Family

A Parental Guide to Grown Children

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 7 Aug 2008 16:57:08 -0700

By Martha Randolph Carr

There is really only one skill required in order to be a good parent once your children have grown into adulthood. It is the ability to appear supportive without really saying anything. Any comment that borders on opinion travels through the air waves and lands as judgment in the fragile ears of our children. An innocent remark about how a new car looks or an old job is doing and the wheels start turning in our offspring’s head.

“What did you mean by that?” asks our incredulous twenty-something. It’s as if we’ve just confirmed their worst suspicions that we had always hoped for more out of them. Truly, if our children are paying their bills and not asking us for money we’re already on the road to parental bliss. If they’re also putting money into any kind of investment plan and have some kind of faith in some higher being, have started looking around at someone nice to settle down with and might volunteer at something while cutting back on the processed foods, well, that would be nice as well. However, all of that we as parents would be wise to keep to ourselves for a couple of very important reasons.

The first is because the time has passed to guide our children toward some bright and shining future. They’re actually in that future and it’s their turn to pick and choose what it’s going to look like. Every time we butt in we’re actually telling them they’re getting it wrong, try again. That can be a real confidence blaster.

The consequences of over-parenting any adult can end up being that our grown children stop trying to create bigger and better and start settling for smaller and what appears safer. The results of that are often a lot of great opportunities get left on the table. Worst case scenario is that the child is living in your basement. No one wants to see that.

Risk is a necessary part of the big picture and its cousin, failure is vital as well. The first adds a certain amount of exhilaration to life and pulls the idea of faith out of theory and into practice. The second teaches us what we want to keep or discard in the description that is our lives.

Failure is also a much better teacher than success when it comes to building a nice, big fat dream. When we find ourselves able to stand back up again and can see how to solve a problem a piece at a time we also catch on that there actually is a solution to just about anything. There will be some compromise, some letting go, a few bumps and bruises but even the worst of it can be resolved. We learn to take that with us as we move forward.

Everyone who has reached beyond what had been done before like Bill Gates or Steven Spielberg or Serena Williams had a parent who allowed for risk, failure and then consequence without looking jittery about the potential outcome. They stood on the sidelines cheering them on because they knew the skinned knees were only a part of a long and continuous journey.

The second consideration is because as any parent stuck in the sandwich generation between grown children and aging parents knows, some day we are going to need our children’s help. It’s inevitable that if we live long enough we are going to once again require not only physical help but perhaps a little guidance as well. The most obvious source is going to be our progeny and how they treat us is going to be a great reflection of how we treated them. If we are able to take our hands off of their business now and yet, be available to listen and answer only direct questions then that is probably what we’ll get in return.

In the meantime, though, the next generation still expects us to somehow figure out how to empathize, cheer, lament or acknowledge without any kind of adjectives. And, fortunately, there is something that can help out with this phase. By the way, this part works equally well with aging parents as it does with grown children. It requires only one syllable, ‘huh’ pronounced three different ways depending on the situation at hand. A surprised inflection at a promotion or big purchase, a lower inflection for puzzlement at a problem and a drawn out, even lower ‘huh’ at a disappointment. That’s all that’s needed. A pat on the back or a good strong hug can also be added at your discretion. More adventures to follow.

Martha Randolph Carr’s latest book, A Place to Call Home, a memoir about the reemergence of U.S. orphanages is available wherever books are sold. If you’d like Martha to come and speak to your group visit: www.newvoicespeakers.com. Author’s email: Martha@caglecartoons.com or visit www.martharandolphcarr.com. If you’d like to learn more about Mercy & Sharing go to www.HaitiChildren.com.

©2008 Martha Randolph Carr. Martha’s column is distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons Inc. newspaper syndicate.

Haiti’s Progress

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 4 Aug 2008 15:35:26 -0700

By Martha Randolph Carr

Haiti is a country that has defied change in the worst possible ways for all of its existence. However, there are signs that perhaps there is hope at last for the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Two recent announcements have the potential to create some real and lasting change for the impoverished Caribbean country. Last Thursday, a new female prime minister, Michele Pierre-Louis was ratified after several stalled attempts paving the way for the delayed senate elections and desperately needed foreign aid. Ms. Pierre-Louis, 61 and an educator comes from the Open Society Institute founded by George Soros, which works to promote emerging democracies and human rights. Perhaps it was worth the wait to gain such a fresh perspective in a country that also survived Francois ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier’s reign of terror.

The other piece of good news came when the charity, Mercy & Sharing, which was founded by American, Susie Krabacher in 1994 specifically to aid Haitian children recently announced plans to double their footprint in Haiti with a 16 acre, 38,000 square foot development in Williamson, located about an hour away from Port au Prince.

The new facilities, expected to open by end of 2009 will include another orphanage, a feeding center expected to serve 500 people per day, a hospice for terminally ill and disabled children, a vocational school with a capacity for 100 children and a primary school that will initially teach 200 children and eventually expand to 500 students.

The small country has known mostly violence since its inception when all of the indigenous people were pushed into extinction and replaced by African settlers. Since then most of its rich natural resources have been destroyed with only 7 percent of the original forest still remaining leading to soil erosion and loss of minerals as well as extensive contamination of the water supply. None of the country’s water is considered potable.

Haiti sits across a spit of ocean from Cuba and Guantanamo Bay and only 750 miles off the coast of Florida. Malnutrition, disease, lack of education and unemployment have been staples of Haitian life along with a steady stream of violence.

In April, deadly riots over food shortages lead to the government ousting Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis without thinking of the consequences of having no one to name in his place. For months, no one was legally capable of signing for foreign aid as the price of rice continued to rise. Mercy & Sharing, which already operates feeding centers in Port au Prince watched as greater numbers of people struggled to eat. “People who could have afforded rice two years ago can’t buy it now. The price has doubled,” said Krabacher. But the outside world could do very little as they watched two previous candidates for prime minister fail to achieve a majority vote and a stalemate continue as the populated went hungry.

One of the greatest hopes Krabacher has from the new projects, which will cost $1.7 million from donations is that out of the children they are helping to raise will come Haiti’s future leaders. Krabacher has a little experience with starting from where you are with what you have to offer. She began the charity with an idea, a 10th grade education and limited savings and has helped to build facilities that already include orphanages, a hospital, day clinic, feeding center and schools. They are the most successful charity operating in Haiti today despite death threats and corruption in areas where other charities have given up and left town. Krabacher, along with her husband, Joe, an attorney in Colorado, even pay for all of the charity’s administrative costs out of their own pockets so that 100 percent of all donations can go directly to the projects in Haiti.

There’s still a very long road ahead before Haiti turns any kind of corner toward self-sufficiency or even the promise of peace for its people but at last there are signs that progress is being made.

Martha Randolph Carr’s latest book, A Place to Call Home about the reemergence of U.S. orphanages is available wherever books are sold. If you’d like Martha to come and speak to your group visit: www.newvoicespeakers.com.

Author’s email: Martha@caglecartoons.com or visit www.martharandolphcarr.com. If you’d like to learn more about Mercy & Sharing go to www.HaitiChildren.com.

