LeaderLife Conference
March 15 & 16, 2024
"Building Teams that Matter"
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10
Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
Save an Additional $10!
Bring a friend from your support group, and you will each get $10 back.
Note: Refund is limited to $10/per person.
Special Guest Speakers
Wil & Meeke Addison
Wil and Meeke are the founders of Straight Edge Ministries and the co-hosts of the Culture Proof podcast, where they discuss the cultural issues of the day filtered through a biblical lens. The Addisons are conference speakers with a specific focus on culture and its impact on Christian families. Married 19 years, they are raising six children, equipping them to live for the glory of God. They disciple and educate their children at home around the kitchen table and on the sofa!Feel like you’re flying blind in your leadership?
You’re not alone! Many of us
- stumbled into leadership by necessity, without considering our particular talents and abilities,
- focus on filling gaps and fixing weaknesses, and
- use brute strength to just “get the job done.”
Stop struggling and stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Join us at the Museum of the Bible for two days of training, encouragement, and fellowship at Virginia’s conference just for homeschool leaders.
Exciting Bonus!
Registration includes “Friday Night at the Museum,” PLUS a discount to MOTB live performance of Prince Caspian on March 16.
Check back for the full schedule and more information.
Support Group Intensive
A Pre-Conference Event | Friday, March 15, 10 a.m. to noon
Starting and Running a Support Group or Co-Op
Homeschooling is a great way to unleash your creativity—but we know starting from scratch can be daunting. Don’t reinvent the wheel! Learn from others who have gone before. Learn the difference between a co-op and support group and discover what you need to know to get started!
No matter how big of a team we have, leaders take on large burdens when running a group. Challenges in our private lives, complaints from our members, and simply having too big of a burden will lead to burnout in even the best leaders. We’ll help you mitigate burnout with tips on how to maximize the skills of your team members and manage your own schedule.
A cooperative can be as simple as parents working cooperatively together with little to no money changing hands, to a complex drop-off, multi-day, academic program that functions like a private school. No matter where you begin on this spectrum, there are important guiding principles that are common to all homeschool co-ops.
Support groups range from simple social media groups to large groups that offer resources, multiple events, and community. Support groups can be excellent assets to families and provide a sense of community. Craig will address the purpose and characteristics of your group, administration, parent engagement, conflict management, time management and building teams, and more.
Homeschooling is a great way to unleash your creativity—but we know starting from scratch can be daunting. Don’t reinvent the wheel! Learn from others who have gone before. Learn the difference between a co-op and support group and discover what you need to know to get started!
No matter how big of a team we have, leaders take on large burdens when running a group. Challenges in our private lives, complaints from our members, and simply having too big of a burden will lead to burnout in even the best leaders. We’ll help you mitigate burnout with tips on how to maximize the skills of your team members and manage your own schedule.
Most of us are just homeschool moms and while some of us have children with special needs, the skills to handle children with disabilities in our co-op can be beyond our expertise. We have tips on how to train our leaders and bring in people with the right skill set so we can support the growing population of homeschooled students with special needs.
A cooperative can be as simple as parents working cooperatively together with little to no money changing hands, to a complex drop-off, multi-day, academic program that functions like a private school. No matter where you begin on this spectrum, there are important guiding principles that are common to all homeschool co-ops.
Support groups range from simple social media groups to large groups that offer resources, multiple events, and community. Support groups can be excellent assets to families and provide a sense of community. Craig will address the purpose and characteristics of your group, administration, parent engagement, conflict management, time management and building teams, and more.
Do you know what to do to keep your group’s meetings and events safe and secure for all involved? Not just from outside threats, but also from internal concerns. Policies, training, risk management, and Virginia law will be discussed.
