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Letters

Happy Talkers say thanks

Dear Editor,

On behalf of everyone at School of Imagination, we want to thank the community and the dozens of volunteers at this year's "Happy Talkers Community Outreach," which gave immediate help, reassurance and hope for hundreds of parents and their children throughout the Bay Area. Held at the Schaefer Ranch Model Homes in Dublin earlier this year, the Outreach is the largest and most comprehensive program of its kind in Northern California.

Experts and specialists donated their time to provide more than 300 free developmental screenings. These experts included pediatricians from Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Tri Valley Pediatrics, Dr. Deborah Sedberry, as well as speech pathologists, occupational therapists, child development specialists, psychologists and audiologists, all connected by Internet-donated Comcast. They collaborated with support specialists from the Regional Center, Autism Speaks, Axis Community Health, Stanford Autism Center and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.

We also want to thank our hosts, Discovery Homes, special partners, Black Tie Transportation, Child Care Links, Cobalt Equipment, Royal Restrooms and IEWC who ensured the Outreach was successful.

Delicious lunches and refreshments were donated by Ovation Foods, Trader Joe's, Mimi's Cafe, FJL Too, Dreyer's, Meadowlark Dairy, Peet's, Cheese Steak Shop and the Lockhart family. Volunteers from Pleasanton North Rotary, Dublin Lions, Dublin/Pleasanton Soroptimists and Magician's Roy and Zappo entertained and provided refreshments between screenings.

We greatly appreciated Congressman Jerry McNerney, (11th), Dublin Mayor Tim Sbranti and former Mayor Janet Lockhart breaking from their hectic schedules to attend.

Charlene and Mitch Sigman, School of Imagination & Happy Talkers