Early this morning I attended and spoke at a conference held by Prosperity Life Planning, a nonprofit organization focussed on how to protect the future and benefits of children with special needs. Jaret & Karen Vogel run the organization and started it because they have a son with Autism. I met the couple over a year ago, told them about my involvement with stem cell research and how the science is being used to understand the disease and possibly treat it one day. Since then, they have taught me much about the disease and how it effects ones life and family. Because of their interest and support of my efforts with SCR, they invited me to introduce my foundation to their people. The event was held at the Palm Beach Habilitation Center and the panel discussion surrounded how to properly structure and create a financial plan in the event that your child or someone you love is born with a developmental disability. Other ladies who spoke included Arlene Lakin, Attorney, mother of a developmentally disabled child, who writes Special Needs Trusts and Guardianships and Elaine Terner, “ExceptionalDesigns,” mother of a child with autism, and an Interior Designer for the Special Needs home. I’m glad I had the opportunity to collaborate with this group, hear their points of view and then speak on behalf of education, hope and possibility.