARC (Association of Related Churches) Recaps Successful ARC Church Conference

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (PRWEB)

ARC (Association of Related Churches) is happy to announce that it held a successful 2023 ARC Conference. Organizers were able to reach more people than ever this year, thanks to the fact that the event was hosted at two venues simultaneously for the first time.

From April 25-26, ARC church leaders held the annual conference at two campuses of Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama. The two locations provided the organization with more space so that additional people could attend the impactful event to learn from and connect with others.

The conference was attended by thousands of ARC church planters, church leaders, and pastors, all of whom gathered together so they could become better equipped to help their local church community thrive. The event included plenty of worship, impactful messages, breakout sessions and various opportunities for people to meet new people and build new relationships with other people in ministry.

This all goes to one of the main tenets of ARC (Association of Related Churches), which is that no one should do ministry alone.

One of the highlights of the 2023 ARC Conference was the ARC Women Luncheon, held for the first time this year.

Dino Rizzo, the executive director of ARC churches, kicked off the conference by sharing what the organization has already been able to accomplish in 2023 and where it is headed in the future.

“I believe with all my heart that ARC’s future is existing churches becoming sending churches that prepare healthy church planters to be trained by ARC, to plant in undersaturated cities and in population growth cities, to fulfill the Great Commission.”

Other speakers included Chad Fisher, who, along with his wife Katie, serves as the lead pastor of Rock City Church in Columbus, Ohio, and are members of the ARC Lead Team; Miles McPherson, the pastor of The Rock Church in San Diego, California; Chad Veach, who along with his wife Julia, pastor at Zoe Church in Los Angeles; and Charlotte Gambill, a teaching pastor at the Church of the Highlands who along with her husband Steve helped build Life Church in Europe.

Another highlight of the two-day event was when Pastor Chris Hodges spoke during Tuesday night’s session at the Grandview location of Church of the Highlands. Pastor Chris Hodges is one of the founders of ARC (Association of Related Churches) as well as the lead pastor at Church of the Highlands.

During his talk, he shared an honest message about pastoring and what it means to him.

“My calling has a competitor. It’s comfort. If you are looking for comfort, you are in the wrong business,” Hodges told the audience. “You have to embrace the hard. If you embrace the hard and know that it’s part of the calling, you actually start to enjoy the hard because it’s part of the calling.”

To learn more about ARC (Association of Related Churches) and how you can join the movement to launch an impactful church in your community, visit arcchurches.com.

About ARC (Association of Related Churches)

ARC (Association of Related Churches) is a cooperative of independent churches from different denominations, networks, and backgrounds who strategically resource church planters and pastors to help them reach people with the message of Jesus. ARC exists to see a thriving church in every community, reaching people with the message of Jesus. Since its beginning in 2001, ARC has grown into a global organization and has helped plant more than 1,000 churches.

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Society: Disabled Issues / Disabilities

Duthie Power Services donates rental generators to the Special Olympics Summer Games June 10th-11th

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Duthie Power portable generators with seven individuals from the Rentals team and two dogs.

Duthie Power Rentals team

People with intellectual disabilities often don’t get the health services they need to thrive, so our Health Village is almost a turnkey solution for ensuring every athlete gets basic health services they need.


LONG BEACH, Calif. (PRWEB)

For over 50 years, Special Olympics has been empowering athletes with intellectual disabilities through the joy of sport. This year’s Summer Games will be held at California State University, Long Beach, June 10th – 11th, and Duthie Power Services is once again donating portable generators to power the event’s Healthy Athletes Village. Sal Hernandez, Duthie Power’s Rentals Manager, explains, “Duthie Power has an ongoing commitment to support programs that empower our community, from food and toy drives with the Crossroads Church to keeping the Special Olympics powered up. We love that we can give back in this way.”

As the world’s largest public health organization for people with intellectual disabilities, the Special Olympics offers myriad services to athletes at this annual event. “Our Healthy Athletes Village provides athletes with everything from podiatric and vision screenings to hearing aid fittings and physical therapy care,” shares Janet Portilla, Senior Manager of Health Initiatives for Special Olympics Southern California.

