**NOCLD MEDIA RELEASE**

On May 14th, The Northern Ontario Centre for Learning Differences (NOCLD) will be hosting a number of workshops in Timmins. In partnership with the District School Board ONE, the NOCLD will be providing an afternoon of workshops at Timmins High for students, educators and parents. The topics include Beating the Odds (Lesley Andrew), Emotions Impact Learning (Angie DeMarco), and ADHD and Executive Functions (Dr. Robert Silvestri). In the evening, NOCLD and Northern College will be presenting a community workshop at 6:30 p.m. in room H 116 (Northern College). This free evening workshop presented by Lesley Andrew is titled Beating the Odds and is open to everyone.

On April 16th, NOCLD kicked off its Regional Conference with a keynote address by parenting expert Barbara Coloroso. Nearly 700 parents and educators registered to attend the event in Sudbury, which was also livestreamed to satellite offices in North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins. The Regional Conference then spent two days in Sault Ste. Marie and will be heading to Parry Sound and North Bay later in the week.

“With community support, amazing partnerships, funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and a Parent Reaching Out Grant from the Ministry of Education, we are able to host our first ever Regional Conference,” said Mary-Liz Warwick, Executive Director of the NOCLD. “We have great partners in each community who are providing workshop venues. We also feel grateful to our many sponsors including the City of Timmins.”

The presenting sponsors of the conference are Huntington University and the City of Greater Sudbury. Other sponsors include the City of Timmins, the Algoma District School Board, Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board, Laurentian University Faculty of Education, Sault College, Rainbow Schools, and the media sponsor Sudbury.com. To find out more about the Regional Conference and for a schedule of upcoming workshops, please visit www.plantingtheseedsforsuccess.ca.
About the NOCLD

The Northern Ontario Centre for Learning Differences, or the NOCLD, was formed two years ago thanks to a three-year $600,000 Grow grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. This grant has allowed the Learning Disabilities Association of Sudbury to expand proven programs and services to the communities of North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, and Timmins. The goal of the NOCLD is to equip 1,050 youth with learning differences, and their families, with the tools needed to develop critical emotional and social skills. These skills will lead to success in educational pursuits and eventually meaningful employment. The NOCLD receives no government funding for their work and relies on the generous support of donors and funders.