Schedule
FRIDAY, March 15, 2023
Support Group Intensive: A Pre-Conference Event
9:30 a.m. Pre-Conference Registration
10:00 a.m. Welcome
10:10 a.m. What Homeschool Groups Are and How to Plan One | Scholars Initiative Conference Room
Welcoming Families with Special Needs| Multipurpose Room
Ways to Avoid Burnout | Member Lounge
10:55 a.m. Coffee Break
11:10 a.m. How to Start and Run a Co-op | Scholars Initiative Conference Room
How to Start and Run a Support Group |Multipurpose Room
Bring Your Co-op into the Digital Age |Member Lounge
Noon Lunch on Your Own
LeaderLife Conference | Gathering Room A
1:00 p.m. Check-In & Registration
1:30 p.m. Welcome and Introduction
1:45 p.m. Support Group Spotlight
2:00 p.m. Impact Teams: Changing the Way We Value Gifts ~ Wil & Meeke Addison
3:00 p.m. Herzog Foundation Presentation | Member Lounge
3:00 p.m. Coffee Break
3:30 p.m. Protecting Our Children and Protecting Your Organization ~ Darren Jones
4:25 p.m. Hispanic Outreach Update ~ Karim Morato
5:00 p.m. Friday Night at the Museum Tour
6:30 p.m. Dinner | Gathering Room B
7:45 p.m. Dessert Reception | Promenade
An evening of good food, fun, fellowship, and encouragement.
SATURDAY, March 16, 2023 | Gathering Room A
8:30 a.m. Welcome & Prayer
8:45 a.m. Support Group Spotlight
9:00 a.m. The Most Essential Leaders ~ Wil & Meeke Addison
9:45 a.m. Convention Update & Black Outreach ~ Jessica Vasquez
10:25 a.m. Coffee Break
10:55 a.m. Financial Management and Reporting ~ Carol Topp
11:40 a.m. Seriously, Don’t Work Alone – Team Building ~ Anne Miller
12:12 a.m. Board Management ~ Chris Davidson
12:45 p.m. Lunch Buffet
2:00 p.m. Leader Panel – Ask Us Anything
2:30 p.m. Mentoring Update ~ Amy Martinez
2:40 p.m. Legislative Update ~ Callie Chaplow
2:00 p.m. MACHE Breakout Session | Scholars Initiative Conference Room
3:00 p.m. Coffee Break
3:30 p.m. Support Group Spotlight
3:55 p.m. The Fault in Our Feels: How Culture Exalts Feelings and Leaves Us Anxious ~ Wil & Meeke
Addison
4:45 p.m. Giveaways, Closing Thoughts, and Farewell
5:15 p.m. Prayer and Closing
Empower Yourself and Revitalize Your Team!
Come to LeaderLife.
Jubilee Pricing!*
Come for as low as $79, thanks to our registration sponsors.
Full Conference Registration
Thanks to our Sponsors-
Jubilee Pricing!
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Save $313 Thanks to Sponsors!
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Members Save $20
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Includes Pre-conference Support Group Intensive
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Buffet Luncheon
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Dinner and Dessert Fellowship
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All Conference Materials
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Yummy Refreshments
Support Group Intensive Only
Pre-Conference Event-
Choose from 6 Workshops
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10 am to noon
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Intensive Materials Included
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Yummy Refreshments
Prices Increase After March 5.
March 6 – March 15, 2024: $89/member; $109/non-member
HEAV member? Be sure to access your member benefits page to grab your discount code before you register.
Not a member? You can join or renew right on your convention registration! You’ll get your member discount right away and get great benefits all year long.
Meet Your LeaderLife Speakers
Carol Topp, CPA is a retired homeschool mother, accountant, and author of 15 books including Homeschool Co-ops: How to Start Them, Run Them and Not Burn Out. She has advised hundreds of homeschool group leaders on finances, tax exempt status, and running their homeschool organization though her books, podcasts and webinars. Her website, HomeschoolCPA.com, was awarded Top Accounting Blog five times, but her greatest compliment came from an audience member who, after sitting for 90 minutes, said, “You kept my attention the entire time.” That’s high praise for a CPA! She semi-retired in 2022 and stays active moderating the I Am a Homeschool Group Leader Facebook group.
Karim Morato is a bilingual consultant and the Hispanic outreach coordinator at HSLDA. She is a certified Spanish teacher with 16 years of teaching experience in public schools. Now, with her master’s degree in curriculum and online learning from George Mason University, Karim has developed her own curriculum and is passionate about supporting leaders and Hispanic parents in her community. Karim and her husband homeschool their three children.
