Remembering Memorial Day

Memorial Day 2011 is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 30 in 2011). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. soldiers who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War. It was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.

Memorial Day often marks the start of the summer vacation season, and Labor Day its end.

Begun as a ritual of remembrance and reconciliation after the Civil War, by the early 20th century, Memorial Day was an occasion for more general expressions of memory, as ordinary people visited the graves of their deceased relatives, whether they had served in the military or not. It also became a long weekend increasingly devoted to shopping, family get-togethers, fireworks, trips to the beach, and national media events such as the Indianapolis 500 auto race, held since 1911 on Memorial Day.

Memorial Day 2011 is on 30th May in 2011.

Highlights April & May - Wonderful Events!

Playing catch-up with posting photos of some of the great & fun events I have been able to be a part of!

Judging Miss St. Johns Country Day School to Receiving a card and dinner from Princess Kilala (ha ha - via my hubby's help) so sweet after the loss of my love Pepper Dog - miss you boo! To respresting Mrs. North Florida at the State Florida United States Pageant receiving the honorable mention for Spirit of Pageantry & Congeniality to the honor of 2nd runner up! Congreats to all the Queens - had a wonderful time seeing and meeting many friends! Onto volunteering at the First Coast Go Red for Women Luncheon - What a great day helping out and see all the wonderful folks involved in something so dear to my heart! Then onto Trails and Tails Walk with Princess Kilala in memory of my boo Pepper Domino Oulton!



Until next time - enjoy!

Why is it Important to Volunteer?

Volunteering is as natural to me as living. You see, I was brought up with the idea that helping others grows me as a person of value and compassion. My parents, however, were very careful to make sure I was developing a strong inner core for myself and not simply using volunteer work to compensate for my own lack of self-love. As they taught me about giving, they would also question why I was volunteering for this or that.

No matter how serious the volunteer work may be, staying light-hearted and bringing others a bit of your sunshine goes a long way. Laughter lightens!.

Thanks to my parents, I’ve been a volunteer is some form or other most of my life. I have been blessed with receiving their wonderful philosophy of service. Many of you may not have had this type of mentorship, so let me give you my perspective on volunteering.

Reasons People Volunteer

Volunteering is important for as many reasons as there are people and needs.

1. Some people volunteer because they just love helping others. Their own joy of giving and making a difference makes them feel valued and valuable to the ones they are serving. They receive back a thousandfold by seeing the impacts created for the people they are helping.

2. Others volunteer because they feel a need to give back to a community that has been good to them and they want to express their gratitude by paying it forward into their community. This is powerful leverage that can build lasting beneficial changes in a viral way.

3. Still others volunteer because it gives them a sense of purpose and meaning to their lives. It’s like their contribution to others is fulfilling a critical aspect for their own self-expression in the world.

4. And, of course, many people volunteer to gain valuable new experience in a certain field and pay their dues for developing expertise and career advancement opportunities.

5. Last but not least, great volunteers enjoy themselves while giving to others. Long term studies have shown that volunteers live longer, are in better health, have lower rates of depression and less heart disease.

The poet John Donne said it best, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…”


Share Your Gifts With Others

Everyone has unique gifts to offer, bar none. When you share your gifts from your heart, you cannot help but feel great! If you don’t feel these self-rewards, then you are either volunteering in an area that doesn’t fit who you are, or else you’ve got some deep inner work to complete first.

Many of us don’t think that we can really make a difference. That’s why, if you have a desire to help out, do some research and find an opportunity to try it out. Your very own community will have plenty of opportunities to do so. If you are new at this, it’s also a good idea to choose the volunteer leader to whom you feel you can relate to and learn from.

The opportunities to make a real difference and impact the lives of others present themselves everyday. The question is, will we take advantage of them or let them pass by like an afternoon breeze?

May 21 - Armed Forces Day = Thank You

A Testament to Armed Forces Day
By anonymous


Today is a special day for all of us who have served in any of the branches of the U.S. military. Saturday is Armed Forces Day. It's a day we all should observe and remember.

The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated on May 20, 1950, just a month before the Korean War started. The new holiday was established the previous year. Prior to that, each of our military services had its own special day.

But when the various branches were all organized under a single department -- the Department of Defense -- the country seemed ready to recognize the totality of the individual forces and their combined dedication and sacrifice.

So it began. And almost immediately, we were in a war. The war was with North Korea, determined to take over South Korea. When things didn't go well for them, China was quick to enter the conflict, and a war that would last a full three years began in force.

I was drafted on November 6, 1953, the day my wife and I were married. It wasn't much of a wedding present.

