Jill Jana Marie is a young children's author with a mission: Enhancing children's lives through literacy, while heightening the horizons of others. Jill's foundation, Heightened Horizons, donates ten percent of the sales of each of her books to a child with a special need. Her first book, Zoo Rendezvous, is dedicated to José, a five year old from Immokalee, FL.  Born prematurely, José suffered an infection that left him completely hearing impaired.  José's parents do not know sign language and helping José with his school lessons is nearly impossible. In order for José to keep up with his peers, he will need to sustain home support.  Jill Jana Marie is here to see that he receives the resources that he needs to succeed. Jill's second book, Balloon Blessing, is dedicated to a seven year old girl named Hannah from Naples, FL. Hannah has a rare metabolic disorder called LCHAD (long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency). When most children have a fever or the flu, they get to stay home from school and eat chicken noodle soup and popsicles while lounging on the couch and watching television.  However, when Hannah gets sick, she faces emergent admission to the hospital so that doctors can carefully monitor her condition and administer specific life-saving treatment. Emergency helicopter transports, prolonged hospital admissions, and frequent high-dose medications cause physical, emotional, and financial difficulties for Hannah and her family. Jill's third book, Elsa Magda Val M y Imaginary Pal is dedicated to Hannah's sister, Sarah, with the same rare disorder. Many of the characters in Jill's book are inspired by real people in her life. She also has the unique opportunity of using her writing to teach her third grade students. What a gift to get to work with children each day and see their neverending growth!

Jill was recently named a 2009 Teacher of Distinction in Collier County Florida. She is in the running to receive one of the six Golden Apples given in May.