©2008 Martha Randolph Carr. Martha’s column is distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons Inc. newspaper syndicate.

First Annual White River Balloon Fest

kpaul.mallasch — Sat, 2 Aug 2008 22:50:17 -0700

White River Balloon Fest Video at AFP:

Part 1 - The People - Interviews with some of the people at the Balloon Fest - includes guy on Segway, cute 48 hour old puppies, and the food - smells not included.
Part 2 - The Balloons - Little montage with one interview (I wish I would've had her spell her name - doing so many things you forget sometimes. In any case...) She was flying in memory of her husband, who she lost to cancer. The balloons going up was quite a sight.

White River Balloon Fest Photos at AFP:

AFP White River Balloon Fest Photo Gallery - Three hundred or so photos taken Saturday, August 2, 2008. A few are from the control tower at Anderson Airport. Another thanks to all the airport employees and all the volunteers.

Elsewhere on the web:

Hey, maybe you got some photos?

Did you attend? Take photos? Sign-up to become a member and add them or email to me at kpaul.mallasch@gmail.com and I'll help you get them online with credit or not.

Leave a comment about your experience if you went.

Shaping up Our Fat Kids

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:32:40 -0700

By Tom Purcell

Ah, summer. We all know what that means: our kids are getting even fatter.

Surely you're aware of the battle against childhood obesity. It's in high gear during the school year. I read about it in the Washington Post.

With physical education classes offered in fewer than 10 percent of public schools, some state legislatures are fighting to mandate 30 minutes of PE every day in school.

Recess has also gone to the wayside at many schools, now that teachers need the extra time to bolster self-esteem.

And a great junk-food battle is under way -- a battle that has made its way to the halls of Congress, where our politicians threaten to ban the selling of candy, soda, salts and fats in schools.

Despite the school-focused anti-obesity efforts, a bigger challenge has emerged: kids are getting even fatter when they are at home.

A 2007 study published in the American Journal of Public health confirms it: the body-mass index of kindergartners and first-graders increases two to three times as fast during the summer than during the rest of the year.

According to the Post, kids have less structure during the summer months. And because their parents lavish them with dough, they're able to use their free time buying goodies at the 7-11 -- with plenty of dough left over for a cab ride home.

How to solve the summer-time obesity epidemic? The Post asked health experts for advice.

First tip: parents need to share in the responsibility of keeping their kids fit. They need to get their kids outdoors.

That's ground-breaking advice, to be sure, but I think it was invented by the very first parents, who passed it on to subsequent parents, who kept passing it on until the current batch took over.

Hey, my dear sweet mother frequently applied the concept in the '70s when she told my sisters and me: "I'm sick of looking at your face, go outside and play, and you better not be late for supper."

My mother had no Ph.D, but she was also aware of the advice another expert shared with the Post: "Studies have shown that the more time kids spend outside, the more active they are!"

You don't say! And here I thought chomping on Doritos and playing video games was the way to make kids more active.

Look, I'm as concerned about our obese kids as the next fellow -- some 16 percent of our kids, three times the percentage in 1980, are overweight, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- but we're trying to solve the problem all wrong.

Here's what we need to do: bring back the old-style parents, clear-headed people like my mother and father.

When we said "I'm thirsty, there's never any Pepsi to drink around here," my mother would say, "You want something to drink, what's wrong with water?"

When we said, "I'm hungry, there's nothing to eat around here," she'd say, "You want something to eat, what's wrong with fruit?"

When we were in a lazy mood and said, "There's nothing to do around here," she'd say, "You want something to do, I'll give you something to do," and we were soon mopping the floors or mowing the lawn.

I know our wealthy society is overwhelmed these days with lots of high-calorie foods that our bodies were not designed to consume.

I know some moms and dads, who both need to work to make ends meet, don't have the luxury to be home with their kids during the summer months.

I know the '70s was an easier, simpler time to be both a kid and a parent.

But I also know there was only one obese kid in my entire township. A few were chubby -- that's natural for some kids and they often outgrow it -- but the vast majority of kids were in great shape.

We were in great shape because we had stubborn parents, who, despite a lack of studies and experts telling them what to do, made sure we were active and ate right.

Maybe the experts should do a study on that.

©2008 Tom Purcell. Tom is a humor columnist nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons.

The Real Victims of John Edwards’ Adultery

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:28:25 -0700

By Floyd and Mary Beth Brown

The clock read 2:40 a.m. A 54-year-old man with perfectly coiffed hair slipped quietly out of a Beverly Hills hotel room. He jumped on an elevator for a ride down to the ground floor. When the doors sprung open he was shocked to find several National Enquirer reporters waiting to confront him.

His face reportedly turned white with his eyes widening. This man, who has mastered the art of political debates and has run the gauntlet of several national campaigns, nonetheless looked like a deer caught in headlights. Trying to escape the reporters, he ran. He ducked into a hotel men’s room. Soon the crowd grew beyond reporters. It took hotel security to break up the late-night crowd outside the toilet.

The ensuing headlines trumpeted Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards’ rendezvous with his mistress. It made news only because he is a well-known public figure, but sadly, infidelity takes a toll in the lives of millions of lesser known couples.

According to polling by the Associated Press, 22 percent of married men and 14 percent of the married women in the America have had “an adulterous affair.” Put another way, that is 19 million men and 12 million women who are married and have committed adultery.

Edwards’ exposure by journalists doesn’t make him a victim as some pundits have argued; the real victims are his wife Elizabeth and their children. Adultery hurts families. They feel betrayed. Trust is destroyed. Family stability and lives are shaken, not to mention the baby conceived as a result of the Edwards affair.

A common belief today is that infidelity is strictly an individual’s own business. But in reality, the damage spreads and severely harms the innocent.

Last October, when the story of Edwards’ affair broke, he denied it. Yet he continued to see his mistress. To make matters worse, his wife Elizabeth is suffering from cancer. She heroically encouraged him to run for president despite her illness. She demonstrated that her vows “to love and cherish” had deep meaning by her selfless actions.

In his book “Broken Hearth,” Bill Bennett writes about the moral collapse of the American family. “The family is already reeling from the effects of the sexual revolution,” he says, “which replaced the traditional marriage ethic with a code that has sought to free both marriage and human sexuality itself from restraint and commitment. We have reaped the consequences in promiscuity, adultery, cohabitation, divorce, and out-of-wedlock births.”

In the 1970s, Bennett said “experts” of the era promoted the idea that “husbands and wives needed to respect each other’s need for individuality, ‘self-awareness,’ and ‘personal growth.’” Couples were told to “get in touch” with their own feelings by “rejecting such rigidly defined social roles as ‘husband’ and ‘wife.’” Bestselling books on “open marriage” and other “new forms of relationships” were sold to the American public. Although the concept of an “open marriage” and the like were not adopted by most people, Bennett says “there can be no question that the radicalizing talk had an effect, fracturing the lens through which many people viewed commitment, marriage, or parental authority.”

