It's an exciting time of year for all of us as we mark this day of giving, Giving Tuesday, and the approach of the December holidays. This morning, I had the opportunity to appear on Washington, D.C.'s most popular morning television show, Great Day Washington. I was accompanied by the ever-stunning Elena LaQuatra, Miss Pennsylvania USA 2016, and we were able to discuss the legacy of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell as well as his Association that continues to forge the path forward for spoken language for children and adults who are deaf and hard of hearing. The hosts, Markette Sheppard and Chris Leary, were a delight to work with and quickly fell in love with the AG Bell story. Elena and I spoke about Dr. Bell's story and his enduring passion for teaching deaf children and adults to speak. If you would like to see the full interview, you can watch it on our website.

The support that Elena and her parents received from AG Bell over the years is just one of the many examples of the support that we work to bring to our community. We work to bring more opportunities to the lives of children and adults with hearing loss by certifying the professionals that serve them, providing resources to parents who are seeking information about their options after a diagnosis, networking our community through local chapters, as well as developing the growth of leadership from the next adult deaf and hard of hearing generation through the LOFT program. Your donations, volunteerism, and work with children with hearing loss all help make this possible.

With Chris Leary, Makette Sheppard, and Elena LaQuatra on the set of Great Day Washington

Giving Tuesday is an important day on our calendar. It is the beginning of our end of year campaign in which we appeal to our community to help us expand the reach of AG Bell. Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that attempts to balance the shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday by bringing the focus back to charitable causes and increasing awareness of the work that they do. Please consider giving back to AG Bell in any way that you can - whether it's by volunteering at your local chapter meetings, supporting the effort of awareness that deaf children can learn to hear and talk with appropriate hearing technology and therapy, or telling someone else about AG Bell and encouraging them to donate. Every little bit helps to build our community and the success of everyone with hearing loss that works to speak with the wider world .

Alexis de Tocqueville remarked in his study of the United States, Democracy in America, that our nation holds a unique talent for building communities around specific causes that are worthy of support. The modern not for profit association is built around this concept of advancing exceptional ideas and uniting people via common principles. America held to a unique and culturally pervading principle of self-sacrifice for the benefit of improving the greater society. In this time of uncertainty, we can all come together over the common idea that it's not just possible for children and adults with hearing loss to listen and talk, but that they can also make their own contribution to society. They can thrive and live greater lives within a much larger world full of opportunity .

If you have any questions, concerns, or just something you'd like to say - please don't hesitate to contact me.

Until next week,

Emilio Alonso-Mendoza

I have seen Americans making great and sincere sacrifices for the key common good and a hundred times I have noticed that, when needs be, they almost always gave each other faithful support .

Alexis de Tocqueville