Ever feel like you’ve crossed a hurdle but the path is really just beginning? This past weekend, the many months of work we’ve been doing to start this organization to provide college scholarships for students with Tourette Syndrome took a giant leap forward. We put some final tweaks on the website (not that it won’t continue to be updated – it will!) That felt really good – I have learned so much about WordPress in the past few months! After we finished the website, we opened up a Facebook page, I added a Google+ page for Dollars 4 Tic Scholars, and we sent an email to our family and friends.

You see, I had been hesitant to tell people what we were up to because they didn’t have a website to go to to learn more! What a relief that now we can use the site to explain our mission, to share upcoming deadlines, and even resources in the link section. I’d say that we have come a long way and rounded the corner on Phase I!

With the website as a milestone, and telling people and asking them to share the word, the reality sets in that the “busy-ness” of getting this far is only the beginning. Now the focus changes from website finalization to communicating our purpose to the right people who care. On the fundraising side, we’ll be searching applying for grants and seeking contributions. (Our communication plan is lengthy!) And on the other side, we’ll be working on spreading the word to school boards, financial aid offices of colleges, scholarship directories and more, to let students with Tourette Syndrome know that we exist.

It is encouraging to me to see that people who we have not even met yet have found our Facebook page and the subscribe button on our website! I see your comments and sign ups and it fills me with joy that people are finding us somehow, and we are so new. I hope that means that we are providing a resource that is meaningful to you. Your belief in us and in this program means the world to us.

So we are at a new beginning, let’s call it Phase II. We are rolling up our sleeves and keeping the momentum going. This is a new beginning as well for students with Tourette’s. We believe in these students. We’re going to do our best to recognize their efforts with 2015 scholarships.

Diane Diamantis