We are so pleased to present Mr. Brett Eastburn as our closing speaker at the National Teen Leadership Program on August 2, 2009. Families and guests are invited to hear Mr. Eastburn along with our 2009 attendees!

Brett Eastburn was born with no arms and no legs, but more importantly, he truly believes that he was also born with no handicaps! While in school, Brett played baseball, football, and basketball. He also became an accomplished swimmer. In junior high he became a member of the wrestling team and wrestled on the varsity team in high school. In the 1988 AAU wrestling competition Brett placed 4th in the nation. He is also an accomplished artist with national recognition.

The main focus of Brett’s presentation is overcoming life’s obstacles. This assembly teaches the listener that handicaps are not people — they are things that can be overcome and eliminated from one’s life.

Brett believes you’re a success only if you choose to be. He also believes you are handicapped only if you allow yourself to be. Brett considers his body a very special gift to be used to inspire others to be the best they can be!

See all of this year’s speakers at: http://www.teenleader.org/speakers/

Over 90 spots are now reserved for NTLP 2009, including students from Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, Washington and of course, California. Of the 90, 16 are returning alumni. Our CSUS accommodations can hold a maximum 220 participants so if you are interested in attending, please reserve your spot NOW so you are not left out. NEW! Now when you register at teenleader.org, we’ll have all the forms you need ready to download. If you wish to raise your funds to attend, those forms are available as well. Of course, we are always here to help you along the way, so feel free to email or call if you have any questions.

On March 21, 2009 NTLP was proud to be a part of a full day session for the children and parents of National Guard Personnel in Sacramento, California. The purpose of the day was to provide meet and greet as well as special exercises to help bond local military families with each other. More than 155,000 kids have at least one parent who is deployed in the war on terrorism.

This staggering figure doesn’t even include those experiencing routine, but often lengthy deployments and separations from loved ones. Fear, worry, heavy responsibilities, isolation, loneliness, missed birthdays, holidays and special events...these are just some of the things that our military kids face.

Alumni & Senior Staff, Edgar Chen (96), JulieAnne Lee (97), Sophia Coria (98), Angie Villanueva (02), and Bryn Butolph (05) spent all day with an exciting group of teens and adults. From simple name and teambuilding games to an emotional and impactful diversity exercise, the entire group came away with new friends, a better understanding of common issues and a huge show of support for each other. NTLP is looking forward to providing more one-day sessions throughout the state in the months to come.

NTLP was thrilled recently to reconnect with alumni and former staff, Bob Schmitz. Bob attended NTLP in Arizona for three years and then staffed for three years more before we lost touch. Valedictorian for Santa Rita High, Arizona in 1998, Bob received the University of Arizona’s President’s Award, the Tradition of Excellence Scholarship and the Robert C. Byrd Scholarship. In 2002, Bob received his BS in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Arizona, then proceeded to University of Wisconsin-Madison where he attained his Ph.D in Genetics in 2007. Bob is now a postdoctoral scientist at The Salk Institute in San Diego where he is very involved with “high through put genome sequencing for the purposes of exploring genetic variation.” About NTLP Bob says, “NTLP is the most motivational event in the world! Each time camp comes to an end, I leave with a year long high on life!!!"

To see more “Where are they now?” click the link in this newsletter or visit our website, Alumni Center. Let us know where You are now!

A driving force behind-the-scenes of NTLP is 1996 alumn, JR Fujita. A graduate of John F. Kennedy High, Sacramento in 1996, JR was one of the first to be sponsored by the California National Guard, while a member of the People Reaching Out organization.

JR attended Sacramento State University, attaining his BA in Marketing Management in just 3 ½ years. He has held positions as a Youth Director, Marketing Intern for General Motors and others, before being hired by the American Cancer Society in 2001. After two promotions JR is now the Advocacy Coordinator for ACS. Besides ACS, JR also actively volunteers for the Sacramento Asian Sports Foundation, the Sacramento Warlords, the Sacramento Blood Bank and is a CSU Sacramento Lifetime Alumni Association member.

JR loves to say he has staffed nearly every camp ever held by NTLP, including camps in Arizona, Texas and Washington. (Remember, staff pay their own way to attend!) He has volunteered as President of the NTLP Alumni Association, been an active member of the Board of Directors and was currently voted in as Treasurer of the Board. In addition to significant personal contributions, JR has also chaired our annual raffle since its inception, netting over $10,000 to NTLP since 2004.

We don’t know where we’d be without our resident “gold”, but we are proud to have such a dedicated volunteer in the NTLP family.