Dear Mom, Speaker - Heather Avis
Heather Avis is wife to her handsome and hardworking man Josh, and mother to the adorable Macyn, Truly and August and Author of "The Lucky Few" (available everywhere books are sold). After working as an Education Specialist she found herself as a full-time stay at home mom when she and her husband adopted their first daughter, Macyn, in 2008. Shortly thereafter, in 2011, they adopted their second daughter, Truly. And in 2013, their son August was born and came home to be theirs.
Heather currently resides in Southern California where between oatmeal making, diaper changing and dance parties she shares her heart by putting words on paper and using her hit Instagram account @macymakesmyday, to share the awesomeness of all things Down syndrome and adoption. She cares fiercely for the underdog and believes God's goodness and beauty are found in the most seemingly uncomfortable places.
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Dear Mom, Speaker - Jen Jones
Jen Jones is an author and blogger who writes specifically on issues of faith and family. She is a gifted speaker, boldly communicating the Truth with grace, adding joy, increasing faith and building hope in others.
She is a wife, a mom of four kids, a certified health coach and currently serves alongside her husband at Center Church, a faith community they pioneered in downtown San Diego in 2014.
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Dear Mom, Speaker - Alan and Nikki Lawrence
Alan and Nikki Lawrence, the family behind That Dad Blog and Wil Can Fly, took the nation by storm with Alan's creative photography and unique angle for advocacy. They have toured the nation meeting other families and sharing their story with incredible passion and commitment.
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Dear Mom, Speaker - Terry Brown
Terry Brown, affectionately know as “Mrs. Brown” by her many learners, has a passion and a gift for teaching individuals with Down syndrome. Working from her home, she has developed a successful and innovative program that teaches reading and other academic skills to learners ages three to adult.
Her teaching methodology, based from Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome by Patricia Oelwein, is unique in the education space and her commitment to these methods and learned applications over the years are proven successful.
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Dear Mom, Speaker - Oakley Peterson
Oakley Peterson grew up in Northern California but currently resides in Northern Utah with her husband, Scott and their three little ones. She is the mother to feisty Scarlett, their fun and sassy girl, sweet Welles, their empathetic and pure hearted escape artist (always on the run), and Ames, the boss baby who joined the party and thinks he owns the place! When not changing soiled diapers, cleaning pen marks off the walls or checking door locks to keep Welles in.
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Dear Mom, Speaker - Dr. Bill Sears Sr. and Martha Sears, RN
Dr. Bill Sr. and Martha Sears, RN has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years. Dr. Bill Sears Sr. serves as a health consultant for magazines, TV, radio, and founded popular parenting site AskDrSears.com. As a father of 8 children, Dr. Sears coached Little League sports for 20 years, and together with his wife Martha has written more than 40 best-selling books and countless articles on nutrition, parenting, and healthy aging.
Martha is the co-author of 25 parenting books and is a popular lecturer drawing on her 18 years of breastfeeding experience with her eight children (including Stephen with Down Syndrome and Lauren, her adopted daughter). Martha speaks frequently at national parenting conferences and is noted for her advice on how to handle the most common problems facing today’s mothers with their changing lifestyles.
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