Lanissir is joyful and energetic with a mission to impact the lives of people to live joyfully and fearlessly as they pursue their God-sized dreams. A much sought-after speaker, she loves to inspire people by using humor and real life experiences., providing social, spiritual, academic, and supervisory support for families. Lanissir earned her BS in journalism from the University of Maryland College Park, is Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® certified, and is pursuing a master’s degree in biblical studies. She and her husband, Lorenzo, have seven children. Her hobbies include reading, traveling, photography, and kayaking.
Darren Jones, homeschool graduate and HSLDA litigation attorney, is a favorite at HEAV LeaderLife conferences! He will present a session that focuses on homeschool protections for children, the co-op, and support group organizations.
Cathrine Mireles is HEAV’s hispanic outreach coordinator. Currently, she is the director and founder of Nehemiah Ministries, which includes a homeschool support group, and she is working on her Ph.D. at Regent University. She has more than 20 years of experience in the public school system, teaching English from sixth grade through high school. She has also taught drama/theater, Spanish, and French. She and her husband have been married for 32 years and have one son, who is a freshman at Regent University
Anne Miller
President and Executive Director
Sheri Payne
Director of Leader Support
Eliminate the Guesswork.
- Grow in your leadership potential.
- Gain confidence as a leader.
- Create a team you can count on.
- Work more efficiently.
- End burnout.
- Connect with other leaders.
- Reach your diverse community.
Each year, we hear how this leadership conference has changed leaders’ lives and made THE difference in their leadership style, in their groups, and in their own families. Leaders sacrifice so much, and we want to support you. We’re in this together. Come find your community. Come find your tribe.
Why LeaderLife Works
Relevant & Practical
Real-life examples and experiences from leaders you can trust provide skills you can apply right away to problems you face.
Life-Changing & Dynamic
Make connections and forge relationships that will forever change your leadership, your group, and your life!
Fun & Interactive
Who doesn't want to have fun? Gifts, activities, round-table discussions and leader panels bring each session to life!
Registration Scholarship!
You are saving $50 on your registration…thanks to our registration sponsor! BJU Press/Homeworks by Precept, has invested in homeschooling—and especially homeschool leaders like you!—to make LeaderLife as affordable as possible for you. Thanks to their generosity, you are saving $50 off your leadership conference registration. A limited number available–hurry!
First-Time Attendee?
Classical Conversations wants to support and nurture homeschool leaders who are just starting out. If this is your first time at LeaderLife, tell us on your registration form, and you’ll save $50 off your registration price!
Are you a Classical Conversations leader? Contact Gretchen Heinrich at gheinrich@classicalconversations.com for a special discount code just for you!
A limited number of each scholarship is available. Scholarships may not be combined.
Leadership is not so much about technique and methods as it is about opening the heart. Leadership is about inspiration — of oneself and of others. Great leadership is about human experiences, not processes. Leadership is not a formula or a program; it is a human activity that comes from the heart and considers the heart of others. It is an attitude, not a routine.
Travel, Parking, and Hotel
Getting There
Driving is always an option, of course, but there are many ways to get to DC—and getting there can be half the fun! Revel in the experience. Consider creating your own adventure, or even carpooling to take advantage of express lanes.
Take the Train!
Often overlooked, train travel can be the easiest and most comfortable way to go.
Amtrak has a stop at Union Station, and the conference hotel is easily accessible, just a short Metro—or Uber or Lyft—ride away. Multiple daily train routes run from Norfolk and Roanoke, with stations along the route with parking.
Amtrak.com
Richmond to Union Station: starts at $26 each way
Roanoke to Union Station: starts at $34 each way
Norfolk to Union Station: starts at $30 each way
Virginia Railway Express (VRE) has a stop right at the conference hotel in Crystal City!
Multiple trains run WEEKDAYS ONLY from Spotsyvania, with stations along the route with parking. Vre.org
Spotsylvania or Fredericksburg to Crystal City: $11.40 each way
Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) runs commuter trains to Union Station on three different routes in Maryland. mta.maryland.gov
HEAV’s Anne Miller heading to Union Station in DC.
