Temple Grandin
Keynote Speaker
Temple Grandin is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. When she was two and a half years old, she had no speech and all the symptoms of severe autism. Early intensive speech therapy enabled her to speak by age four. Her mother always encouraged her interest in art and urged her to draw many different things.
Good teachers and mentors were essential for Temple’s success. Her high school science teacher challenged her with interesting projects where she had to figure out how to make things work. When studying in school became a pathway to becoming a scientist, she was motivated to study.
An HBO movie titled Temple Grandin was made about her life and Temple was inducted into The National Women’s Hall of Fame and The Academy of Arts and Sciences. Facilities she has designed handle over half the cattle in the U.S. Some of her most important books are New York Times Bestseller “Animals in Translation,” “Thinking in Pictures,” “The Autistic Brain,” and “The Way I See It.” Riding horses and caring for them helped her get through difficult teenage years when she was bullied and teased.
Darryl J. Williams
Musical Guest
After college Darryl J. Williams performed for community theaters in Hilton Head Island and Savannah, GA. He was fortunate enough to have a partnership with local community organizations through the community theater relationships.
Darryl created a community choir with over 80 members from around Chatham County in Georgia and Beaufort County in South Carolina. The choir consisted of kids and their parents singing gospel music. Choir members were invited to speak with community leaders and come up with community functions and other ideas that would enhance our community. The community choir members did walk-a-thons, concerts etc. “This was when I knew I had the opportunity to speak life into others”.
Darryl saw the opportunity to empower and inspire others who are survivors of abuse and bullying. He knew if he could just speak life into one person he would obtain his main goal…to come up with wonderful experiences through music that would soothe the soul. Now he shares his story of overcoming abuse and bullying to continue to heal the child within.