NJ PTA annual convention in Long Branch

The 113th New Jersey PTA Convention will be on Friday, March 21, and Saturday, March 22, at Ocean Place Resort and Spa.

Keynote speakers include Lonnie Allgood, Former NFL Player and Founder/CEO of Dreams for Kids, and Laura Bay, President Elect for the National PTA.

Allgood learned early in life that big dreams, along with hard work, will always pay off. With this belief, he was the first one in his family to attend college and graduate with a degree in engineering from Syracuse University.     His drive and determination honed his athletic skills and he received a full scholarship from Syracuse University. Soon after he would be drafted into the NFL’s Cincinnati

Bengals. Working hard and believing in himself he fulfilled his lifelong dream to play in the NFL.
After several years of playing football, Allgood realized that the path that led him to fulfillment needed to be shared with today’s youth. It was this new dream that has led him to where he is today; to communicate the values he had learned to help uplift and motivate troubled kids, and set them on a better path.

Bay was elected and installed as the National PTA President Elect at the June 2013 National PTA Convention. Prior to her election, she served a two year term as National PTA Secretary-Treasurer and served on the National PTA Board of Directors and on the finance and the field service committees.

In 2007-09 she served on the organizational viability committee for National PTA. Bay is a passionate advocate for education and children’s issues and believes that PTA is the organization which actively supports and promotes parent, teacher, and community involvement in child / education issues.

A few of the convention workshops offered include: Running Your PTA Meeting; Food Mood and Nutrition; Current Adolescent Trends; What is a 501(C)3 and Why Should I Care?; Bullying Redefined – a Professional Workshop; Concussions in Sports; Diversity and Multiculturalism;

Keeping Our Children Safe in a Sex Saturated Culture; How CCSS and PARCC will Achieve Student Achievement; School Board Issues; Forms/Fees/Tax Returns; PTA Insurance; Spotlight on Physical Fitness and Nutrition; Trouble on Board: Agitators, Instigators, & Malcontents.

Students whom were awarded the 2012-2013 Art Reflection for both NJPTA and National PTA will be honored at General Meeting Session on Saturday, March 22 at 4:00 p.m. The Theme for 2012-2013 was “The Magic of a Moment.”

Registration for Convention is accepted at the door . For more information, please visit NJPTA.org or contact Rose Acerra, Convention Chair at RAcerra@­NJPTA.org.