The Summer Games host over 200 athletes per discipline, with the Health Village offering services to over 600 athletes at this event alone. “One of our missions as a company is to ensure everyone has access to power when they need it, so donating portable generators to the Special Olympics is a way to fulfill our mission while supporting an incredible cause,” says Shana Duthie, Head of Sales and Marketing.

Among the services powered by Duthie’s generators are the edging machine used to make eyeglasses in the Opening Eyes section of the Health Village as well as the technology used for bone density screenings in the Health Promotion section. In the Special Smiles section of the village, athletes can also get fitted for mouthguards to keep them safe in competition.

“The Special Olympics is about so much more than sports,” shares Travis Yamasaki, Manager of Health initiatives at Special Olympics Southern California, “People with intellectual disabilities often don’t get the health services they need to thrive, so our Health Village is almost a turnkey solution for ensuring every athlete gets basic health services they need.”

The Healthy Athletes Village is open Saturday, June 10th 10am –3:30pm and Sunday, June 11th 9am – 2pm, with competitions happening across the CSULB campus all weekend. Admission to the games is free and open to the public

Duthie Power Services has served as the largest independent generator and fire pump service provider in Southern California since 1965. The Duthie team specializes in generator sales, installations, rentals, routine maintenance, diagnostics, repairs, and 24/7/365 emergency power restoration. The company’s commitment to using high-quality parts, coupled with fast, guaranteed customer service and preventative maintenance packages, have made them an industry leader. Duthie Power is a family-owned business and active member of BOMA San Diego (Building Owners and Managers Association) and BOMA Orange County, as well as EGSA (Electrical Generating Systems Association), with offices in Long Beach and San Diego, California.

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Society: Christianity

Refreshing Fiction Combines Relatable Topics of Christian Ministry and the Often-Overlooked Preparation For Spiritual Battles

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It is my hope and prayer that this novel will be used in Bible colleges, seminaries, and Christian universities as an instructional tool to help prepare ministry students for spiritual battle, a topic often overlooked or underemphasized in many courses of study.


TWINSBURG, Ohio (PRWEB)

Author Deborah A. Burd provides readers with a fictional story about ministry experiences in From Battles to Victory: Standing Strong in Your Call ($21.99, paperback, 9781662873065; $9.99, e-book, 9781662873072).

Burd’s book provides a compelling fictional story intertwined with important Biblical strategies and practices to help equip people for ministry on a spiritual level to experience more victories in spiritual battles during their ministry assignments.

Inspired by the ministry experiences of a real pastoral couple, Burd’s fictional story follows the Hanson family’s ministry adventures. Pastor Steve along with his wife and their teenage children experience two ministry callings in the same county. During these encounters, they face incredible challenges and seemingly crushing defeats. Readers will see firsthand how these callings have the potential to be too much for the Hanson’s. Will these callings break them apart as a family or will they rise to the occasion and fight the spiritual battles they encounter together? Readers will want to keep reading to discover if Pastor Steve and his family can forgive those who wound them. As many Christians experience daily, will the Hanson family’s trust in God and dedication to their callings produce victorious outcomes?

When asked what inspired the author to write this book, Burd said, “It is my hope and prayer that this novel will be used in Bible colleges, seminaries, and Christian universities as an instructional tool to help prepare ministry students for spiritual battle, a topic often overlooked or underemphasized in many courses of study.”

Dr. Deborah A. Burd holds a Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Transformational Leadership from Ashland Theological Seminary. She is co-founder and president of Besorah Institute for Judaic-Christian Studies & Biblical Research in Twinsburg, Ohio. She has taught online courses for Christian universities. Burd is a native Ohioan, residing there most of her life, currently living in the Cleveland area with her husband, Philip. Together they enjoy hiking, studying the Scriptures, and spending time with their children and grandchildren.

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Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the world’s largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. From Battles to Victory: Standing Strong in Your Call is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, Cokesbury.com and Christianbook.com.