My father had become very ill a few months earlier, and I had found it necessary to drop out of engineering school to go to work full time. The family income problem was serious. By the summer of 1953, we had things working pretty well, so we decided to marry. But the wonderful plans we had built crashed with the Selective Service Notice. "Greetings." That's all it had to say. Twenty-four days later, I was on my way to Fort Knox, Kentucky, with no idea where the two years of active duty would lead me.

Some friends strongly suggested that I apply for a hardship discharge. I, like most young guys who had just a few years before lived through the ups and downs of World War II, felt that our duty was our duty.

I finally met with my dad about it, because I couldn't bear the idea of going if he really didn't support my decision.

He made it very, very clear: I should go. Whatever happened to him was unimportant. The country had called. I had to answer. And I did.

Unfortunately, I never saw him again. He died in the spring of 1955. We managed to get back home in time for the funeral.

But my service was very good. I felt the satisfaction of knowing that what I was doing was important -- not just to me, but to my country. Whenever I meet someone currently in the service, I can always feel that same sense of pride.

There were some surprises too.

In the early Korean War, the segregation of the races ended. Blacks and whites served together. Blacks held the same jobs that whites did, unlike in previous integration efforts, where blacks were relegated to lower-class jobs in the kitchens and barracks.

And the change was exhilarating. In my first eight-week Basic Training course (where I became familiar, and reasonably proficient, in a wide range of combat-ready skills), my NCO in charge, our field first sergeant, was a black returnee from Korean battles.

Master-Sergeant Stevenson was his name, and he was a masterful instructor. We all heard some of the stories behind his decorations.

It was a powerful lesson that in all of American society at the time, the only place a large group of young men could be placed under the total control of a black man without so much as a single objection or grumble was in our military. Master-Sergeant Stevenson was a great leader, and he helped many of us become the same -- or at least as close as we could get.

But every man or woman who serves has stories to tell -- stories that reflect their pride in what they have done and the gratitude they (we) all somehow felt for the opportunity to be there.

So please join all of us who are still here -- young or old alike. Honor the Armed Forces we so gratefully served. Extend to anyone you know who serves now your appreciation and gratitude.

It is an occasion to bring us all to recognizing the price so many pay to keep this country free.

May is for Miracles

Partners


* Hospitals
* Sponsor
* TV & Radio
* Celebrities

Donate To a Hospital

May is for Miracles


Below is a list of retailers that are selling Miracles Balloons this May.
Click on the sponsor name to find a location near you.



Miracle Balloon Participating Retailers

Walmart and Sam’s Club
May 1 – June 13

Costco
May 1 – May 31

Rite Aid
April 10 – May 28

Kinney Drugs
March 13 – May 22

Golden Corral
May 1 – June 30

Valvoline Express Care
May 1 – May 31

Chico’s store
May 1 – May 31

White House|Black Market store
May 1 – May 31

Soma Intimates
May 1 – May 31

Carmike Cinemas
May 6 – June 4

WaWa
May 7 – May 29

Publix
May 28 – June 17

Kroger Atlanta
May 22 – June 18


http://childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org/MIFMParticipating?ecode=MIFM2011&utm_source=emma&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mifm2011

May is National Missing Children Month

http://www.ag.arkansas.gov/crime_safety_youth_parents_schools_keys_to_safety.html


The Attorney General is unlocking the facts to child abduction, runaway issues, and online computer safety. No one likes to think about something bad happening to a child. But the reality is that thousands of children are reported missing every year. The goal of the Attorney General's Office is to protect the people of our state, especially our children.




National Missing Children's Day

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's (NCMEC) mission is to help prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; help find missing children; and assist victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.


More Information: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PublicHomeServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US

Homemade DNA Kit:

How To

A do-it-yourself DNA kit is designed to provide valuable information to law enforcement should your child ever become missing. In the event you should ever need to have the DNA developed, law enforcement will assist you with that process.
*1 zip-lock freezer bag * 1 inexpensive plastic comb
* 3 gauze squares or Q-tips * 1 baby tooth * Fingernail clippers
· Run a cheap plastic comb through child's hair. Leave all loose hair in the comb and drop the comb and hair into freezer bag.

· Use 1 gauze square or Q-tip and swab it inside the child's right cheek. Repeat this procedure swabbing the inside of the left cheek. Drop both swabs into the bag.

· Use the remaining gauze the next time your child skins a knee to preserve a sample of his/her blood. Place this into the bag, also.

· Clip the child's fingernails and place the clippings in the bag.

· If your child has lost any baby teeth, place one into the bag as well.

· Label the bag with your child's name and place the entire kit into your freezer. The kit should be well preserved for years if it remains frozen.


Parents, this is information to keep with you at all times in case your child becomes missing.



