In times like these, our 优蜜视频 community is more important than ever. Despite a challenging year, the outstanding 优蜜视频 team created an online teach and learn platform which made it possible for 优蜜视频 to remain a vital source of hope, encouragement and knowledge for our students and their families.  Our community remains passionately committed to being there for each of our students and serving their unique needs. 

We could not do this without the support of our generous community.  Together our end-of-year Annual Appeal donors have contributed over $165,000 of our $240,000 funding gap.   We are grateful to the many donors who have been able to make a donation.  It鈥檚 not too late to make a donation in support of our Annual Appeal!   

Thank you for helping to make a difference in the lives of gifted children.  When we join together, we can achieve the extraordinary. 

I have had quite the journey in my six months at 优蜜视频.

After the first few weeks, I was crying at work while listening to Yunasa Leadership 2 campers. Over a temperamental flame, these young leaders spoke about difference Yunasa made their lives. I felt connected with their bittersweet pain, leaving the place that gave them the strong wings to fly solo.

As time passed, I found myself incredibly confused. Sitting in the back at an EXPLORE Culmination Celebration, I was stupefied by the externship projects of high schoolers. While I could not entirely grasp their presentations, I understood enough to see the feat performed by these interns. In just a few weeks, these gifted youth acquired palpable new skills and relationships.

I was then jerked out of my confusion by kid-sized giggles. Those small giggles belonged to students with adult-sized ideas and innovative thoughts on how to best rule a country and how 3D printing can solve the world鈥檚 most pressing problems. Their ideas were just as infectious as the giggles, as I found myself laughing and dreaming, too.

I was pointedly escorted back to reality, however, as I stepped foot into my first CDB interview. In this new reality, seventh graders had the poise, smarts and promise of my own peers. I sat in awe of young people fiercely advocating for a chance at a life-changing scholarship. Though I had official interview questions, all I really wanted to ask was: how did you end up here, so inventive, inquisitive and insightful?

Though a whirlwind, the best part of my 优蜜视频 journey has been watching the journeys of hundreds of gifted youth across the nation unfold. I am privileged to witness social, intellectual and emotional breakthroughs of children, to speak with parents about the support and community they have found. Above all, I am privileged to contribute to an organization that gives its community, both young and old, the gift of belonging and the ability to see giftedness as just that 鈥� a unique and beautiful gift.

This Giving Tuesday, please Join me in the Journey by giving to 优蜜视频. There are so many ways to help gifted youth reach for the intellectual and personal potentials:

• You can give of your time: Consider volunteering at 优蜜视频.
• You can give of your resources: Consider donating an in-kind gift to 优蜜视频; program coordinators and remember that when you shop on , AmazonSmile donates to Institute for Educational Advancement!
• You can give of your voice: Spread the word about the needs of the gifted child to your friends, family, local elected officials and more. to shift the way our nation thinks and serves gifted youth.
• You can give of your funds: For over twenty years, 优蜜视频 has provided refuge for almost 10,000 gifted youth and their families. We cannot continue this work without your support. At, 优蜜视频 87 cents of every dollar go right back into serving our community.

In my time at 优蜜视频, I have witnessed levels of giftedness and growth that could change our world, all due to the innovative enrichment programs and services of 优蜜视频. Please Join the Journey this Giving Tuesday and beyond, joining with 优蜜视频, and me, to forge a brighter path for gifted youth and their families.

With the thanksgiving holiday approaching, we begin to reflect on all that we are grateful for.聽 As I think about the past year, I remember many wonderful moments and people associated with the Institute for Educational Advancement (优蜜视频).

Whether it was a joyful moment speaking with an excited new Caroline D. Bradley Scholar or a moving conversation with campers at Yunasa, 优蜜视频 has greatly impacted my journey this year, and I hope it has for you as well. If you are a student, camper, parent, instructor, extern, staff member or volunteer, you understand what it means to be a member of the 优蜜视频 family: to be seen, understood, enriched and appreciated for your uniqueness. We feel so many of the same emotions and understand the trials and triumphs that come with being a part of the gifted community. We are grateful for you, as your presence in our community has supported 优蜜视频 on its journey to see, understand, enrich and appreciate almost 10,000 gifted youth across the nation.

As I look back on this past year, I cannot help but also look ahead at all that is to come. On the journey ahead, 优蜜视频 hopes to serve more students in our Pasadena hometown and beyond. We hope to provide more scholarships to ensure all children have access to 优蜜视频鈥檚 unique web of support. We hope to enact lasting change through state and national policy initiatives, shedding a brighter light on the needs of the gifted community. However, we need your continued support to turn these hopes into reality. This holiday season, please by donating to 优蜜视频.

In my time in the field of gifted education so far, I have learned that anything is possible. This is especially true with the unwavering support of the 优蜜视频 community. It is because of members like you that I believe the goals we strive for are within reach. With your support, we can create a clear and bright journey ahead where all gifted youth are supported as they reach toward their full intellectual and personal potentials.

With gratitude on this Thanksgiving Holiday,

Elizabeth D. Jones
Co-Founder and President

If you are reading this, that probably means this is not the first time hearing about our exciting fall fundraiser, . If, however, you and your family are still on the fence about attending, we present to you a list of five reasons you should absolutely not miss out on this new 优蜜视频 event!