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Society: Disabled Issues / Disabilities

Quinten De Graeve steps up to Team Novo Nordisk pro team

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“Quinten has impressed with his performances so far this season and we’re happy to be able to help his development and progress by giving this added incentive to step up,” said Vassili Davidenko, TNN General Manager


ATLANTA (PRWEB)

Young Belgian talent Quinten De Graeve is set to make the move up to the Team Novo Nordisk professional team after impressing for the development team during the first half of the season.

The 23-year-old puncheur will join the pro ranks with the world’s first all diabetes professional cycling team for the rest of the 2023 season with the focus primarily on gaining more experience.

“Quinten has impressed with his performances so far this season,” said General Manager Vassili Davidenko. “And we’re happy to be able to help his development and progress by giving this added incentive to step up.”

“The onus will be squarely on the learning process and maturing, but after the commitment and drive Quinten has shown this year, we feel he will be a strong addition to the senior professional team.”

In his first year with the Team Novo Nordisk development program De Graeve has produced good results in stage races on US soil at Redlands Bicycle Classic and the extremely challenging Tour of the Gila where the Belgian secured top 20 finishes on stages two and four and shown his strength and Flemish characteristics competing in gritty national races in Belgium.

“This winter it was great news for me to join the Team Novo Nordisk development team and the positive impact was noticeable straight away,” said De Graeve. “One of the many things the team taught me was how to start to live more and more professionally, diet, training, and diabetes management and as a result I became stronger. I’m sure I can learn a lot from the pro riders, and hope to keep growing.”

“Prior to my first season with the development team, I wasn’t thinking about becoming a member of the TNN – pro team. Of course this is a dream come true for me. I’m still developing, but I feel that I’m a pretty classic Flemish rider, I like the punchy courses, racing on the cobbles and against the wind are elements I can identify with and I’m looking forward to take this opportunity to progress with the pro team.”

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Society: Christianity

Dino Rizzo Recaps Ways ARC Churches Served Mothers on Mother’s Day

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (PRWEB)

Dino Rizzo, the co-founder of Healing Place Church and executive director of ARC (Association of Related Churches), is proud to share how ARC churches served mothers around the country on Mother’s Day this year through the resources provided by Servolution.

As Dino Rizzo explained at church service on Mother’s Day, Church of the Highlands announced that it would offer anyone who self-identifies as a single mom, widow, or mom whose child has been deployed a gift card good for an oil change. Church of the Highlands offered these oil changes at 23 campuses.

The idea was originally posted on the Servolution Instagram page, and the group received a heartwarming message from a mom who follows the account.

“As a single mom, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this post. I haven’t gotten my oil changed in a year because it’s expensive and I am intimidated by the whole experience!” she posted.

Factory Church in North Carolina offered people the opportunity to sponsor a single mom for Mother’s Day. According to Dino Rizzo, the church raised money to provide free manicures and pedicures for all single moms who are a part of the Factory Church family.

People who were interested in the “Single Mom Sponsorship” could head to the Factory Church’s website, where they could either donate directly or fill out a form to nominate a single mom to receive the wonderful gift.

Servolution undertook a concerted effort to take care of mothers everywhere this Mother’s Day. For example, Servolution provided followers with five ways they could serve on Mother’s Day this year.

One idea was to meet moms at a grocery store and offer to pay for her groceries. Dino Rizzo explains that this year, one of the most uplifting stories came from this suggestion.

An elderly woman was writing out a check to pay for her groceries on Mother’s Day, and church members interrupted her and offered to purchase them for her. The woman was visibly touched and appreciated this act of kindness.

Other ideas the organization put forth were to buy lunch for a mom, offer to plant her flowers or do yardwork for her, or fill her vehicle with gas and top off the windshield wiper fluid for her, too.

Mother’s Day is a day for celebration and a time to honor all moms across the world, according to Dino Rizzo. Yet, it can bring about some unhappy memories to single moms, widows, and moms of deployed spouses. This is a major reason why the resources Servolution provided helped to serve as many moms as possible this Mother’s Day.