“Adultery is about broken promises,” says Miami-based Pastor Rich Wilkerson. “Every day, millions of men and women break their marriage vows -- to their spouses, their children, and even worse, to God.”

At weddings, couples promise and commit to love, cherish, honor, in sickness and in health, to forsake all others …till death do us part.

Recently, messages to the contrary repeatedly tell people “you deserve to be happy” and “it’s all about you” and we are collectively taught to selfishly think of only of ourselves.

In July 2000, when the story of mother and married actress Meg Ryan’s affair with actor Russell Crowe hit magazine racks, Ryan’s mother, Susan Jordan, commented. Although her daughter’s image as America’s sweetheart “may never recover,” Jordan said, at least she [Meg Ryan] was “being honest” about her feelings. “I think Russell is exciting and is giving her something that was clearly lacking in her marriage.” Ryan’s husband divorced her and six months later Crowe dumped the actress. Her career and life have never been the same.

Adulterers place their own “needs” and desires above those of their families. The consequences of infidelity spread like wildfire, burning all those directly and indirectly involved. And it scorches society.

Of course, most who commit adultery don’t have journalists lying in wait to catch them and reveal their infidelity to the world. But even if they are never caught, they are still hurting spouses and children just the same.

In this case of infidelity, John Edwards can kiss good-bye his aspirations of becoming Obama’s vice president.

©2008 Floyd and Mary Beth Brown. The Browns are bestselling authors and speakers. Together they write a national weekly column distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

Mary Beth's latest book is featured at www.condibook.com. Time magazine wrote of Floyd: "Brown has stature among devoted conservatives that almost matches his physical heft (6 ft. 6 in. and 240 lbs.)" See more at Floyd’s blog at www.2minuteview.com. To comment on this column, e-mail browns@caglecartoons.com.

Second Harvest: Fruit of the Spirit

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:15:59 -0700

By Lois Rockhill

The July issue of a local church newsletter focused on the Fruit of the Spirit. Contributors were invited to write one page, double-spaced accounts of kindness or goodness they experienced or observed in the outreach ministry of the church. Five of the eight authors wrote about the church’s food assistance pantry.

The majority of the programs supported by Second Harvest Food Bank are pantries. Nearly all of these pantries are operated by churches or supported by the faith-base community. Most have no paid staff, and most have been serving their communities for a decade or more.

Feeding the hungry and ministering to those in need are practical outcomes of people deeply committed to their religious beliefs. Churches in every community and of every denomination take this mandate seriously. While temples and mosques are not common in our region of Indiana, devout people of all beliefs look for opportunity to give to those in need.

The people sharing in the church newsletter left this reader in awe of the process of pantry day. They painted a picture of people of the church and people of the pantry inspiring one another. What a tremendous commitment on the part of volunteers to give hours of their time daily, weekly, monthly to unload trucks, handle cases and tons of food, greet those needing assistance and do many, many other acts of kindness.

There is usually a faithful core of volunteers who keep a pantry going. They are the workers, the ones who keep the food coming in and the doors open. It is this core of volunteers who are most often blessed by those they help. They see people in need helping each other even when it means sharing meager resources to do so.

The newsletter tells a touching story of one pantry client providing another with a ride home and with assistance carrying groceries up to this elderly man’s apartment. Another tells of grandparents caring for grandchildren and reaching out to a child in the neighborhood who also needs their help.

We learn in this newsletter that these pantry volunteers are doing more than providing food to needy neighbors. They write with a joy of being involved in this ministry. They write with a real love for the people who enter their lives through the pantry door. They write in admiration of the whole network that gets food through the system and on to the tables of people struggling to make ends meet.

Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana will bring millions of pounds of food into this region by the end of this year. Perhaps a couple hundred thousand pounds will go to this particular pantry to help them feed their neighbors.

We know that local pantries will continue to feel the pressure of diminishing resources and increased need. Second Harvest is committed to filling that need by funneling donations from the food industry to our network of pantries and meal programs.

Perhaps it is time for your church or organization to establish a food pantry or commit to ongoing support of one serving your community. Funds, food and volunteers are needed at every level of the food assistance network. Visit our Web site at www.curehunger.org for more information or phone (765) 287-8698 ext. 100 to get involved.

Lois Rockhill is executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. She can be reached at lrockhill@curehunger.org.

Second Harvest Column: Columbus Flood Relief

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:40:53 -0700

By Lois Rockhill

U.S. Rep. Mike Pence spoke to Muncie Rotary more than a month ago about the devastation the Indiana floods had caused in his hometown of Columbus, Ind. He appealed to Rotarians to reach out to the Columbus club to help them help restore their town. Gay Nation took the lead and organized work groups to go down on three consecutive Saturdays. I joined Gay and sister Rotarian Pat Garafolo on the trip this past week.

We stepped into the East Side Community Center in Columbus and found that small room packed with people packing lunches. Our job was to deliver the lunches to areas of town where homes had been flooded. The meals were packed in carry-out containers and the containers in cardboard boxes that were loaded into five waiting vehicles. We brought plenty of water and that was divvied up as well. We quickly jumped into different cars with people who knew the routes and started off.

The Columbus hospital was damaged so badly that it had to be evacuated. Employees continue to report to work and to be paid but their work assignments are often not hospital related. There was quite a crew of hospital employees at East Side, dishing up food, delivering lunches, and cleaning up the center. Pat and Gay had met many on their trip the week before.

I rode with Charlie, a Rotarian, and Ginger, a community volunteer. Ginger had delivered meals before and knew the route. We went into one of the hardest hit areas of Columbus. We delivered 58 of the 60 meals we took. Many, many homes were vacant. Many had huge barrel fans set up and running. From the outside most houses looked normal but a glance in the windows showed interiors with nothing left but floor boards and studs.

We saw debris and piles of saturated belongings lining the streets as home owners continued the tough task of emptying out their basements. A few people had RVs pulled into their driveways as a place to live while doing repairs. There were a surprising number of real estate sale signs.

As we approached homes the smell of mildew and dirty water was overpowering. We wondered how those who were hoping to live there would ever get rid of that stench. People still living on the blocks we traveled seemed resigned to their situations and committed to getting their homes back in order. They were thankful for the lunches and for the volunteers who brought them.

Back at East Side, kitchen cleanup was under way. We barely got started when we were recruited to unload a truck. The Catholic parish at Geist had collected enough household items to fill a large moving truck and a pickup. A couple dozen people seemed to appear from nowhere and begun unloading by hand, in 90-degree humid heat, sofas, beds, appliances, televisions and much, much more. Whew — it was tough! We sat the stuff down in the parking lot. Once it was unloaded, pre-selected families were invited to pick out what they could use.

It is hard to imagine how much more help will be needed before families are back on their feet. From the looks of things their community will be there for them and so will others who hear about the need. United Way is coordinating the volunteer efforts and a Web search shows a number of churches also addressing the task.

We see it all the time at Second Harvest Food Bank. Once people know the need and how they can help, they do. That’s how we continue to get food to people in crisis here in east central Indiana. Citizens see the need and respond. Food and funds are donated. Time and energy is donated. The community rallies and responds.