*Keep a complete description of your child. Write it down because in a stressful situation you may not remember details very well. This description must include color of hair, color of eyes, height, weight, and date of birth. In addition the descriptions should include identifiers such as eyeglasses or contact lenses, braces on teeth, pierced ears, and other unique physical attributes. The complete description must be written down.

*Take color photographs of your child every six months. Photographs should be of high quality and in sharp focus so that your child is easily recognizable. Head and shoulder portraits from different angles, such as those taken by school photographers, are preferable, but make certain you have a photograph that most resembles your child.

*Candid photographs may be more representative of how your child looks than a posed shot.

*If possible, take a picture of your child against a height chart.

*Take pictures of your child smiling and not smiling.

*Talk to your children about the dangers of wandering off alone and to not talk to strangers.










Morgan Age progressed to 18


At 10:45 p.m. on June 9, 1995 in Alma, Arkansas, 6-year-old Morgan Nick was abducted from a little league ball game by an unidentified man. She was attending the game with her mother and had joined some friends to catch lightning bugs. Morgan was last seen standing near her mother's car where she had stopped to empty sand from her shoes.

Witnesses observed a man watching the youngster as she was playing with other children at the park. The witness also saw a red Ford pickup with a white camper parked nearby that disappeared at about the same time as Morgan. The camper is possibly damaged at the right rear, and was described as four or five inches too short for the truck, which has a short wheel base and paint dulled by age. The truck is believed to have Arkansas license plates.

The man was described as white, 6 feet tall, with a medium to solid build, a mustache and a 1-inch beard. At the time, he was believed to be 23-38 years old.

At the time of her disappearance, Morgan was approximately 4 feet tall, about 55 pounds, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Morgan had 5 visible silver caps on her molars. She was last seen wearing a green Girl Scout t-shirt, blue denim shorts and white tennis shoes.

A massive investigation has turned up thousands of leads, but still no solid clues to the whereabouts of Morgan Nick or her abductor. The FBI and local communities have offered a $60,000 reward for the recovery of Morgan Chauntel Nick and the identification, arrest and conviction of subject or subjects responsible for her abduction.

The search continues to move forward. There have been numerous possible sightings of Morgan across the United States. Morgan's parents believe that Morgan is still alive and hope that with continued media coverage, someone will be able to provide them with information that could bring their daughter home.

May is National Stroke Month

May is Stroke and High Blood Pressure Awareness Month


Every 40 seconds someone has a stroke — and if a stroke doesn’t kill, it may cause physical or mental disability. Stroke is a medical emergency. Call 9-1-1 if you think you or someone you’re with is having a stroke.

strokeassociation.org for more information.



Stroke is the third leading cause of death in America and a leading cause of adult disability.

Up to 80% of strokes are preventable; you can prevent a stroke!


What is a stroke?

A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs.

When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.

For example, someone who has a small stroke may experience only minor problems such as weakness of an arm or leg. People who have larger strokes may be paralyzed on one side or lose their ability to speak. Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability.



Learn the many warning signs of a stroke. Act FAST and CALL 9-1-1 IMMEDIATELY at any sign of a stroke.



Use FAST to remember the warning signs:


FACE:
Ask the person to smile.
Does one side of the face droop?

ARMS:

Ask the person to raise both arms.
Does one arm drift downward?

SPEECH:

Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase.
Is their speech slurred or strange?

TIME:

If you observe any of these signs,
call 9-1-1 immediately.

Great Causes and Awareness for the Month of May

National Stroke Awareness Month

The National Stroke Association is the only national organization in the United States that focuses 100% of its efforts on stroke. NSA achieves its mission to lower the incidence and impact of stroke by developing compelling community outreach programs, calling for continued improvement in the quality of stroke patient care, and educating both healthcare professionals and the general public about stroke.


National Digestive Diseases Awareness Month

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) is dedicated to the mission of advancing the science and practice of gastroenterology. Founded in 1897, the AGA is the oldest medical-specialty society in the United States. Comprised of two non-profit organizations- the AGA and the AGA Institute- they have more than 14,500 members which include physicians and scientists who research, diagnose and treat disorders of the gastrointestinal tract and liver.


National High Blood Pressure Education Month

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) provides leadership for a national program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lung, and blood; blood resources; and sleep disorders. Since October 1997, the NHLBI has also had administrative responsibility for the NIH Woman's Health Initiative.


National Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month

The American Academy of Dermatology is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 14,000 physicians worldwide, the Academy is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails.


National Sight-Saving Month: Ultraviolet Awareness And Home Eye Safety

Since 1908, Prevent Blindness America has been the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization with the sole mission of preventing blindness and preserving sight.


Skin Cancer Awareness Month

The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and service.