Achievement Ladder Award--March, 2008

Congratulations to the Habitat for Humanity International affiliate in East Pasco County, Florida, which is celebrating its 50th Dedicated Habitat Home. Fifty Families are now living in affordable housing in East Pasco County because of the dedication of the original 48 community members. These interested citizens met on March 5, 1994, at the Trilby Methodist Church to consider affiliation with Habitat for Humanity International. The first groundbreaking for a new Habitat home was February 14, 1995; and the first dedication for that new Habitat home was April 29, 1995. The concept for Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 by Millard and Linda Fuller. There are now more than 100 countries in the world that have been impacted by the original concept of Millard and Linda Fuller, providing a "Hand up rather than a hand out."

In 13 short years, East Pasco Habitat for Humanity has managed to attract multitudes of volunteers, donors, benefactors, and dedicated community leaders to provide 50 affordable houses for eligible Habitat homeowners. These dedicated, volunteers come from local, regional, state, national, and international origins. We hear the terms RV Care-A-Vanners, Collegiate Challenge, Women's Build, Blitz Build, Global Village, and just plain volunteers in ReStores, recycling efforts, and educational presentations to interested churches, civic organizations, and schools. In addition, many in-kind donations of time, talents, and treasures have assisted to complete the mission of Habitat for Humanity International though its active Habitat affiliates throughout the world.

Habitat for Humanity International through its affiliates works in partnership with God and people everywhere, from all walks of life, to develop communities with God's people in need by building and renovating houses so that there are decent houses in decent communities in which people can live and grow into all that God intended.

Congratulations to East Pasco Habitat for Humanity, Inc. for your continuing efforts to make a difference in East Pasco County, Florida, by your desire, dedication, and determination to provide affordable housing for working families and Habitat homeowners. You have the honor of being the First Achievement Ladder Award recognition for 2008!

Achievement Ladder Award Announcement-2008

Watch for the nominations for the Achievement Ladder Awards for 2008. There are many volunteer contenders who have made a difference in encouraging individuals and organizations to Climb the Ladder of Achievement...going from negatives to positives.. and saying I DID IT!..

If you have any suggestions for additional nominations, you may respond to ladoach@yahoo.com for additional considerations. Knowing that in all areas of learning, progress is being made to encourage positive attitudes for all learners to continue their ongoing lifelong learning process of saying "Yes" to "Success." May you continue to SMILE...it is the second best thing that you can do with your lips...

Achievement Implies Sincere, Dignified Disclosure

As we have witnessed today, another example from the major media using negative information to fuel the fires of Smear, Discredit, and Destroy. These tactics have long been the tools in the print and air media to attack anyone and any organization that disagrees with their elitist philosophy.

To smear the good name of anyone is a violation of the personal integrity of that person through libel or slander. Everyone has the right to their reputation, and to have that reputation respected. Hopefully, a person is judged on their amended and reformed life rather than the human indiscretions of the past. After a smear comes discredit. To defend yourself after the damage is done is extremely difficult and challenging. With everything being used to correct the situation, the third prong is to destroy the reputation and the character of the human being as a negative approach for negative gain.

Today, we need to see more positive approaches to replace the negative approaches that have historically been used to impact the individual's reputation. Achievement implies Sincere, Dignified Disclosure of the holistic person in the now...Today is the tomorrow that you dreamed about yesterday.

Educational Achievement Requires Holistic Approach

Today I read an editorial in a local newspaper, St. Petersburg Times, that advocated the support of State Board of Education to promote exclusively the scientific approach in teaching about the beginning of human life. Although evolution has been preached through the many scientific classrooms for many years, the holistic approach is being ignored and discarded using the excuse: "separation of church and state." The comprehensive approach to "truth" in educational presentations is being controlled and supported by the new religion: "secular humanism."


In many educational curriculum surveys, parents were asked what should be included in the curriculum regarding the beginning of human life. Creation and intelligent life issues have been requested to be included in the educational curriculum. However, the State Boards of Education have left out these proposals since they border or conflict with the "so-called theory of separation of church and state." Is there any logical reason why these theories and concepts are being ignored? Imagine if the parents who are sending their children to public education decided to opt to home school or to send their children to private schools. Also, imagine if these same parents asked for a rebate on their taxes for making choices that better educates their children in the holistic approach to education. What an outcry at the various State Capitols that dictate financial choices involving educational budgets. In addition, imagine the outcry at the local county level for the shortfall in educational funding.

