Every year, Jason speaks to thousands of students of all ages across the country in large group assemblies, classroom visits and during writing workshops. He visits public, private, and religious schools and often schedules time for parents, staff, and faculty events.

Jason offers an unprecedented Money Back Booking Guarantee. If teachers, staff and students are not completely satisfied with his visit, Jason will refund 100% of the costs or donate it back to the PTA/PTO.

For more information, please contact us and provide as many details as possible about your needs. We look forward to visiting your school!


Presentations for 2024-2025

Click here to download full packet of all assembly options (PDF)

“Can Scars Become Beautiful?”
Based on Scar Dakota, Jason’s new middle-grade novel, this presentation invites students to privately consider their own scars. Using storytelling, humor, and poignant experiences, Jason will reveal some of his scars and his journey of learning to embrace them. Contact Jason for more information.

“Kindness — How a Boy Named Roy Changed the World” (Download one-page PDF)
When Jason was a middle schooler in Charlottesville, Virginia, a series of school bus experiences changed his life forever. Using humor, heart, storytelling and volunteers as actors in his life story, Jason teaches the power of words to build and create greatness. Click here to learn more.

“The Seventeen Second Miracle Challenge” (Download one-page PDF)
We don’t always need parents or teachers to tell us when or how to perform mini-miracles in the lives of people around us. We simply need to have our eyes open to the opportunities. Click here to learn more.

“Failure Is an Option” (Download one-page PDF)
Jason uses examples from famous failures throughout history before revealing his own impressive track record of falling short. Using self-deprecating humor and personal anecdotes, Jason teaches specific lessons he’s learned from some of his more entertaining failures. Perhaps most surprisingly, students will learn that Jason failed the 7th grade. Click here to learn more.

“Christmas Jars” (Download one-page PDF)
Using humor and photos, Jason introduces himself and shares a few of the things he “wanted to be when he grew up.” Volunteers then stand in front of their peers and do the same. Jason also reads his book, Penny’s Christmas Jar Miracle, as the illustrations are projected on a screen. At the conclusion, Jason asks questions and students learn that a jar of money given away anonymously can have a tremendous impact on both the givers and the receivers.

“Publishing — How a Story Becomes a Book” (Download one-page PDF)
Using student actors on stage, Jason takes a high-energy approach to demonstrating how an idea goes from a writer’s imagination to a library or bookstore. Students learn about the role of editors, agents, publishers and more.

“All Writing Is Storytelling” (Download one-page PDF)
Jason owes his career to phenomenal teachers who believed in his ability to tell a story and he begins his workshops by focusing on a simple premise: All writing is storytelling. Jason offers two workshop options. One centers on group storytelling and involves everyone in the room. Together they create an oral story that’s never been told in history. The other uses a unique writing prompt and allows time for students to write the first page of a short story. Jason then reads many of the stories aloud and finds magic in every single one.

“Kindness by Zoom”
We live in unusual times, with a global pandemic disrupting education and presenting more challenges than ever before. In this newest presentation, Jason visits your school by Zoom or other video platform and discusses how his writing career developed and why kindness emerged as the theme of everything he’s written. He presents a unique object lesson and always leaves time for entertaining Q&A. Click here for a short highlight clip.

“The Christmas Doll” (Download one-page PDF)
In 2017, Jason collaborated with Utah Jazz owner Gail Miller on Courage to Be You—her deeply personal memoir on family, faith, forgiveness and more.This fall, Jason shares another of Gail’s stories. The Christmas Doll is a picture book based on an experience from Gail’s humble childhood. Illustrated by Howard Lyon, we learn the story of a girl, a gift, and a new life.

“You Are Not Alone!” (Download one-page PDF)
Students will be immersed in Jason’s stories that are personal, emotional,and most importantly to audiences — true. They will be invited to think differently about one another and to look for opportunities every single day to help someone take off the blindfold and headphones and see the help that surrounds us. As in his other presentations, this program is highly-interactive and features two student-led object lessons that are unforgettable.

Jason is also willing to customize a message around a school or district-wide theme or specific initiative.

What are schools saying about Jason’s programs?

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