Crisis may be generated by a flood and more commonly by lack of work, low wages, divorce, illness or aging. Like the flooded out residents of Columbus, children, families and singles in our town need some, and sometimes a lot, of help while they struggle to get back on their feet. We are fortunate to live in a land where reaching out with a helping hand is considered the right thing to do!

Lois Rockhill is executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. She can be reached at lrockhill@curehunger.org.

Operation Weatherization at Madison County United Way

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:25:17 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - The United Way of Madison County and JobSource are seeking volunteers and corporate sponsors for the 2nd Annual OPERATION Weatherization on Saturday, November 1st.

Volunteers will work in teams at pre-selected energy inefficient homes, in Anderson, Alexandria and Pendleton, completing simple weatherization tasks such as caulking, weather-stripping, plastic-wrapping windows, changing furnace filters and lightbulbs to CFLs.

Volunteers and contractor volunteers are needed. Call our office at 765-643-7493 to volunteer. All corporate sponsorships and donations raised for OPERATION Weatherization will be used to purchase materials to improve the energy efficiency of pre-determined homes selected through JobSource' s Weatherization Department.

Join our cause or donate through Facebook, so we know that we have your support.

Source: Madison County United Way

Second Harvest Column

kpaul.mallasch — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:07:07 -0700

By Lois Rockhill

Everything we do at Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana is done with a picture in our heads and hearts. The picture is of a child, a family, a senior — a neighbor who has food on the table because of the resources we are able to gather and provide. With 9,300 low-income people using pantries and kitchens every week in this area, the faces of hunger are important to keep in mind.

Kids are eating this summer at 14 sites in four counties because Second Harvest has joined the group of Summer Food sponsors. That means tummies are full and parents less stressed knowing their children have lunch. Some sites are providing breakfast, lunch and snack, as well as a day full of activities and supervision. Kids Cafe is continuing through the summer in some locations. We distributed 10,000 pounds of food for children’s meals in May alone.

More than a hundred charitable programs in eight counties are better able to provide meals, shelter, child care, senior programs, youth programs, rehabilitation and pantry services with the food and products we secure from our region and throughout the nation. This helps program clients directly and takes some weight off of the organizations’ budgets. What they get from Second Harvest for a minimal contribution allows them to use their scarce dollars for other necessities. Last month, we provided nearly 200,000 pounds of donated food, valued at $338,000, to help local programs.

Our Second Harvest tailgate distribution relieves local pantries while providing a half dozen items to families in each county once every month. This outdoor, drive-through pantry enables Second Harvest to get lots of fresh produce, beverages and dairy to people in need very quickly. In May, more than 88,000 pounds of food was distributed through the Tailgate Program reaching more than 3,000 area families.

Our contract with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs enables us to provide a wonderful mix of government commodities to more than 50 pantries in East Central Indiana. We receive the USDA food and deliver it every two months or so for pantries to distribute to their clients. The products include canned and dried fruits, canned vegetables, fruit juice, rice, cereal, dried beans, meat, poultry, fish, pasta products, soups, baking mix and peanut butter. Second Harvest Food Bank delivered 118,144 pounds of this highly desirable product to pantries in East Central Indiana in May.

Second Harvest Food Bank does this good work with the help of the community. At a cost of 22 cents per pound of food, Second Harvest depends on United Way, individual and corporate donations, agency contributions, special events, foundation grants and some government funds to pay the bills.

Food donations are very important to keep the warehouse full and hungry people in our communities fed. Last month, the Letter Carriers Food Drive brought in nearly 60,000 pounds to our warehouse for Madison County agencies and 100,000 pounds more directly to agencies in the remaining seven counties.

Nestlé provided more than 20,000 pounds of product to Second Harvest in May. Wal-Mart donated 12,400 pounds of food from their Gas City distribution center. Prairie Farms donated 6,983 pounds, and Marsh’s perishable food warehouse provided almost 6,500 pounds of product for hunger relief through Second Harvest Food Bank. America’s Second Harvest, the nation’s food bank network, helped us obtain 40,000 pounds of potatoes as well as large loads from Procter & Gamble, Kellogg and NutriSystem.

Help also came in the form of volunteers from Comcast Cable, Ball State University, Yorktown High School and many individuals including Rep. Terri Austin, District 36. Some 185 volunteers gave 1,111 hours to help Second Harvest alleviate hunger in east central Indiana last month.

This snapshot of May 2008 is similar to every month of the year. With 49,000 people in east central Indiana living in poverty and many more balancing on the edge, our work is critical and dependent on the goodwill of community members. Our thanks to all who play a part in helping Second Harvest Food Bank make east central Indiana a community that cares for its most vulnerable residents.

Lois Rockhill is Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, Inc.

Martha’s Big Adventure: Catch and Release

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:08:58 -0700

By Martha Randolph Carr

There are a lot of TV shows these days devoted to helping us get rid of the general clutter in our lives. It has been pointed out that American attics and closets are packed with stuff we haven’t looked at in years. There are even rooms in our houses that could be used for guests or a home office that are teeming with clothes that no longer fit or appliances missing a needed part. We keep those doors firmly shut, unwilling to face the aggravation or the anxiety. We’re reluctant to sort through any of it to see what someone else might be able to use, what could be recycled or what is ready for the trash.

All of it is a marker for the place in our lives where we got stuck in an emotional quagmire and stopped dead in our tracks. Some part of us knows it too. We didn’t always insist on keeping the recliner that no longer stays upright. At some point we got a good jolt from an illness or a job loss or the loss of a loved one and we got tired of seeing anything go out the door. Letting objects pile up became easier than facing the accumulation of pain and the fear that maybe misfortune wasn’t done with us yet.

It didn’t matter that we were still paying a nice-sized mortgage on a house that suddenly had less useable square footage. It was as if we wanted the size of our living quarters to match the reduced size of our hearts.

But the price we pay for gathering so much hurt and pain is that we never quite leave the grieving process behind and move on to a new life. Our arms are still so full with the remnants of what was that there isn’t any room for something new to take root. Even worse, we have begun to believe the lie that says even the resemblance of the life that we knew is better than taking just one more risk if we can’t have a guarantee of success right up front.

However, if we could know that things would always work out then so much of life’s rewards would not be as sweet. Getting knocked down really hard and trying just one more time is the most courageous thing human beings do and we do it more than once in a life that is well-lived.

It’s true that setting out without knowing what even the next day will bring to us sometimes requires enormous amounts of optimism in the face of tragedy and trust in something bigger that we may feel hasn’t been listening to us very much. And yet, at some point we try anyway because as long as we’re here on the planet we want to believe that the good can still outweigh all the rest. Miraculously, it does as long as we’re willing to keep trying.

So, what’s needed is that first small step in the direction of a life we may not recognize for a long time and here it is. Start with the piles in your house and let go of anything you haven’t used this year. No pondering the ways you might use something in the future. There is a bigger goal at hand and that old sewing machine and jeans that don’t fit are getting in your way. Hold a giant yard sale and put prices on each item that’s guaranteed to have it sailing off to a new home. Donate whatever doesn’t sell and throw away items that no longer serve anyone, including you.

