We at Mountain States ADL wish to thank Sarla Thal, a No Place for Hate® facilitator, for her stellar work this summer as ADL Interim Education Project Director. Sarla was instrumental in getting this year’s No Place for Hate® campaign off and running, with a record 53 schools in Colorado this year. Following 32 years as an educator and educational administrator working in several locations across the state, Sarla began working with ADL as a volunteer on our Education Committee in 2008. She became a No Place for Hate facilitator in 2010, and also worked as a program coordinator for the Cyber Ally curriculum in Colorado Springs, and as a volunteer school liaison. When asked why she finds this work so meaningful, Sarla shared, “I’ve brought other bullying prevention programs into my buildings, but none of them have the ‘AHA’ moments for kids that No Place for Hate does, because the activities touch both their minds and then their hearts, which is the secret to the program’s success. The information alone doesn’t cut it. Our activities make the kids feel it.”  We are fortunate that Sarla will be continuing as a No Place for Hate facilitator and volunteer with ADL. Thank you so much for your enormous contribution to ADL this summer!

We also welcome back Tara Raju as the Education Project Director for the Mountain States Region.  Tara began her association with ADL as facilitator in 1995 and was previously on the staff of the ADL Mountain States Region from 2005-2011.  We are pleased she rejoined us this past month. Tara is responsible for leading ADL’s No Place for Hate® campaign and A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute trainings throughout the community.  Among her other responsibilities, Tara also will be working with educators on Holocaust education utilizing ADL’s Echoes & Reflections curriculum.  Tara has over 15 years’ experience working with schools in K-12 settings and higher education in Philadelphia, Chicago, Portland and the metro Denver area.  She has an MA in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor of Arts in African and Afro-American Studies and Political Science from Washington University, St. Louis.