Courage • Character • Commitment

Shari’s life experience as a learning disabled, hyperactive, visually-impaired child from a broken home is a story of many challenges. But Shari’s story is about the people that helped her and her determination to help herself.

Shari Rusch Furnstahl is one of the leading youth communicators in the United States and Canada and has brought valuable insights and skills to more than one million individuals since she began public speaking at the age of 18; establishing a reputation for making students and teachers laugh while they learn.

Individuals participating in Shari’s leadership presentations are taught how to develop character traits that will enable them to live, personally and publicly, with courage, character and commitment regardless of the circumstances. Students and advisors leave inspired, motivated and armed with the tools necessary to make a difference in their home, school and community.

A professional singer and songwriter, Shari uses hilarious musical activities and other effective learning techniques to make the hour or day spent with her fun and enlightening.

Special Emphasis Presentations
Topics for Advisers

• How to Lead the Next Generation
• Team-Building for Every Group
• Powerful Assemblies
• Developing Your Leadership Organization
  (A TEAM Approach)

Build A Better School/Organization Without Hurting Your Back
          otherwise known as Build A Better School One Person At A Time

Why is it that only a certain percentage of the student body attends school activities? Why is there no “pep” in our assemblies? Why don’t we have any “school spirit”? These are questions that many leadership students ask themselves. The answers can only be found when you ask deeper questions such as, What is the “personality” of our school? Do students feel welcome, cared for and encouraged, or excluded, alienated and separated?” After over 16 years of experience with visits to hundreds of schools as an educator and speaker, Shari has a rich understanding of how to assess and change that “personality” of a school from dysfunctional to successful.

This workshop offers students an opportunity to learn how a school can be changed from the inside out.
Strategies, activities and ideas that will build school pride, increase student involvement and create a positive
(inclusive) school environment will be discussed.

Everything You Need To Know About Leadership You Learned While Being Led
          otherwise known as It Is Hard To Follow A Parked Car

Have you ever had a coach, teacher, parent or other mentor in your life that inspired you to reach beyond what
you thought you could accomplish? These individuals taught us more than what we could do, they taught us how to be. By reflecting on the individuals that made a difference in our lives we can learn the secret key to being a good leader. Shari Rusch offers direction and encouragement to students seeking to develop character traits that will enable them to be effective leaders. We often think that it is only certain people can rise to become a leader. The truth is we all can lead, but we have to determine what type of leader we want to be. By learning from our past experiences and individuals that have inspired us, we can develop our style as leaders and be the next generation to change the world.

Success Means Never Crossing The Finish Line Alone
          otherwise known as Making A Difference One Person At A Time

Success has often been defined as the sum total of an individuals achievements, but shouldn’t there be more to it than that? Success Means Never Crossing The Finish Line Alone is a special emphasis presentation that encourages students to achieve their goals, but at the same time look for opportunities to give back. Shari Rusch asks the question," What are you going to do with your third eight?” If there are eight hours to work or go to school and eight hours to sleep, we still have eight hours to make a difference in our home, school or community. Even with limited time and few recourses we can make our corner of the world a better place. This power packed presentation offers insight and inspiration on the importance of being grateful and “giving back” on the way to your dreams.