What you might find out is that with each item that leaves some piece of your heart acknowledges that what you’ve been trying to fix is a part of the past and its okay that it didn’t turn out the way that you had hoped. Your focus will stop being splintered between a past that can’t be changed and a future you can’t control but instead will settle into the day that is yours to try out something new. More adventures to follow.

©2008 Martha Randolph Carr.

Martha Randolph Carr’s latest book, A Place to Call Home is available wherever books are sold. If you’d like Martha to come and speak to your group visit: www.newvoicespeakers.com. Author’s email: Martha@martharandolphcarr.com or visit http://www.martharandolphcarr.com

[AD] Warrior's Heart Summer Day Camp

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:50:05 -0700

Make your child a Summer Warrior!

Much more than day care

Choosing an activity for your children this summer just got a LOT easier. Instead of wasting the summer on video games and television, your child will reach new heights of fitness, focus, self discipline and respect. How can a "karate" class do all of this? Read further for more information. (If you have already heard enough and want to head straight to the Registration Page, just click HERE.)

How we work

We start by teaching new students about respect. They learn to respect the school (facility, teachers and staff), each other, their parents, and most importantly, themselves. That's lesson number one. Lesson number two is that respect means nothing unless they SHOW it. In martial arts we do that by honoring (or bowing - the meaning is something between a salute and a hand shake). At home they show respect by addressing parents as Sir or Ma'am. Now, we're not in the military here, but we think that parents are special enough people that they deserve to be shown respect, and this is how it starts.

Put Self-Confidence And Concentration At The Top Of Your Back-To-School List

It’s no secret that the school system today is lacking in important areas of education and is more dangerous than ever. That’s why millions of parents are adding martial arts to their children’s education. We specialize in helping children uncover their true potential and develop their self-confidence in the face of mounting peer pressure.

Carleton University, in a study reported in Psychology Today found that children in martial arts have:

a higher sense of self-esteem,

a higher level of social intelligence,

lower level of anxiety,

an increased sense of responsibility,

a decrease in the willingness to take foolish risks,

and were less likely to be radical.

Parents report their children in our school experience these five important benefits:

1. Our reward system improves children's self-esteem

Martial arts are not like team sports because the emphasis is on developing the individual's self-esteem not the team’s winning record. The belt system is the key. When kids earn their belts it gives them a great sense of accomplishment that really improves the way they feel about themselves.

2. Our program teaches children discipline

On of the things parents appreciate most about our classes is the improvement in their child’s self-discipline. We have a wonderful staff of patient instructors who love to work with children, but are also very clear about limits. We enforce good rules of behavior in class, and we expect the same good behavior at home and in school.

3. Our activities channel children's aggression

Many doctors actually prescribed schools like ours for treatment because of the positive outlet it gives the kids for all their energy.

4. Our confidence classes enhance children's self-esteem

We believe confidence is one of the most important things we can give kids. That’s why every class we teach has confidence-building drills included.

5. Our program teaches children essential self-defense skills

We teach practical, proven self-defense methods. We also teach the kids that the moves they learn in class will work, so they don’t go home and try them on their sister, the neighbor, or the dog.

If you’d like your children’s summer education to include self-confidence, self-control, focus and concentration, then click here now.

Get Started!

By the end of the summer, your child will be a yellow belt! She will be well on her path to black belt and making good choices that will follow her for her whole life. He will be starting to understand the concepts of self-defense that we teach, and will begin to apply those concepts in his daily life. The bottom line is that we give our students a standard of behavior to follow, and then make it very easy for them to do that. If you want to know more, feel free to write at Info@WarriorsHeartMA.com.

Our Martial Art Summer Day Camp runs the entire summer vacation. You have the option of joining and paying week to week, or paying for the entire summer at a discount. We are limiting enrollments, so be sure to get your reservations in now! To cover the initial investment of a uniform and t-shirt there is a $125 registration fee per new student.

Here are the payment plans:

	Normal Cost	Sign-up Special! Register by 4-30-2008 to Save! (Before 4/31/2008)
Week to Week	$125 per week	$112.50 per week (Save $137)
Week to Week Additional Siblings	$100 per week	$90 per week (Save $110)

Entire summer (11 weeks) Paid in full	$1100 (Save $275)	$990 (Save $385)
Entire Summer Paid in Full Additional Siblings	$880 (Save $220)	$792 (Save $308)

To reserve your child's spot in this exclusive and forward thinking Summer Day Camp right here in Muncie, please click HERE!

Info@WarriorsHeartMA.com
Copyright © 2008 Kuk Sool Won™ of Muncie. All rights reserved.
Revised: 04/14/08

Community Leaders Provide Answers to Youth

kpaul.mallasch — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:07:25 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - Mayor Ockomon in partnership with Urban League of Madison County and Security Dads, will be hosting the first City sponsored Youth Summit, Thursday, April 17th, 6pm-7:30pm, in the City Hall auditorium.

Youth, ages 13 and up are invited to pose their questions to a distinguished panel of over fifteen community leaders, including Mayor Kris Ockomon; Sally DeVoe, Madison County Community Foundation; Bill Raymore, Urban League; Ron Richardson, Madison County Sheriff; Chief Darron Sparks, APD; Fred Reese, Parks Department superintendent; Holly Renz, Madison County Sexual Assault Treatment Center; and others.

“This is a place where teen voices can be heard,” says Jeff Cottrell, program director for Urban League of Madison County. “It’s designed for youth to have a forum to connect with community leaders,” he added.

Flyers and announcements are being distributed in all community schools to encourage attendance to the event. For more information, please contact Jeff Cottrell at 765-649-7126 or via email at cottrelljeffrey68@yahoo.com

Source: City of Anderson Press Release

Second Harvest: Private vs. Public

kpaul.mallasch — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:35:52 -0700

By Lois Rockhill

Dr. J. Larry Brown, Harvard School of Public Health, made a presentation to the Maine Nutrition Council last month. He explored the question, “How do we end domestic hunger?” slanting his answer toward his firm belief that the federal government is responsible to do so.

Brown is remembered by some as a student at Anderson College (now University) 40 years ago. Since then, he has dedicated his life to justice issues and national hunger concerns. In his speech last month he pointed out that hunger in America can be ended and ended quickly. It can be done not by charities but by the national government.

While Brown recognizes that food banks, food pantries and meal programs stand between needy people and severe hunger, he challenges these same charities. He tells us that feeding the hungry is not the way to end hunger.

We have heard the story United Way promotes about rescuing babies from the river. This story appears to be a variation of a fable Brown created years ago. In his version, it is farmers caught in a fast flowing river. Much effort goes into rescue work involving platforms and ropes to pull people from the river.

At some point, a delegation goes up river and finds that the path to the fields was so close to the river that occasionally victims slid off the bank and into the river. Soon they changed the route of the path, and from that time on, no one fell into the river again. The rescue work was no longer needed.

