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“Dara was a dynamic speaker! I left the workshop with a new energy to take back to the classroom. She touched me in all aspects of life.” ~Teacher, Maryland ACSD Conference “That was the best professional development I have ever had! Ever! Thank you for giving me the tools I need to find happiness.” ~Frank, Disney Teacher, KIPP NYC “My life is changing daily – I cannot even begin to tell you the exponential positive impact of this weekend – at home with John, at work, with my children at college. My language has changed and the lightness that virtues have brought to my life.” ~Nancy Nuell, Director of Business Dev and Grants, Montgomery College “Dara personally reflects the integrity of the virtues she teaches in every aspect of her life, from her continual openness to personal growth, to her family relationships, and her work with colleagues and clients. She is an eloquent, engaging speaker. As the founders of The Virtues Project, we have often chosen her from thousands of other facilitators to represent us in meetings, conferences (including one with the U.S. President), and on national television as well as radio. Dara has contagious enthusiasm and courage in applying the virtues strategies to the issues of the day with hope and a positive approach. I whole-heartedly recommend her as speaker, a facilitator and a consultant." ~Linda Kavelin Popov, CEO Virtues Project International “Thank you for your generous, thoughtful and moving presentation. Our team is quite impressed by your work, and they are already, exploring how we might introduce you to some other networks of colleagues you might work with. I look forward to learning more from you. Thank you for reaching out and opening our hearts to new possibilities.” ~Tom Carroll, President, National Commission for Teaching and America’s Future “Dara...You were terrific! It was very evident that students, in both classes, were most interested and focused. I thank you for your willingness to provide personal and professional insight to the students, in your presentation. I am honored to be your colleague and friend.” ~Jim DeGeorge, Advocates for Children, University of Maryland “Dara, thank you for your energy and wisdom! Most of all thank you for investing in us. I have experienced many facilitators of process and you are truly extraordinary! Thank you!” ~Jason Schwartz, President B Kind Vending Thank you for your compassion in creating a stronger bond by reinforcing the importance and necessity in acknowledging virtues in ourselves and our kids. “ ~Blanca, Principal of KIPP NYC “You were awesome! Thank you so much for coming to the Leadership Forum on the Black Child: Where Are We Now?. You were perfect as the luncheon speaker. People were glued to your presentation and were very inspired by your approach, which is the kind of approach the majority of the audience would take--and you showed some new techniques. God bless you as you keep up the good work. We must plan to do more soon.” ~Mrs. Grady Dale, The American Institute for Urban Psychological Studies, Inc. “Thank you for your excellent in-service on how to use The Virtues Project for Educators. Your presentation style was dynamic and energized the entire group of 60 professionals. I have never seen our staff so attentive and spellbound! Your personalized examples of how the language of the virtues could be used with our families and our children with special needs helped to strengthen our understanding of how to use this powerful information. The interactive session brought cohesiveness to our unit and increased our level of trust with one another. This was truly a personal, professional and organizational transformative experience.” ~ Lisa G., Speech Pathologist, Montgomery County Public Schools “What I took away from the workshop were not only skills for instilling positive and virtuous language into my vocabulary, but strategies for communicating with my toddler AND my husband. While The Virtues Project can be easily translated into a parenting method, they can also be applied across the entire spectrum of relationships. After this workshop I am hopeful, inspired, and energized by what I learned.” ~Jessica S., PR Consultant, Wife and Mother “I attended the workshop entitled, “The Five Strategies of the Virtues Project: Inspiring a Culture of Character in Yourself, Your Family, and Your Workplace” and left feeling deeply inspired and moved by your presentation. You provide an excellent introduction to the fundamental strategies of the Virtues Project. Your presentation was imaginative, honest, and purposeful. Using your excellence as a Master Facilitator, you deftly guided the participants in learning how to speak a new language-the language of virtues—and turned a room full of strangers into friends. You created an environment in which the participants felt comfortable sharing honestly and from the heart. Your enthusiasm for the Virtues Project was so wholehearted that it was impossible to resist being drawn into it. Your commitment, passion, and vision inspired me to incorporate the strategies into my interactions with family, friends, and colleagues. In the month since the workshop, I have had many opportunities to use the language of virtues with my husband and children, my staff at work. In every instance, making a virtues acknowledgment turned a challenging situation into an opportunity for growth and increased cooperation and understanding. Thank you for sharing the wonderful gift of the Virtues Project, which provides the tools to live a better life, filled with integrity, service, and peace.” Katherine S. Duyer “Dara personally reflects the integrity of the virtues she teaches in every aspect of her life, from her continual openness to personal growth, to her family relationships, and her work with colleagues and clients. She is an eloquent, engaging speaker. As the founders of The Virtues Project, we have often chosen her from thousands of other facilitators to represent us in meetings, conferences (including one with the U.S. President), and on national television as well as radio. Dara has contagious enthusiasm and courage in applying the virtues strategies to the issues of the day with hope and a positive approach. I whole-heartedly recommend her as speaker, a facilitator and a consultant." Linda Kavelin Popov, Dara is one of the most enthusastic, dedicated, and motivational individuals we have met. She is kind, engaging, and embodies her beliefs in Virtues and The Pace of Grace. Virtues are the content of our character, the elements of the human spirit. They exist within all of us in potential. Dara has the ability to awaken one’s Virtues and inspire individuals to pursue self-actualization. In attending the Virtues facilitator training and The Pace of Grace retreat, it was evident that Dara is extremely knowledgeable, organized, and passionate about her mission. Her initiative and her ability to be creative allows for effective facilitation strategies. Her enthusiasm is contagious and has inspired us to transform our way of communicating and given us a more positive approach to life. Dara introduced us to the Virtue’s Project during a retreat last year. As a facilitator for the Virtues Project and the Pace of Grace, Dara made people feel warm and welcomed from the second the sessions began. Her meaningful interactions with people foster and build authentic self-esteem. She possesses the ability to provide inspiration for all by incorporating The Virtues Project into her own life and within the community. She has become a true mentor for us and we have been inspired by her vision to incorporate the Virtues project into our school. Her support and expertise has given us the courage and desire to develop a culture of character in our high school. Dara was also responsible in helping us to create a curriculum for developing character in schools and classrooms in Baltimore County. This course was approved by the State Department of Education and Baltimore County to be used for Continuing Education for teachers and staff. Dara continues to be a constant source of strength and encouragement to us, our staff and our students as we continue to develop new ideas and strategies for improving our school climate. Her resourcefulness and caring is evident in all avenues she pursues and she is a tremendous asset to any organization or cause to which she is committed. Dara’s ability to interact with others and the compassion she possesses enables her to be an effective presenter and facilitator. Her knowledge, creative presentations and strategies captures her audiences and encourages them to actively participate in groups, activities and discussions. She varies her presentation styles to enable all participants to connect in some way. She is certainly highly respected and admired by those of us in the field of education. Nancy Hanlin
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