Why are secular humanistic elitists again dictating the educational curriculum for all of our children? There is no establishment of religion when philosophies clash over the choice of effective educational curriculum. We have all witnessed what has happened to our public schools when children are unable to read, to write, to compute, to reason, to think, to analyze, and to evaluate when challenged on college entrance assessments or career assessments. The holistic person is being ignored when short-sighted elitists dictate their own secular humanistic agendas.

Remember to respond to editorials that seem short-sighted or to elitists who are promoting their own agenda. We are a proud nation and we need individuals to be challenged at all levels. "Remember what you have learned. Education is Your Life. Guard it Well!"

FBLA-PBL Association, Inc., Celebrates Ladder Achievements

Congratulations to Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda Association, Inc., in celebrating National FBLA-PBL Week, February 10-16, 2008. In addition, February 13 is National FBLA-PBL Adviser Appreciation Day. Also, February is National Career and Technical Education Month.

Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) student business organization with nearly a quarter million members and advisers in 12,000 chartered high school and college chapters worldwide.

FBLA-PBL Association, Inc., mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs. The Association is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C.

For more information visit www.FBLA-PBL.org. For the Florida state chapter visit www.floridafbla-pbl.com.

For many years, I had the honor and privilege of being a Florida PBL Adviser at Pasco-Hernando Community College, East Campus. In addition, my colleagues at Florida FBLA-PBL Association, Inc., elected me to serve on the State Board of Directors as a PBL representative, as President, and as State Chairman. Although retirement may have reduced my involvement with the State Association, I have continued to serve in whatever capacity that the State or the National Association gave me the opportunity to serve. My commitment to this outstanding student organization worldwide is through Lifetime Membership in the Professional Division of the Association.

Congratulations to all of the student members and to the dedication advisers of the Florida FBLA-PBL Association and to the National FBLA-PBL Association during your special week: February 10-16, 2008! You are all outstanding Leaders of our United States of America and Globally!

Positive Attitudes Impacts Achievement Ladder Progress

From time to time, we all need to reassess our approaches to life's challenges by looking at our personal and career attitudes. Here are a few suggestions to help in your assessment. Using the acronym for attitude, here are the characteristics to consider:

A - Achievement on a daily basis with short term and long term goals.
T - Temperament that dictates your personality traits and positive responses.
T - Talents that are God-given and that are learned over the years.
I - Initiative that means that you are a self-starter and have internal locus of control.
T - T.E.A.M. which stands for Together Everyone Achieves More...in unity there is strength.
U - Understanding which is the purpose of all effective communications.
D - Dedication which is surrounded by Desire and Determination to make positive progress.
E - Enthusiasm which includes the last four letters: I Am Sold Myself.

A Positive Attitude determines your positive Altitude with your positive Aptitudes. To reach your successful adventure on your Achievement Ladder, you will need to daily reassess your positive attitudes, your visionary altitude, and your God-given aptitudes as you climb your Ladder of Achievement.

Fifty years of Learning the Successes of Former Students

Often educators are encouraged to receive good news from former students who are interested in sharing their learning successes. To see former students in the community contributing their time, talents, and treasures in making a difference in the community is a positive reward for giving and encouraging wisdom. Even with current students you are given a spark of encouragement that what you are doing with your students will prepare them for their future careers.

Recently, a current student discovered a website: www.dalecarnegie.com/blojsom/blog/tips/Team Member Engagement/2007/07/26/Be-a-Good-Listener. The acronym, Ladder, caught his attention.

Here are his findings:

L - stands for look at the other person.

A - stands for ask questions.

D - stands for don't interrupt.

D - stands for don't change the subject.

E - stands for emotion with control.

R - stands for respond appropriately.

The student concludes: "In summary, many of the things mentioned on this site were to me, common sense. I have believed that although sometimes very difficult especially in my job, you must appear to not only be interested in what the person is trying to relay to you, but you should attempt to be receptive to their statements. Be prepared to make a response. No one wants to pitch a potentially new program to a co-worker and have them sit there and not make a response, even if it is a negative one...In my opinion, I would not only rather be the first co-worker that was receptive, but I would want my other co-workers to act this way as well."