Flights
Coming from farther away? Ronald Reagan International Airport is located just blocks from the conference hotel, and the hotel runs a regular shuttle service.
Metro
This is the quintessential DC experience, and HEAV has a team standing by to guide you (think, field trip for leaders!) Come and enjoy your Metro adventure.
Check out the Metro planner here.
The Museum of the Bible is just three miles from the conference hotel, and the Metro Crystal Gateway station is inside the conference hotel’s lower level. Take the yellow line to L’Enfant Station and walk two blocks east to the museum, or take the longer blue line to the Federal Center SW Station and walk half a block west. Fares start at $2 and are best purchased at the station vending machines.
Where to Stay
We’ve got you covered!
This 4-star conference hotel offers a great price and makes for a convenient home base. We’ll travel to the Museum on the Metro. No need to deal with schedules and maps–we have a team standing by to guide you, door to door. (You don’t even have to leave the hotel–the closest stop is in the lower level.)
Crystal Gateway Marriott
$179/night
1700 Richmond Highway, Arlington
Parking $42/night
NOTE! Though the hotel block is closed, there are a limited number of rooms available for Friday night. Please email leadersupport@heav.org to request a room.
Want to Stay in the City?
If you’d rather get a hotel closer to the museum, check websites like Priceline or Booking.com for unique deals. Whole home or apartment rentals are available on vrbo.com for families or groups, too. Book early!
Parking
If you are driving and prefer to use your own car to get to the museum, know that there is no parking at the Museum of the Bible.
Let us help you be a “parking maven!” There are several public parking garages within walking distance. Reserve a parking space in advance using the Spot Hero app or website. A full day of parking costs around $25.
Parking at the hotel is $42 a night.
HOTELS
HEAV has a limited room block at the Founders Inn and Spa, but there are many beautiful—and affordable–hotels in the area. More options coming soon.
Please make your reservations at the hotel of your choice.
Founders Inn and Spa, reserve here.
Please make your reservations at the above link or call 757-366-5700. Use the Code: Leader Life Conference. March 17 through 18, 2023.
Thank You To Our 2024 Sponsors!
Thanks to the generosity of these sponsors who have invested so highly in homeschooling families and leaders across the nation.
NEW!
Add an optional T-shirt when you register for the LeaderLife by MARCH 1st!
WOMEN’S T-SHIRTS
- Cost is $21
- 2 Color option: heather gray and black
- Women’s Size options: S, M, L, XL, 2XL
MEN’S T-SHIRTS
- Cost is $20
- 2 Color option: heather gray and black
- Men’s Size options: S, M, L, XL, 2X
Marriott's Manor Club at Fords Colony
101 St. Andrews Drive, Williamsburg
Distance: 0.2 mi SE
757-258-5500
Marriott Details
Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott - 20% Discount for Homeschoolers!
Exclusive Discount:
20% Off for Homeschoolers
Distance: 5.2 mi
1402 Richmond Road, Williamsburg
757-645-3600
Fairfield Inn Details
Williamsburg Plantation Resort
4870 Longhill Road, Williamsburg
Distance: 1.8 mi E
757-253-9100
Williamsburg Plantation Details
Hampton Inn and Suites Richmond Road
718 Bypass Rd, Williamsburg
Distance: 3.1 mi E
757-229-4900
Hampton Inn Details
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites
1452 Richmond Rd, Williamsburg
Distance: 3.6 mi E
757-941-1057
Holiday Inn Details
Rodeway Inn & Suites
5351 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA
Distance: 2.9 mi E
757-707-8687
Rodeway Inn Details
Choice Hotels
Hilton Garden Inn Williamsburg
1624 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA
Distance: 3.3 mi E
757-253-9400
Hilton Garden Details
Great Wolf Lodge Resort
549 East Rochambeau Drive, Williamsburg
Distance: 4.2 mi NE
866-969-9653
Great Wolf Details
War Hill Inn Bed and Breakfast
4560 Long Hill Road Williamsburg
Distance: 2.0 mi S
800-743-0248
War Hill Inn Details
Magnolia Manor Bed and Breakfast Inn
700 Richmond Road, Williamsburg
Distance: 6 mi S
800-462-6667
Magnolia Manor Details
