LINDA SANDERS

Founder Linda Sanders

Linda Sanders, a second-generation philanthropist, is the Founder and CEO of Hope So Bright, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity foundation, which began in 2012. The organization’s mission is to provide financial support (micro-grants) to other community non-profits that offer programs and services to disadvantaged, underserved and at-risk youth. The current focus for the next several years is to help children living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.

Sanders’ ancestors are from Spain and Mexico. Raised in Acapulco in a household with six children, she was an animal and nature enthusiast and aggressive athlete from an early age. Sanders was an independent child, extremely precocious, who fearlessly and meticulously explored her environment. She inherited her mother’s love of nurturing others and her father’s athleticism, culinary skills, and entrepreneurial spirit. Sanders has been a United States citizen since 1981.

Prior to starting Hope So Bright, Sanders was a successful fashion and fitness model and studied interior design, architecture and psychology. Bilingual, a world traveler, and an exemplary role model for her two children, she has always enjoyed a variety of competitive sports, including marathon and ultra-marathon running. Sanders served as a certified Emergency Medical Technician for two years and volunteered for the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) in Manhattan Beach, California, where she resides.

Sanders began Hope So Bright after experiencing two of her family members struggling with the symptoms associated with autism and ADHD. A proponent of cognitive behavioral therapy, she witnessed first-hand how her relatives overcame the symptoms of these learning disabilities through behavior modification as opposed to the use of pharmaceutical drugs.

ASSEMBLYWOMAN LORENA GONZALEZ, District 80

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez

San Diego-based Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez currently serves as the first Latina in California history to Chair the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the Select Committee on Women in the Workforce. She received the California State Bar Association’s first Presidential Recognition Award for Public Service, the Cesar Chavez Foundation’s Legacy Award for a career of supporting Immigrants and working families, and was named the Neighborhood Market Association’s 2014 Public Official of the Year.

With a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University, a Master’s degree from Georgetown University and a Law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, Assemblywoman Gonzalez is a member of the California State Bar. During her first three months in office, she authored two bills that empowered California’s immigrant communities by providing them safeguards against immigration fraud and allowing qualified DREAMers who pass the State Bar exam to practice law, regardless of their immigration status. In 2014, she wrote historic legislation to allow 6.5 million Californians the ability to earn paid sick leave. When AB 1522 was signed by Governor Brown, California became the first state in America to guarantee earned sick days for every single private sector worker.

Assemblywoman Gonzalez has passed legislation prohibiting HOAs from fining homeowners for replacing grass lawns with drought resistant landscaping, she created the first workplace bullying training requirement in America, and paved the way for stronger safety standards for high school student athletes by classifying high school cheerleading as a sport. She also co-authored the nation’s toughest rules to close the gender pay gap, and passed California’s New Motor Voter Act to streamline the registration for nearly seven million eligible voters.

Assemblywoman Gonzalez’s most cherished title is “mother.” Her daughter, Tierra, is studying at New York University and her son, Antonio, is currently in middle school in San Diego.

Scott Isbell

SCOTT ISBELL

Author of the autobiography Can’t Sit Still, Scott Isbell, known as “the prince of funk! The future of Pop,” (as dubbed by Joe Jackson, the King of Pop’s father), is one of our keynote speakers. Studying at Berklee College of Music and Emerson College, singing became Isbell’s way to creatively channel the frustrations of living with ADHD.

Dennis Vanasse

DENNIS VANASSE

Special Education Department Chair and Director of the Student Success Center at Anna Maria College in Worcester, MA, Dennis Vanasse, M.Ed., is author of the following children’s books:Everyone Belongs, I Am Special Too, Never Give Up, Stand Tall Against Bullying and ADHD: Can’t Sit Still.

 SANDI STAR, FOUNDER, KARMIC HEALTH

Sandi Star

A graduate of The Natural Healing Institute in Encinitas, CA, with the following certifications: Holistic Health Practitioner, Clinical Nutrition, and Clinical Master in Herbology and Aromatherapy, Sandi Star is a member of the American Holistic Healthcare Association and teacher at the Natural Healing Institute in Encinitas. She donates her time throughout the year as a public speaker to organizations and companies in San Diego county. Additionally, she works with Dr. Mark Stengler at the Stengler Center for Integrative Wellness in Encinitas.

A writer for several online publications and member of a team of medical professionals who contribute articles to kidsmisiagnosed.org,  Star is the author of the Living Gluten Free Guide for those starting a gluten-free diet, which is available through her company website.

Having struggled with IBS, Sjögren’s Syndrome (an auto immune disease), asthma, fatigue and migraines, Star lost six dress sizes and has kept the weight off for over 25 years by following a gluten and cow dairy free diet for almost 10 years. She has a hands-on understanding of many health issues and is dedicated to creating awareness and disease prevention through proper nutrition.

“My goal is to inspire optimal health and well being. In looking at the cause of inflammation we are able to heal. When we are in a state of homeostasis we are balanced both physically and mentally, and that’s optimal health.

Donna Sinclair

DONNA SINCLAIR, OWNER/PRESIDENT, KIDS ON THE BLOCK, SAN DIEGO

The Kids on the Block is a non-profit educational organization founded in Maryland in 1977 and initially focused on educating schoolchildren about cerebral palsy.  It has since expanded its mission to include education about dozens of disabilities and other differences.

The local San Diego group was founded in 1985 through the effort of a community-minded woman, Mary Felix.  She had a professional background in physical therapy — and a child with a disability — so she was well aware of the social adjustments people with disabilities face daily.

The Kids on the Block of San Diego is an independent IRS 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable agency with the support of volunteer puppeteers and a volunteer Board of Directors. Over 600,000 children in San Diego County have been served by The Kids on the Block programs.