Wednesday, January 29, 2020

In 2010 I Was Inducted as the First European PTA Youth Ambassador

At the conclusion of my 2010 solo run across Germany, I was honored to be inducted as the first European PTA Youth Ambassador. The European Parent Teacher Association was founded in 1958 as the European Congress of American Parents Teachers and Students and is a state-level affiliate of the National Parent Teacher Association.

The aim of the European PTA is:

  • To promote the welfare of children and youth in home, school, places of worship, and throughout the community;
  • To raise the standards of home life;
  • To advocate for laws that further the education, physical and mental health, welfare, and safety of children and youth;
  • To promote the collaboration and engagement of families and educators in the education of children and youth;
  • To engage the public in united efforts to secure the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and social well-being of all children and youth; and
  • To advocate for fiscal responsibility regarding public tax dollars in public education funding.

After I crossed the finish line of that 500-mile journey across Germany, Shannon Sevier -- then acting President of the European PTA -- awarded me with the distinction of being the first European PTA Youth Ambassador. Today, Ms. Sevier is Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies and an Adjunct Professor at St. Mary's University School of Law in Texas.

The certificate I received states: Awarded to Paul Staso, Ultramarathoner & Child Advocate, in recognition of valuable contributions to American families overseas and children across America by "Promoting Active Children Everywhere" -- dated March 31, 2010. It has been nearly 10 years since that time and I will always remember vividly crossing the finish line of that Germany run surrounded by cheering school children and being awarded with a very special honor.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos: