Iowa Family Leadership Training Institute

06/05/2026

We invite you to listen to Dawn's story. We need family voices now more than ever!

This episode is dedicated to Taryn Bailey, daughter of Dawn Bailey, who passed away on March 27, 2026. Our thoughts are with Dawn and her family. In this special episode of MCH Bridges, recorded live at the 2026 AMCHP Annual Conference in Was...

05/20/2026

📢 SAVE THE DATE! 📢
The Digital Storytelling is coming to Iowa City!
🗓 November 11–13, 2026
📍 Iowa City, IA
This exciting opportunity supports families in developing a 2-4 minute story for awareness and advocacy
✨ More information and registration details coming soon—stay tuned!
📣 Please share with families and partners who may be interested!

04/30/2026

Leadership in action 👏

A current IFLTI cohort member recently helped bring Autism Awareness & Response Training to local officers as part of their community service project—supporting safer, more informed interactions with individuals on the autism spectrum.

This is the impact of family leadership. 💙

Congrats, Alex! 👏 Your advocacy in action is making a difference—we’re so proud of the impact you’re creating!

03/18/2026

This event will highlight the stories of families who have participated in the IFLTI Storytelling for Family Leaders and Digital Storytelling Trainings!

During , join us to celebrate the strength of Iowa families! ✨

Listen to the stories of families with real life experience as they navigate through services and support and persistently advocate for their children.

DATE: Friday, March 27
TIME: 12:00 PM
LOCATION: Zoom
REGISTER: https://vist.ly/4uu7c

03/02/2026

Check out what our 2025 grad Jessica is doing!

This is family leadership in action. We’re proud to support family leaders as they turn lived experience into meaningful change. Way to lead, Jessica! 🌟

02/26/2026

🏛️ IFLTI Alumni in Action — Day on the Hill 2026

Our Iowa Family Leadership Training Institute cohort spent the day at the Iowa State Capitol learning directly from the DD Council about how to effectively advocate with legislators, share personal stories, and make their voices heard in the policy process.

Participants gained hands-on experience connecting with legislators and observed a live floor debate in action. We loved seeing three graduates return to put their leadership skills into practice!

One participant reflected, “Yesterday was a powerful experience”

Another shared, “I greatly appreciated the opportunity to be there. It was eye opening in so many ways. It felt empowering to hear Rep. Levin share an Iowan's real-life story about something she felt passionate about, and it made me realize that sharing our real-life stories really can have an impact.”

A heartfelt thank you to the Iowa DD Council for hosting us and equipping our leaders with tools to create meaningful change. 💛

02/24/2026

Join us for Understanding Sibshops — an engaging informational session led by Amber Herring, LISW, of ChildServe, where you’ll explore how sibling support programs work and how families can get involved. 💬

🗓 March 19, 2026
⏰ 12:00–1:00 PM

In this session, participants will:
✔️ Learn about Sibshops and their purpose
✔️ Explore activities, facility needs, and time involved
✔️ Discover ways families can participate and connect

IFLTI2.0.sibshops

📧 Register: Contact Rachel Charlot at [email protected]

✨ This is a great opportunity to learn practical strategies for supporting siblings and strengthening family-centered care.

01/14/2026

IFLTI grad Dani Black recently reached an exciting milestone—her celiac disease training has officially been published on the Beyond Celiac website, expanding access to critical education for school staff and helping create safer, more informed environments for students with celiac disease. 🎉

This is family leadership in action. We’re proud to support family leaders as they turn lived experience into meaningful change. Way to lead, Dani! 🌟

🔗 https://www.beyondceliac.org/?resources=celiac-disease-training-for-school-staff

01/07/2026

Having trouble navigating Social Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Medicaid, or SNAP benefits while working? A new website, Disability Benefits 101, can help Iowans navigate these programs while providing information and tools specific to Iowa. Thank you to Blueprint for Change for helping make this possible. Explore these resources and tools by visiting: https://ia.db101.org/

01/06/2026