d a d

dad (Dyslexics Achieving Distinction) was created by Mike Mountz to raise awareness to help children with Dyslexia. Mike was held back in the second and third grade, dropped out of high school in the ninth grade, and was later diagnosed with Dyslexia. He remembers the horrible embarrassment of not being able to read. He spent his working life overcoming this challenge, and created dad in 2005 to formally start work to educate, encourage, and financially help people with Dyslexia. dad was spelled with small letters because Mike could never distinguish between a small b or a small d.

During Mike's 28 years as owner of Cloister he spent as much time as possible speaking to groups about the challenges of Dyslexia. He addressed children, parents, teachers and administrators around the world. He has helped a number of children financially so they could attend schools that specialize in working with Dyslexia. Mike made a special mention about his challenges with Dyslexia, and his plans to help combat the issue, in his International Car Wash Hall of Fame acceptance speech.

Now that Mike has retired from car washing, he plans to spend more time developing the dad Program. Mike believes Dyslexia is a gift you need to unwrap. If it is identified and talked about at a young age, children will realize it is something that can be overcome so they can reach their full potential. Mike will use dad as a vehicle to raise money and awareness to help young people with Dyslexia achieve with distinction.

Mike now lives in New Zealand, but he does spend time in Lancaster, PA, and travels extensively. If his schedule permits, he is available to speak to groups about how he overcame the challenge of Dyslexia, and how he used this determination to build a successful business. If you are interested in talking with Mike about how you can be a part of the dad effort, e-mail mountzm@gmail.com.