Yes, there are many more examples of what effective, positive learning can do for persons as they continue their ladder of achievement challenges in the real world...the classroom without walls.

Congratulations to Giants Achievement...Super Bowl 42

Congratulations to the New York Giants Team, the Coach, and the entire New York Giants organization for accomplishing their Ladder of Achievement for 2008...SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS! After watching your team play in Tampa Bay, in Green Bay....my thoughts wandered to what if....Just a few weeks before the Tampa Bay game, your New York Giants Team played a New England Patriots on their turf and lost by a mere three (3) points....a field goal... Then when your Giants field goal kicker had trouble at first but then finished the game in overtime with a successful field goal, I knew that your team was on its way to redeeming itself if given the chance again to play the New England Patriots. Yes, the final score was 17 to 14.

Oddly enough, about two weeks ago, I predicted that the New York Giants would beat the New England Patriots by a field goal based on the superb performance of that field goal he had kicked in the Green Bay game. In addition, I noticed the Defense in their constant and persevering efforts to limit the time of the opposing quarterbacks including Bret Favre of Green Bay. Also, the Offensive line of the New York Giants really gave Eli Manning time to execute the selected plays. With this observation, I felt confident that the New York Giants were confident enough to again face the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on neutral grounds. Yes, this was a game that matched the best two teams in professional football. The results were: New York Giants 17 and the New England Patriots 14...A field goal of epic proportions and two touchdowns of a determined Team to make the final score in their favor. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WORLD CHAMPIONS.....NEW YORK GIANTS....YOU ARE THE BEST IN 2008!

Eternal Achievement Ladder of Hope

Forty years ago a beautiful baby girl named Anastasia was born in Rochester, PA. She lived for three hours before she went to her eternal home. She weighed about one pound, ten ounces at birth. Watching her struggle to survive in the small incubator, my thoughts randomly wandered to what could I have done better. What we learned on that day was that medically the medical team did all that they could do for her. She was too weak to survive. My wife wanted to have closure with seeing the baby after the baby had expired. Yet it took about twenty-five years later to have a marker placed at her location in the cemetery. Medically, the doctors assured us that we could have more children but with a special medical procedure for each pregnancy. Yes, we learned that we could have additional children for our family. We were blessed with four more children...two girls and two boys. The odds against this happening were unknown, but certainly a calculated risk.

We learned a lesson of Hope for the present and for the future. We learned that the Giver of All Human Life may have taken one life back, but gave four more lives to our family. What every mother may have to endure with each pregnancy is whether that life growing within her body would be healthy to survive. We were fortunate that the doctor who delivered Anastasia asked our permission to baptize our baby. We know that Anastasia has been keeping an eye open for our family while in her eternal home. On that February 3, we also learned the value of community support through our church and through our career. The entire basketball team that I was coaching plus the assistant coach were comforting and reassuring during that time of sorrow. We had a wonderful funeral attended by the entire basketball team, by members of the K of C, and other members of our parish family. Also, our relative and friends were helpful in getting us through a trying time. Yes, we learned a wonderful lesson in Hope.

Today, as we reflect back on that time in our life, we thank the medical community, the parish family, the community, and our family and friends for their prayers and moral support. We salute our beautiful baby girl, Anastasia, as SAINT ANASTASIA ...reminding us of Hope in a world that seems to have lost its desire for eternal hope. Also, we salute all mothers who have born a baby and who may have had to endure the pain of loss because of some medically unknown reason for a baby's death. These mothers CHOSE LIFE...they wanted to have a new life come into the world...these mothers were unselfish and loving...but had to endure an unexpected turn of events. But these mothers who had faith know that their children are with God for all eternity. What a wonderful discovery of faith, hope, and enduring and lasting love.

To all of the women in the world, I share this verse that has been passed on to me over the years. Hopefully, the men in their lives will read and understand what really matters in a good relationship.

"Woman was made from the rib of man. She was not created from his head - to top him nor from his feet - to be stepped upon. She was made from his side - to be equal to him...from beneath his arm - to be protected by him--near his heart--TO BE LOVED BY HIM!"