About Dino Rizzo

Dino Rizzo, a 35-year ministry veteran, co-founded Healing Place Church with his wife, DeLynn, where he served as senior pastor for two decades. Through his passion for inspiring believers to serve their communities, Dino Rizzo founded Servolution and authored “Serve Your City.” Rizzo serves as the Executive Director of ARC (Association of Related Churches), which has planted more than 1000 churches worldwide, and is on the Senior Leadership Team at Church of the Highlands.

About ARC (Association of Related Churches)

ARC (Association of Related Churches) is a cooperative of independent churches from different denominations, networks, and backgrounds who strategically resource church planters and pastors to help them reach people with the message of Jesus. ARC exists to see a thriving church in every community, reaching people with the message of Jesus. Since its beginning in 2000, ARC has grown into a global organization and has helped plant more than 1,000 churches.

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Society: Disabled Issues / Disabilities

Disability Management Employer Coalition Names Incoming Chief Executive Officer

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Bryon Bass

“I’m excited to join a thriving organization that is a trusted resource for so many in the industry,” said DMEC incoming CEO Bryon Bass. “The education, networking, and support I find among DMEC members is unparalleled, and I’m eager to help chart a successful path forward.”


SAN DIEGO (PRWEB)

The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC), which serves more than 18,000 absence and disability management professionals in the U.S. and Canada, has named Bryon Bass, CLMS, incoming chief executive officer (CEO) for the Association. An experienced industry leader and a DMEC member since 1996, Bass has served on the DMEC Executive Advisory Board and the DMEC Employer Advisory Council, won the DMEC Partnership Award in 2009, and starts his role as incoming CEO on June 1, 2023.

“We are excited to welcome Bryon into this leadership role for DMEC,” said Kevin Curry, DMEC board chairman. “He is a strategic leader, who is well-respected within the community. The Board is confident in Bryon’s ability to extend DMEC’s influence and build on its 31-year history in the integrated absence and disability management field.”

Bass was previously senior vice president, workforce absence and disability practice leader for Sedgwick, a global provider of technology-enabled risk, benefits, and integrated business solutions, where he oversaw disability and absence management product strategy, innovation, standards and compliance, and product line best practices.

Prior to joining Sedgwick, he served as director of integrated disability management at Pacific Gas and Electric.

Bass is a nationally recognized disability and absence management expert. In addition to articles and speaking engagements that address state and local leave laws, mental health, return to work, and related topics, he regularly contributes to white papers and other industry articles and studies that help set the absence and disability management framework for employers and policymakers.

“I’m excited to join a thriving organization that is a trusted resource for so many in the industry,” said Bass. “DMEC has always been a beacon for absence and disability professionals, who see DMEC not only as the destination for industry education, but also as a supportive family. The education, networking, and support I find among DMEC members is unparalleled, and I’m eager to help chart a successful path forward.”

Terri L. Rhodes, CLMS, CCMP, CPDM, MBA, DMEC’s current CEO, has led the organization since 2015, and will facilitate the transition through Dec. 31, 2023.

During her eight years as CEO, Rhodes expanded DMEC’s influence as an industry leader, and the Association reported triple-digit membership growth, developed the Certified Leave Management Specialist designation program and a popular microcredential course series, launched a new absence plan design benchmarking survey and dashboard, ensured support for members during the pandemic, and more. She will continue to support DMEC and the industry in various roles in the years to come.

”Bryon was the best choice for DMEC’s next CEO; his passion and dedication to DMEC matches my own, and that is a tall order,“ said Rhodes. “Bryon has a good understanding of DMEC’s mission and vision — having served as a volunteer for many years on various DMEC boards and committees. I look forward to watching Bryon and the DMEC team take the organization forward to meet the challenges and changes in our industry.”

About DMEC

The Disability Management Employer Coalition (DMEC) is the only association dedicated to providing focused education, knowledge, and networking for absence and disability professionals. Through its education programs, DMEC delivers trusted strategies, tools, and resources to minimize lost work time, improve workforce productivity, and maintain legally compliant absence and disability programs. Visit http://www.dmec.org for more information.

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