I agree with Brown that private charities have nowhere close to the capacity of the government to address hunger. I agree that any thought from our government leaders that the private charitable network can pick up more responsibility for feeding hungry people is absurd. We have yet to fill the gap between federal nutrition programs and pressing need. The increasing need that we now face is almost irrelevant in light of never having had enough resources to adequately address hunger in our communities.

Brown has some radical suggestions for steps to take to end hunger in America. He believes that the federal programs already in existence would end hunger if strengthened. This would include food stamps, child nutrition programs and elderly feeding programs. He estimates that this would take an addition of only $10 billion to $12 billion a year. If you would like Brown’s complete speech, please contact me and I will get a copy to you.

I read Brown’s speech and reviewed some supporting research as I was on my way to a national meeting of executive directors of the food bank network. At the meeting, we were energized by a network strategically working to raise awareness of hunger and find more food and funds. Rather than planning to cease operations in 4 years as Brown suggests as a catalyst to push the government to end hunger, our network is deeply into plans to feed a million more Americans this year and a million more next year.

We honored Nancy Montanez Johner, United States Under Secretary of Agriculture for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services and two of her colleagues for implementing a creative plan to barter surplus stocks for food for the hungry. This initiative delivered 1,412 truckloads of food to the food bank network, with more expected in a second round.

Brown seems to fear that celebrating these partnerships will take the pressure off decision makers in the federal government who must take the major steps necessary to provide enough food to end hunger for Americans.

Perhaps Brown is right. Ending hunger for Americans is the job of the federal government. More money for nutrition programs is certainly important and would solve the challenges of the local pantries and kitchens futilely trying to meet the need with restricted and often dwindling resources.

I can’t see our network taking the kind of stand Brown recommends, but I hope we make rapid progress in persuading our government representatives to boldly take the lead in ending hunger. If they can reroute the path, local charities will have far less people to rescue.

Lois Rockhill is executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. She can be reached at lrockhill@curehunger.org.

The Law and You - Part Two - The Facts

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:25:14 -0700

By Sam Hasler

In The Law and You - Part One, I wrote about where lawyers get the law. Knowing the laws is only half of the game - and maybe even less than half. The facts make up the most important part of the case.

Think of the law like an empty glass. Like an empty glass, the law does not have any practical use until applied to the facts.

Many years ago when I was in law school, one of my professors said that clients do not come to lawyers with a contracts case or a torts case but with a problem. The lawyer has to take the problem - the facts of a case - and fit them into a legal category.

We take the facts given by the client and then we look at the statutes (if any apply) and the case law. The cases tell us how the courts have applied the law to the same or similar facts. The hardest cases are those where the facts are just a little bit different from the other cases.

Every type of case has certain things needing proven in court. If there is a statute, then the statute sets out what has to be proven but not all cases are based on statutes. Only the criminal law requires a statute but many civil cases have no statute. Contracts, personal injury cases are what we call common law cases. What has to be proven is to be found only in the case law. Where there is a statute - such as some commercial or consumer or family law cases - then the process starts with the statute.

People think of the law as a wholesale business instead of a retail one. So long as the facts are exactly the same, it is closer to a cookie cutter operation. Finding two exact cases is a lot like finding a four-leaf clover - possible but rare.

My first personal injury case taught me the problems with people’s expectations. An elderly couple injured by in a fender bender: minor injuries, no lost wages. The case lacked good damages. I explained the law of personal injury cases: the driver had a duty, the driver breached that duty, and the breach caused damages. The husband brought in news clippings of cases of people getting large sums of money. I went over the actual losses. He still went away shaking his head in disbelief.

Some people may think the legal system did them wrong. I cannot evaluate each and every case, but I do know that the first step for evaluating a case is to look at the facts. I do know that many clients never have their lawyers explain what has to be done in a case, or that some lawyers either never explain or do a poor job of explanation.

Remember that cases rise and fall on the facts. The best lawyer in the world will lose if the facts do not support their case.

Note: This column is not legal advice. If you have a legal problem, you need to get a lawyer and talk to them in person rather than rely on anything written here.

Gateway Announces Child Care and Summer Programming

kpaul.mallasch — Tue, 8 Apr 2008 12:39:36 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - Gateway Association, Inc. would like to you to visit our new child care center and enroll for childcare and summer camp. The Children’s Center is a child care facility, licensed by the State of Indiana. The Center is located at 1215 Jackson Street in First United Methodist Church of Anderson, and serves children from age 2 through 8. Child care openings are currently available.

Gateway Association, Inc. added childcare services through the Gateway Children’s Center to its menu of beneficial programs for preschool age children: Developmental Preschool, Pediatric Therapy, Respite Care and now Child Care. The Children’s Center offers full day child care services for children age 2-6, and 2-8 during the summer, Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Children who attend The Children’s Center experience wellness, early childhood and school readiness education every day. Each classroom offers children social, emotional, language development, early reading skills, and math and science activities in an environment that will prepare them for success in school. Children with special needs are welcome with speech and physical therapy services available as needed. Nutritious breakfast, lunch and snacks are served throughout the day. Openings are currently available. Gateway Children’s Center accepts CCDF child care vouchers.

The Children’s Center is now taking applications for its summer programming that starts in June. During the summer, young children from age 2 through 8 will experience activities in a safe, age appropriate summer day camp format. The summer camp offers a wide variety of fun learning activities, such as: field trips, community outings, and movies at Mounds Mall, water days, bowling, swimming, craft days and much, much more. For children who are entering elementary school; the Children’s Center will help prepare and refresh the important kindergarten and early learning skills necessary for elementary school. Gateway Association, Inc. is a certified agency of the United Way of Madison County.

Gateway’s Children’s Center is conveniently located downtown Anderson in the First United Methodist Church at 1215 Jackson St. If you would like more information or to enroll your child for child care services or summer programming, please contact Gateway at (765) 649-4991 or (765) 649-1900.

The mission of Gateway Association, Inc. is to actively participate with families to positively impact children’s lives. We do this through pediatric therapy services, early education, and developmental preschool, family education and caregiver support services. We believe early intervention is the key to unlocking a child’s potential.

Source: Gateway Association Press Release

Second Harvest: Homeward Bound

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 2 Apr 2008 10:35:09 -0700

By Lois Rockhill

Evelyn Goode is the spokeswoman for Homeward Bound for East Central Indiana. Her story serves to motivate community groups and individuals to raise funds for hunger and homelessness. It’s best to read her story in her own words. Go to our Second Harvest Food Bank website at www.curehunger.org, click on the ‘related links’ tab and then on Homeward Bound. Once on the statewide site, go to the map and choose East Central Indiana

Evelyn tells the story of her own personal struggle as a young mother of five making the difficult decision to leave a marriage destroyed by addiction. “The breaking point was after Christmas of 1993. My children ranged in age from 4 years to eleven. With no tree, no presents, and no Christmas dinner, I decided to try and get help.”

