February 01, 2018 | Guest Blogger John Delich, Community Business Development Manager, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Springfield, IL
While staffing the Illinois School Library Media Association Conference in Springfield, Illinois, on behalf of Barnes and Noble, I ran into the parent of a former student of mine. Mary Pelich* and I first met several years ago when I taught her daughter in elementary school and a very positive parent/teacher relationship developed. As time passed, her children grew up, and I eventually retired. In catching up, she mentioned that her youngest was diagnosed with autism a few years back and went on to tell of the challenges in parenting a child with autism and her subsequent work with the Targeting Autism project at the Illinois State Library and her work with other not-for-profit autism organizations. After chatting and exchanging business cards, I suggested we should find a way to work together. In about an hour, Mary was back. She explained how the idea of working together had time to percolate as she walked around the conference exhibit hall. I didn't expect Mary to get back to me that same morning, but maybe I should have
