My office window is ground level and a mere 15 feet from the parking lot. As such it gives me a clear view of arrivals and departures, especially in the summer when I forego the AC preferring fresh air early in the morning. This morning while working at the computer, I noticed two sets of arrivals which both illustrate the impact of our work here at the Stern Center. First, a young mother arrived and as she helped her son out of his car seat they were talking excitedly about the fun he was going to have with his teacher. Before they were fully assembled out of the car his instructor greeted them, and the little guy clapped his hands in reply. An hour or so later another vehicle arrived, this one driven by a woman appearing to be in her 80s who had a front seat passenger also in her 80s and a back seat passenger of about 6 or 7. As the grandmother (?) and her grandson made their way to the building, his primary colored backpack bounced on his shoulders as he skipped to the door. Pretty cool. It’s summer. This is not the beach or the playground, and yet both kids and their adults showed excitement and enthusiasm for being here. That’s what personal, genuine, effective instruction will do!

How best celebrate a woman’s 95th birthday? You start, as with all birthday parties regardless of age, with cake and ice cream (in our case mini-designer cupcakes), add balloons (in our case at least one nearly large enough for the guest of honor to hide behind), stir in three ridiculously handsome young men to offer greetings and kisses (in our case our board chair and two former students of the Stern Center), fold in staff and board members from across the nearly 30 years of the Stern Center, sprinkle liberally with current students and families as well as staff; bring all this together and gently warm with love and affection. Mrs. Stern had a blast! As the founding benefactress of the Stern Center, Bernice (as she is known) has been a constant cheerleader, an inspirational force, and a source of hope for all learners. As one of those young men said yesterday, it is practice to give gifts at a birthday party, but Bernice herself has been a gift to us all! Happy Birthday, Mrs. Stern, and thank you!