1. Prizes, prizes, PRIZES!

You already know you鈥檙e a VIP. Purchase opportunity drawing tickets and get treated like a VIP, too! At $5 for one ticket or $20 for five tickets, enter to win VIP access to some of the coolest attractions Los Angeles has to offer!

Engage your creativity at Color Me Mine Studios in Pasadena. Enjoy a night of fellowship and fun for four as you create to your heart鈥檚 content! All participants get to take their creative creations home.

Looking to hit the town? Skip the lines at The Broad, a beautifully designed contemporary art museum in DTLA showcasing some of the biggest names in contemporary art. From Basquiat to Kusama, The Broad holds so many treasures within its 鈥渧ein and vault.鈥�

Live entertainment more your thing? Enjoy access for two at select concerts during the 2019-2020 season at the 鈥渉ome of the Los Angeles Philharmonic:鈥� the Walt Disney Concert Hall! Enjoy music from all over the world in one of LA鈥檚 architectural wonders.

If none of these packages spark your fancy, there are plenty more packages from which to choose!

2. Be Crowned Master of all things STEAM

Ok, so perhaps you won鈥檛 be a master after attending I[d]EA Day, but, with our collection of vendors, workshop leaders and exhibitors, you and your family will be well on your way! We have an amazing program poised to inspire attendees young and old to innovate and create.  Don鈥檛 miss out 鈥� your ticket grants you access to some of the most interesting and truly out-of-the-box minds!

Have a burgeoning builder at home? Bring them to a workshop with , where participants will learn to manipulate found items into living, moving sculptures. Parents beware 鈥� attending this workshop may lead to an influx of cardboard creatures around the house!

Have you ever tried talking to your dog? If you have not but you would like to try, attend a workshop led , a research firm ridding the world of landmines through interspecies conversation.

Reduce, reuse, recycle 鈥� repeat! Visit the table to imagine your way to new creations using old goods. If you like getting your hands dirty and stretching your imagination, this table is the place for you!

There are plenty more opportunities for kids AND parents to Innovate, Explore, Design and Activate at I[d]EA Day.

3. Fun, Food and Drink

Did someone say tacos?

All ticket holders get a free taco from , a local business bringing family recipes, culture and color to life in plant-based tacos! Additional food items will be available for purchase.

Special thanks to community sponsors and for providing event beverages!

4. Get in the 优蜜视频 Know

If you have been looking for a way to plugged in or you are an 优蜜视频 regular with new questions, I[d]EA Day is a great place to start! 优蜜视频 staff will be on hand to answer any questions you may have about all that we offer.  From our programs for uniquely gifted youth, to support for parents and ways to volunteer, there will be plenty of opportunities to get in the know and get connected to the 优蜜视频 community.

Speaking of community, I[d]EA Day will be a great way to connect with members of the local gifted community. There will be plenty of opportunities to meet other parents, children and community supporters who are passionate about providing uniquely gifted children the resources they need to reach toward their fullest potential. Parents will even have the opportunity to sit down with and parent of a gifted child, Jennifer Burke, to talk parenting the gifted. Take advantage of this opportunity to expand your network of support and enrichment. After all, 优蜜视频 gatherings are nothing without YOU.

5. Give the Gift of Education

Did you know? 85 cents of every dollar donated to 优蜜视频 goes directly to providing programs and services for gifted youth.

All proceeds raised from I[d]EA Day go right back into the community we serve, ensuring all children, gifted included, are given the tools they need to work toward actualizing their intellectual and personal potential. And if you cannot attend I[d]EA Day, give the gift of education to gifted youth by or today!

We hope to see you on October 6^th for a day of food, innovation and family fun!

鈥淣o act of kindness 鈥� however small 鈥� is ever wasted.鈥� 鈥� Aesop

Today is ! At 优蜜视频, our means that we see gifted youth as much more than their minds and deeply value their unique perspectives on the world. The young people we serve are of course very bright, but they鈥檙e also extremely compassionate. To celebrate World Kindness Day and our extraordinary community, I gathered 优蜜视频 staff members鈥� memories of kind acts by our students that will continue to stick with them for years to come:

• 鈥淭his past summer, two students donated a bunch of their stuffed animals to as part of the camp鈥檚 Yunasa Buddies initiative. (New campers get to choose their favorite Yunasa Buddy to keep them company while they鈥檙e away from home.) They also get to take their buddy home! I thought it was such a kind gesture for them to initiate that donation.鈥�

• 鈥淚 travel with a pillow one of my clients made for me when she was six because she wanted me to be comfortable when I got on planes and slept in hotel rooms. The pillow has a picture that she drew of a castle (because she was six and liked princesses) and my dog Megan so I would always have Megan with me.鈥�

• 鈥淪everal years ago, two of our Yunasa campers held a lemonade stand and then donated the profits to Yunasa.鈥�

• 鈥淎t Yunasa West this summer, one camper spent all $60 of his camp store dollars on ice cream tickets for campers and staff.鈥�

• 鈥淎 six-year-old Academy student remembered my birthday from a conversation early in the session and then made me a card weeks later when it came!鈥�

• 鈥淥ne of our Yunasa campers, age nine, was on his flight home from camp and thought the flight attendants looked tired/stressed, so he wanted to help them. He took his towel out of his carry on and went to the back galley where he taught them yoga and guided meditation. (It is also kind that the attendants let him do this!)鈥�

Check out the World Kindness Day website to browse for people of all ages. Tell us in the comments how you鈥檝e seen the gifted children in your life show kindness to others!