From that point of action, Evelyn’s story goes on to recount challenges overcome by her own determination and with the help of others. Today she holds a university degree and a position of responsibility at a local bank. “I wake up everyday accepting that there are things in life I can’t control and knowing that it is how I choose to react that determines my destiny.”

Thousands of Hoosiers will choose to react to stories like Evelyn’s by walking this month in a statewide event called Homeward Bound. Here in our region the walk will take place in Chesterfield at noon on April 27. There are 14 agencies from Delaware and Madison County that are benefiting from the walk. All are looking for team members.

Second Harvest has broadened the field by encouraging all the agencies we serve in eight counties to form a team under our auspices. Their team will raise money to help leverage more food from Second Harvest. Pantries and meal programs getting food from Second Harvest help defray the food bank’s cost of obtaining, storing and delivering the products to them by contributing a portion of the total cost. Homeward Bound funds from designated teams will help them with this.

Other teams will raise money to help organizations provide housing, shelter and supportive services. This is an opportunity for businesses, schools, churches and other groups to support the work that goes on every day to provide for people in their moment of need. Evelyn’s story shared so bravely and generously, shows what a difference we make in the lives of others when we step forward to offer our support.

While you are putting dates on the calendar, please add a note to May 10. That is the date of the largest one day food drive in the nation! The Letter Carriers Food Drive requires very little from the community. They do it all for you!

All you have to do is select canned goods from your kitchen shelf, put them in a plastic bag and set it out by your mailbox that morning. Volunteers, letter carriers, rural carriers, post office staff will all be joining together to pick up your donations and see that they get to a pantry in your town.

Lois Rockhill is Executive Director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, Inc

The Law and You - Part One

shasler — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 18:20:46 -0700

By Sam Hasler

Welcome to my first article for the Anderson Free Press. I was delayed in starting this project by the flu and a serious case of writer’s block. More about that block in a moment.

I should introduce myself first. I have been a practicing lawyer from Anderson for more than twenty years. In those years, my practice became concentrated in two big areas: family law and business law. I expected to write about those areas but I also published two law-related blogs (Indiana Civil & Business Lawyer and Sam Hasler's Indiana Divorce & Family Law Blog). I want what I write here not to be quite so technical as what I write there. While trying to avoid repetition and fighting the flu, I found myself with a nasty case of writer’s block.

I thought the readers of the AFP would want something broader and useful. This lead me to thinking about how law school teaches lawyers to think like lawyers. Which lead me to this question: how do people know how to deal with the law and lawyers? Television and movies are not the most realistic teachers.

People approach the law and lawyers as something more terrible than a visit to a dentist. If I took on the subject what is the law would mean starting out on a journey that would take a very long time. Many long, large books exist on the subject of what is meant by law. I am going to skip all that and pragmatically assume that the law is certain things - like whatever is in the lawbooks.

But what is in the lawbooks? I say that questions bedevils all those who think they can handle their own legal matters (as well as more than few lawyers!). That no one book exists saying that here is all the law on the issue. Why do lawyers waffling on what real people think is a simple question? Because of the terror that somewhere exists a case that creates an exception sinking your case.

In America, the lawbooks include constitutions, statutes, administrative agency regulations, court rules and judicial opinions. Both the federal government and Indiana have constitutions (all these links are for Indiana sources). Legislatures pass statutes based on the powers imposed by the constitution. If you want to litigate, then you have to deal with the rules of court. Finally, a court makes a decision on whether and how a statute or constitutional provision applies to the facts of your case. If either side disagrees, they can appeal. Appellate court opinions make law by interpreting the statute or constitution. I have completely omitted discussion of administrative agency regulations or those issues which are created by statute or constitution which we call the common law (which is completely judge made). To know what the law is depends on knowing all that can apply and not just bits and pieces.

Now you can see why lawyers hem and haw when asked what is the law. Next I will discuss selecting a lawyer.

Note: This column is not legal advice. If you have a legal problem, you need to get a lawyer and talk to them in person rather than rely on anything written here.

Second Harvest Column: Hillary Clinton at the Wigwam

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:48:16 -0700

By Lois Rockhill

I have not committed to a candidate for U.S. president. That did not stop me from standing in the long line to get into the Anderson Wigwam to see Hillary Clinton. The line itself was inspirational. So many young people. So many women. “Pantsuits are Awesome,” read a sign in the crowd.

I took my grandson Nathan. I wanted him to know that the little girls in his kindergarten class could grow up to be president. He knew about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. I wanted him to know that a Hillary had the same opportunity. I told him about Barack Obama and said that children of color could be president when they grew up. I mentioned that John McCain was a candidate. Little white boys could grow up to be president too.

Being one in a crowd of 6,000, with time on my hands once Nathan stopped wiggling and before Hillary appeared, gave me opportunity to think about this cross section of our community. True that most were there because they agreed with party politics, it was also true that many differences were represented.

There wasn’t any way Hillary or any other candidate could speak to all the concerns we had. Jobs, education, bureaucracy issues, poverty, taxes — the list was unending. But we waited with interest to hear what it was she would promise. We waited and cheered her words of hope.

You might think it a stretch to compare that experience with the one I had on Saturday. I stood outside the Pay Less Super Market at Cross Street to remind shoppers that We Can Care. It was the day the Madison County Highway Department picked to do their part in the countywide food drive. The event was to help Second Harvest Food Bank stock the shelves of area pantries. I was there on that very cold day to support the effort.

The similarity was in the cross section of the community. True, people came for food, not politics. But they too responded to promises and hope. We promised to feed their neighbors in need and, with their help, to serve up hope with that food. We brought to their attention the fact that as a community, we can care for our own.

Not everyone needed reminded. Along with highway department employees Ivan and Gerrald and Zachary’s grandpa, we had volunteers from the Chesterfield Community Food Pantry and House of Hope at our location. I had people stop to stuff money in our Prairie Farms milk jug who worked at other human service agencies. We had people sign their names on the big green snow plow who have been longtime donors to Second Harvest and others who simply wanted to be known as people who care.

Every donation, food or funds, was heartfelt. Some gave out of their abundance and others sacrificially. A woman living in a shelter with her children dropped a box of treats into the collection box. A man stuffed a dollar in the jug. After he left I heard he was unemployed. His comment was that someone might need it worse than he.

On this sunny afternoon with the rhubarb and daffodils pushing through the warming sod, I am grateful for hope. I saw it last week in a crowd of people, eyes bright in anticipation of political promise. I saw it again in the response from shoppers who cared enough to take a positive action for neighbors in need of a helping hand. It was how that hope expressed by individuals became a community effort that was so powerful. It was clear to me that together we have tremendous impact for good.

Lois Rockhill is executive director of Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana. She can be reached at lrockhill@curehunger.org.

Wallace BMX Day A Huge Success

kpaul.mallasch — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:23:36 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - BMX racers took to the track for free practice and free rider clinics for new racers and local bike shops made repairs to bikes for the spring/summer season.

Several tracks in Indiana,Florida,Texas and Washington State celebrated with fun activities for the whole family. They signed up new racers who took the free practice time and free racing in celebration of Wallace BMX Day.

