Location: Woodlands Conference Center Williamsburg, Virginia

Date: March 10-11 2017

Cost: Member – $99; Non-member – $119 Married couple – $189; Non-member married couple – $229

Registration: Register here!

In It to Win It: Victorious Leadership!

Woodlands Conference Center
Williamsburg, Virginia
March 10-11, 2017

As a homeschool leader, how do you best prepare yourself and your group for the challenges that now confront us? Whether you are new to leadership, or someone who has been in leadership for a while, you are invited to join us and fellow group and co-op leaders for an amazing weekend of learning and refreshment!

Special Guest Speakers for 2017

Tara Bentley Executive Director Indiana Association of Home Educators	Nancy Manos Executive Director Arizona Families for Home Education

Tara Bentley

Tara Bentley is a veteran homeschool mom of two daughters. During 13 years of homeschooling, she and her husband Mark served in leadership for 12. They currently serve together on the Board of Directors for Indiana Association of Home Educators (IAHE), where Tara also serves as the Executive Director. Always juggling work, family, and multiple responsibilities, Tara loves encouraging moms who often feel like they just aren’t enough.

Nancy Manos

Nancy Manos and her husband, James, have two daughters they homeschooled all the way through high school. The Manos’s home education journey was a rich, rewarding, sometimes challenging experience, and Nancy loves encouraging others in the homeschool adventure. Nancy and James have served on the board of directors for Arizona Families for Home Education (AFHE) since 2004, where Nancy is the Executive Director and served as the AFHE Support Group Liaison for eight years. She is passionate about thriving, healthy homeschool support groups as a place for families to connect, grow, build friendships, and find support. She believes homeschool group leaders are unsung heroes and esteems their tireless service.

Jim Mason, Esq.

Vice President of HSLDA and Director of Litigation

Since joining HSLDA to lead the litigation team in 2001, Jim has represented homeschooling families in a wide range of challenging situations and has set precedents that have expanded freedom for the homeschool community. Under Jim’s leadership, HSLDA’s 4th Amendment litigation work has changed the way three states (North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico) approach social services investigations. In Wilson v. Russo, HSLDA won a $700,000 settlement for our client, a single parent whose children were seized by a rogue social worker.

Jim was instrumental in litigating the 2008 California case, Jonathan L., in which a state appellate court reversed its previous ruling that homeschooling was illegal. This put an end to years of controversy over the legal status of homeschooling in California and set a precedent that affects other states as well.

In addition to penning many of the most popular articles in HSLDA’s Home School Court Report magazine, Jim serves as the president of ParentalRights.org. Before coming to HSLDA, Jim represented numerous right-to-life groups in campaign finance cases and clerked for an appellate court in Oregon. He graduated with highest honors from Regent University School of Law in 1996. Jim is a veteran of the U.S. Navy and served on active duty in Operation Desert Storm.

Jim and his wife Debbie live in Winchester, Virginia. They have seven children and one granddaughter. The Masons homeschooled all of their children; five have graduated and two are still being taught at home. In his spare time, Jim is an avid birdwatcher, waffle connoisseur, and abstract art fan.

New! Fun, Dynamic Session!

The Price Is Right — The Cost of Leadership

Volunteering to lead a homeschool group involves sacrifice…and lots of it! We’ll play a fun, interactive game and talk about a variety of ways we, as leaders, pay a high price to encourage others in the homeschool journey. But don’t lose heart! With great sacrifice comes great reward. You’ll be refreshed in knowing that the price you pay to serve is a worthwhile investment reaping eternal rewards.

Win, Lose, or Draw – Building Strong Connections

Leadership involves communicating and helping a wide variety of people to connect. Does your communication style help you to win, lose, or draw? In this session, Tara and Nancy will share ideas to help you be effective using the tools you have at your disposal to communicate well with your group members, volunteers, and leadership team. We’ll cover social media, email, newsletters, website, and in-person networking to build strong relationships.

The Biggest Loser – Unhealthy Leadership Habits

Homeschooling your own kids and serving in support group leadership can be a recipe for unhealthy habits—neglecting your own well-being, putting the needs of the group over your husband and kids’ needs, or struggling to keep your own house in order. We’ll explore ways to tackle all of this successfully through healthy leadership habits. You can shed the weight of unhealthy habits that bog you down and thrive while serving others.

The goal of HEAV’s Leadership Conference is simple: to connect leaders with great ideas, to inspire them to even greater ideas, and encourage them with renewed vision and a refreshed spirit. Join us for an unforgettable weekend!

Plus, enjoy fast-paced “For Leaders…By Leaders” and “Open Forum” sessions that get to the heart of the issues important to you! Enjoy fellowship and find inspiration, encouragement, and insight from one another.

Download the schedule here!

• Individual leaders to choose relevant topics for small-group table training
• Townhall featuring HOT Topics that affect your group every day
• A special presentation and Q&A will address how we can prepare for potential legal challenges, not only in Virginia, but nationwide.

Registration

Member – $99
Non-member – $119

Member married couple – $189
Non-member married couple – $229

Not a member? Join today for just $35 and get member benefits all year long!

The registration deadline is Wednesday, February 15, 2017.*

Hotel Accommodations

Hurry! Register early–space is limited, and we may be unable to extend our room block!

Registration includes these features:

• Elegant dinner at the Williamsburg home of HEAV’s president
• Fabulous catered lunch in the Cascades Room
• Notebook filled with resources and helpful leadership information
• Fun surprises, gifts, door prizes, and more!

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Thanks to Our Conference Sponsors!

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Download directions to the Woodlands Conference Center.

Download the Woodlands Conference Center map.

Download the conference schedule here. (Coming soon!)

Bring the Whole Family
Additional hotel nights may be available, as well as discounted tickets to Colonial Williamsburg. (A ticket is not necessary to walk around Colonial Williamsburg and enjoy the beautiful spring flowers.)

What Others Have Said…

“We are just a simple support group…but there was SO much that we learned from the weekend! I enjoyed the “Group Spotlight” because I have friends in  rural parts of Virginia  who are hungry for fellowship with other homeschool families…I was excited to be able to provide them with a resource to help them!”

“Walked away feeling recharged with great ideas! Loved the little gifts…great ideas!”

Thank you, HEAV, for a fabulous weekend! It was simple, well-organized, and to the point—a weekend well spent!”

“I cannot wait until the next one. Both my husband and I enjoyed it tremendously! Everything was wonderful!”

Not a Leader?

Send Your Leader–or Better Yet, Your Leadership Team–to the Leadership Training Retreat!

Get together with other support-group families and send your hardworking leader or leadership team to the Leadership Conference in Williamsburg! What a blessing it will be as your leaders, moderators, coordinators, or board members come home renewed, refreshed, and strengthened in their role of serving the families in your group.

*Cancellation refund deadline is February 15. After that, registrations may be transferred to another leader by calling the office at 804-278-9200.