Submitted by Kurt Meyer and Dianna Stockdale.
Very few fundraising events begin with a governmental proclamation, but that’s exactly what happened on a recent Saturday night at the ARK’s annual auction. Tacoma deputy mayor John Hines read a city proclamation citing ARK’s “unwavering commitment to excellence and inclusivity, enriching the lives of students, families, and the entire Tacoma community” prior to declaring May 18 “ARK Institute of Learning Day in Tacoma and recognizing ARK founder Carol Stockdale for her outstanding contributions to education in Tacoma.”
ARK is an acronym that stands for Applied Research Knowledge. Based in Tacoma, the organization traces its origin to 1968 when founder Carol Stockdale began extensively researching the acquisition of language. Her studies were in response to a misdiagnosis of dyslexia given to one of her sons. She has published several instructional books and learning aides. At the age of 71, Carol earned her PhD. She also developed several unique learning tools that have transformed the lives of countless people by helping them learn to read and write. Although approaching her 90th birthday, Carol is not one to rest on her laurels; recently she helped develop a software application (app) to further aid students in learning to read.
Like most fundraising events, there weren’t many young people in attendance. However, Sophia, a fifth grader and Gavin, who was home from college, were two of the exceptions. Sophia’s mother spoke eloquently about the ARK’s transformational impact on her daughter’s education and life accomplished through personalized ARK instruction. Gavin’s life has also changed because of ARK. When the formal program concluded, he made a beeline for Carol. “I wanted to thank her for creating this program. I’m now working on the ARK ‘app’ while studying at the University of Utah.” Gavin is a very impressive young man.
The evening’s fundraising purpose was accomplished. Over 130 people showed up to honor Carol and more than $150,000 was enthusiastically donated by supporters of ARK’s non-profit mission to diminish the impact of learning disorders in the lives of individuals. Sophia and Gavin are thriving today because of the successful implementation of this vision. As one person said, motioning toward Carol, “I don’t think Carol Stockdale has any idea how much difference this program has made in our lives.” Finally, in the words of an ARK staff member, pointing toward Carol, “Her life work is now my life work. We must keep it going.”
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