<div dir="ltr"><div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9)"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit"><b style=""><font size="4">Remembering the gift that Linda Alton has been to the ToP Community of Trainers and Facilitators</font></b></span></div><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="font-size:15px">Though Parkinson's disease may have dimmed Linda's light in recent years, the brilliance of who she was—and the love she poured into building our ToP community—will shine on forever in each of us she touched.</span></span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit"></span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit">When <span style="margin:0px;text-align:inherit;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/117010510211/user/1019464018/?__cft__[0]=AZXrC9Ycfgld38fS-9IQ8KvxZDaz-38HaLsFkTZEjnPc_r-KVKxH6_c_4SMYLqkMnySam5TRts_ZQPPwuz3-5VBPVq__av0-YTMm8xqMV0neK__6LxRVRHflbSwsfiGGGLS9DdpN6Ro9XM_5NYt8IGUiKh7J3q1Y-lwAvgQTJobnxrfMdb0S6_jD1tEJi4ijTD6ePCLBGlo7EjhIBnRm3Vjl&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line:none;list-style:none;margin:0px;text-align:inherit;border-style:none;padding:0px;box-sizing:border-box;border-width:0px;outline:none;font-weight:600;background-color:transparent;display:inline;font-family:inherit"><span style="font-family:inherit"><span style="display:contents;font-family:inherit"><span style="font-family:inherit">Linda Alton</span></span></span></a></span> left the full-time ICA staff and made Minneapolis her home, she didn't just relocate—she planted seeds that would grow into something beautiful. She became the heart of our training and facilitation family, and I was blessed to be her partner in this work. Together, we poured ourselves into creating something meaningful: more than 15 Mastering the Technology of Participation trainings, countless facilitation events, continuing to develop advanced courses and a network that became so much more than the sum of its parts.</span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit"></span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit">Linda had this extraordinary gift—she could see potential in everyone she met. I used to joke that she could recruit anyone to our cause. Put her in an elevator with a stranger on the eighth floor, and by the ground floor, they'd be signed up for a course! But it wasn't just her persuasive charm—it was her genuine belief in people and her infectious passion for what we were building together. She was a really dynamic facilitator who always had her groups laughing.</span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit"></span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit">She was our anchor when storms hit. When the ICA community faced its darkest hour and the training staff was dismissed, Linda didn't retreat—she opened her arms wider. She organized meetings to help us find our way forward. When new trainers and facilitators needed a chance, Linda became their champion, sharing not just her connections and expertise, but her generous heart.</span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit"></span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit">How many times did Linda welcome not just me but so many of us into her home for trainings and meetings? Her table was always set with good food, great humor, and even better conversation. Those evenings weren't just about work—they were about friendship, about sharing our dreams and dilemmas with someone who truly understood. Linda had this way of making you feel seen, supported, and never alone in the work.</span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit"></span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit">Linda was more than a colleague or ToP Network co-founder (among many) —she was a mentor to many of those who Mentor today. She was a cheerleader and a friend who believed in the power of bringing people together. And she contained so many multitudes the Network had to invent a new title - the ToP Network 'Animator' when it hired her to bring life to it's early years. Her legacy lives on in every facilitator she guided, every trainer she encouraged, and every life touched by the community she helped nurture.</span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit"></span></div></div><div style="margin:0px;padding:0px;font-family:"Segoe UI Historic","Segoe UI",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(8,8,9);font-size:15px"><div style="margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-family:inherit"><span style="max-width:100%;word-break:break-word;min-width:0px;font-family:inherit">We will carry her spirit forward—that generous, innovative, unstoppable force for good that was uniquely Linda. She is deeply missed and will be forever cherished.</span></div></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div><div><br></div><span class="gmail_signature_prefix">-- </span><br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Marilyn Oyler</div><div>Partners in Participation</div><div>Phoenix, AZ</div>
<div><a href="mailto:marilyn.oyler@gmail.com" target="_blank">marilyn.oyler@gmail.com</a></div>
<div><a href="http://www.partnersinparticipation.com/" target="_blank">www.partnersinparticipation.com</a></div>
<div>602 468 0605 or 602 460 8843 (mobile)</div><div>Purchase a sticky wall on <a href="http://www.partnersinparticipation.com" target="_blank">www.partnersinparticipation.com</a><br></div><div>Visit our airbnb <a href="https://bit.ly/37HPqqq" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/37HPqqq</a></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div><div style="font-size:12.8px"><div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><div><p><br></p></div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>