The day was founded by former BMX racer Steve Wallace of Anderson, IN who raced in the early 80's but had to retire due to a nerve disorder called 'Dystonia' which affects his muscles and speech.

This weekend crossroads indoor BMX Track in Indianapolis,IN will be having the Indiana State Championship Series on March 30. Check out their site at www.crossroadsindoorbmx.com.

To find a track near you contact the the two sanctioning bodies at www.nbl.org or www.ababmx.com.

Source: Submitted

Consignment Event Helps Local Families and Local Charities

kpaul.mallasch — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 03:01:12 -0700

Local mom organizes children’s sale to benefit area families

CHESTERFIELD, IN - Ring Around the Rosey began out of a dream of a local stay-at-home mom to be able to have one place for gently used, good quality, and reasonably priced items for her family and the families of Delaware and Madison County. “I would go from yard sale to yard sale or look online, trying to find decent items for my fast-growing children, and decided that there must be a better way to do this,” said owner, Trina Knight.

Ring Around the Rosey is a semi-annual consignment event that gives local parents the ability to easily sell their outgrown/unused baby, children and maternity items to other parents who can use them for their own families. Participating families bring their quality children and maternity clothing, toys, furniture and baby equipment to Ring Around the Rosey’s sale location (Millcreek Civic Center, 17 Veterans Blvd., Chesterfield, IN).

What: 5th, Semi-Annual, Baby, Children and Maternity Consignment Event. Open to the public.

When: April 17, 18, 19, 2008.

Where: Millcreek Civic Center, 17 Veterans Blvd.., Chesterfield, IN

RATR then returns 70% of the sales price to the consigning families, which allows them to earn some money on items that their children no longer need. Plus, they can use that extra money to find amazing deals on other things that they may need for their baby or child. “I'm so glad that there's now one place where I can easily sell my gently used childrens' items and even shop for new stuff for them while I’m there!" said local mom, Lane Schill.

At the end of the sale, consignors can donate their unsold items to a list of local charities including the Foster Parents Association and the Pregnancy Care Center in Anderson, two of the organizations that RATR is working with. The donated items will then be distributed directly to families that are currently in need of items. It truly is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

For more information about this semi-annual event, please call Trina at (765) 610-5359 or visit the website at www.RATRSALE.com.

Source: Ring Around the Rosey Press Release

Easter Egg Hunt Scheduled for Anderson Children

kpaul.mallasch — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:28:51 -0700

ANDERSON, IN - First United Methodist Church in Anderson, Indiana is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt (Egg-stravaganza) at Davis Park on Saturday, March 22 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.

Children 9 years old and under are invited to participate with an accompanying adult. Four egg hunts are scheduled for the afternoon.

Registration begins at 3:00pm and refreshments will be served to all attending.

An Easter Craft Corner will be active while children are awaiting the egg hunts. There, children will be creating several crafts to take home which celebrate Easter Sunday.

An Easter Magic Program with music will begin at 5:00pm. “The magic show will tell the story of Holy Week. Jesus reminds us that the gospel is for children as well as adults. The Easter Egg Hunt provides us with the opportunity to celebrate children and God’s love at the same time,” said Senior Pastor John Wortinger.

In the event of inclement weather, all activities will be held indoors at Davis Park located at Nichol Avenue (State Road 32) and Layton Road.

For more information, contact Cindy Quirk at First Methodist Church. Her phone number is 765.643.6977.

Contact: cindy@andersonfirst.org

How Not to Honor St. Patrick

kpaul.mallasch — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 00:32:26 -0700

By Tom Purcell

Ah, St. Patrick's Day is upon us.

That means but one thing: time for Americans to over-celebrate the Irish tradition.

I speak of the goofy Leprechaun hats, the gaudy green buttons and scarves and the propensity to drink excessive amounts of alcohol at fake Irish pubs while trying to be authentically Irish.

Though I'm not entirely without guilt.

Eight years ago in a gentrified section of Washington, D.C., I visited a fake Irish pub a few weeks before St. Patrick's Day. My group included my cousin, my friends Bergen, Bell and Reid, and a woman we'd just met who bore a striking resemblance to Paula Jones (of the Clinton-era scandals).

Our efforts at pretending to be authentically Irish were going well until Bergen ordered up a fresh round of Guinness. That's when the disaster occurred.

"Paula Jones" was wearing a white sweater -- her favorite white sweater, which she'd paid $80 for at bebe's in Chicago. Bergen, in his eagerness to get at his Guinness, knocked a full pint of the oil-black brew onto what quickly become a chocolate-white sweater from bebe's in Chicago.

Having five sisters, I knew we had to get that sweater soaking in something or it would never see whiteness again. Bell ran off to get a bucket. I got the manager to supply a free Leprechaun T-shirt so our guest could change. My cousin trembled visibly, while Bergen was clearly saddened by the loss of his full pint.

Just as we managed to get our female guest dry, get her chocolate-white sweater soaking in soda water -- we set it on a table behind us -- and continue to pretend we were authentically Irish, all heck broke loose again.

Drug dealers, who had been openly plying their trade across the street -- we watched them through the window -- were suddenly the target of police, whose cars came roaring down the street from every direction.

So curious were we about this scene, we forgot about the sweater. Thus, we failed to notice that the busboy had picked up the bucket in which the sweater was soaking and proceeded to fill it with dirty glasses, silverware, greasy napkins, etc.

Thankfully, my cousin saw him and began shouting. This headed off the busboy's subsequent actions, which would have involved the swabbing of dirty tables with an $80 chocolate-white sweater from bebe's in Chicago.

There was no time to savor our success, however, as another crisis was under way. Our female guest was suddenly overcome by itchiness, an affliction, apparently, that results when Guinness dries on the skin. (Sunburn she'd received during a recent vacation had also contributed to her malady.)

So loudly did she complain -- she had passed through "denial" and was well on her way to "anger" -- that our efforts at pretending we were authentically Irish were in jeopardy yet again.

I quickly began searching the pub for mayonnaise, which, I'd thought, would remedy her itching. I didn't realize until afterward that my reasoning had been muddled by an abundance of Guinness and my hopes of rubbing mayonnaise all over her skin had more to do with my needs than hers.

It was about then that the cook came running out of the kitchen, shouting about shots being fired in the alley. Our group had had enough. We rose in unison, grabbed our sweater bucket, hailed a cab and got the heck out of there.

The Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day in a more dignified manner than Americans do. Most people go to Mass, take in a parade, then enjoy the rest of the day with family -- they don't get out of hand the way we do.

It is true that one out of four Americans can trace his heritage back to the rolling green hills of Ireland, but do we have to mock our fine heritage by wearing gaudy hats and scarves, getting rip-roaring drunk and singing supposed Irish tunes, such as "The Unicorn Song"?

"The Unicorn Song" illustrates my point perfectly. It was written by Shel Silverstein. He was Jewish.

©2008 Tom Purcell. Tom is a humor columnist nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons. Visit him on the web at www.TomPurcell.com or e-mail him at Purcell@caglecartoons.com.