The Center for the Study of Dyslexia has been working in conjunction with the Giardina Family Foundation of Houma, Louisiana. One of the primary goals of the foundation, formed in 1997 by Maxine and Jake Giardina and their four children, Jacob, Ben, Helen and Anthony, had been to work with individuals with dyslexia, furthering their education.

Maxine passed away Feb. 24 of this year. Jake Giardina continued the foundation in her memory.

“Maxine’s main reason for the foundation is to fund whatever charitable projects we wanted to, and to have a better way of handling funds. This way we could achieve the maximum amount of good as possible,” Giardina said.

Dr. Carol Ronka, director of the center, works with Dianne Savoie, the coordinator of the Giardina foundation. Together they visit various schools and serve as consultants, where they evaluate programs for students with learning difficulties.

In its three-year history, the foundation has trained thousands of teachers from six states in various multisensory techniques.

The foundation organizes and funds numerous training workshops for the teachers. The workshops have trained thousands of teachers from six southern states, which aid students with learning difficulties.

The workshops encourage participants to recognize the center as a valuable resource. The center is available to parents, teachers, college faculty and college students.

The foundation has also supplied equipment for the center. The foundation has also awarded scholarships to students who could not afford to pay for college.

The foundation has helped the center get larger facilities, and Savoie has attended all meetings that involve the center getting more funding.

“It is because of the commitment and generosity of Jake Giardina and his family, [that] we have been able to continue to assist in improving education for all students,” Savoie said.