February 2010
Vicki Kennedy, young honorees make special impression
By Susan Pawlak-seaman
February 12, 2010 12:00 AM
Since I tend to work well into the evening, I'm generally not an early riser.
But there are things worth getting up for — and Tuesday morning was one of them.
That's when I traveled to my old hometown of Lakeville and the LeBaron Hills Country Club for one of my very favorite events: The Standard-Times/SouthCoastToday.com Men and Women of the Year Breakfast.
The stories actually appeared in the newspaper at year's end but the breakfast is when we celebrate, as a group, the men, women and youth in our communities (and sometimes beyond) who make SouthCoast a better place.
While the program is always memorable, this year's breakfast was extra special. SouthCoast's Man of the Year, honored posthumously, was Sen. Ted Kennedy and, to everyone's delight, his widow Vicki accepted an invitation to attend the gathering.
Vicki was gracious, warm and genuine as she shared stories of "Teddy" — that's how she referred to him — and his love for SouthCoast and its people.
I'm probably speaking for everyone in the room when I say how much we were touched by and appreciative of her presence. I know I'll never forget it.
But Vicki Kennedy wasn't the only remarkable person at the breakfast. Everyone recognized Tuesday is impressive in his or her own way. And, if I had the space, I'd list each one of them by name — not to mention the families who are the unsung heroes behind all the good they do.
While I can't do that, I really would like to give a nod to the three who I believe were the youngest honorees. It just happens they all have ties to Apponequet Regional High School, my alma mater.
Mike McCue, Freetown's man of the Year, is a graduate. So is Desa Van Laarhoven, the SouthCoast Woman of the Year (turns out both she and I are also Stonehill College alums.) And Hayley Morais, SouthCoast Youth of the Year, is an AHS freshman.
The three also have something else in common: At a young age, they are already sharing their talents and an amazing level of commitment with SouthCoast.
Desa, executive director of the Marion Institute, is making a major impact on the environmental front as the driving force behind "Bioneers by the Bay." Mike volunteers on numerous fronts, tending Freetown's cemeteries, its Web site and helping to organize July 4th festivities.
Hayley, the youngest, is at the helm of a very grown-up literacy effort: providing needy kids with gently used books. She has literally distributed thousands of them.
If Desa, Mike and Hayley reflect the caliber of young people in our communities — and I like to think they do — then SouthCoast's future is in good hands.
Let's just make sure the rest of us do our part to keep them around.
Contact Susan Pawlak-Seaman at sseaman@s-t.com
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3rd Annual Shrink Your Footprint Fair
When:
March 13, 2010 - 1pm-5pm
Where:
Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School
1121 Ashley Boulevard
New Bedford, MA 02745
Now in its third year, the Shrink Your Footprint series of environmental workshops has expanded into a half-day fair featuring workshops for the whole family on how to live an economically healthy and environmentally friendly lifestyle.
The event will kickoff with live music by Brick by Brick, vendors, and exhibits, along with snacks and beverages from local sources. Three workshop sessions will follow at 1:30, 2:35, and 3:40 p.m. There will be three separate workshops during each session; one each for adults, youth, and families/kids. Workshop topics will include native landscapes, gardening, green parenting, using media to get your message out, worm composting, and much more.
Several SEEAL partner organizations are working together on this project, including Buttonwood Park Zoo, Marion Institute, Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, Lloyd Center for the Environment, Massachusetts Audubon Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary, Westport River Watershed Alliance, Brick by Brick, and Alliance for Climate Education.
Several vendors will also be at the event with items for sale, and information that will help attendees shrink your footprint. There will be a free raffle for everyone that attends, with prizes from the vendors and sponsoring organizations. Admission is free for the event.
For a detailed schedule, visit www.seeal.org. Or for more information, contact Jennifer Marshall, SEEAL Coordinator, jmarshall@seeal.org, 508-493-4343.
This Saturday, Feb. 20th, 2010 from 11am-4pm the Green Jobs, Green Economy Initiative, PACE YouthBuild, Old Bedford Village and the ESHU Collective, will host the first in a series of Weatherization Barn-raisings. Join the New Bedford community and lend a hand and learn a new skill. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to Kalia: klydgate@marioninstitute.org, 508.951.4026.
The Green Jobs, Green Economy Initiative (GJGEI) is a program of the Marion Institute, developed in collaboration with the Greater New Bedford Economic Development Council and the Mayor of New Bedford. The objective of the GJGEI are three fold: 1. to support the City of New Bedford in effectively accessing and leveraging funds for Green Jobs programs in the community, 2. to ensure that these programs are holistic, collaborative and effective, and 3. to design programs that benefit and are accessible to low-income communities and communities of color in the city. The initiative aims to use the short-term federal stimulus projects to build long-term capacity and infrastructure in the community.
FREE Public lecture presented by Dr. Thomas Rau, M.D.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 21st from 7:00 - 8:30 PM
WHERE: Tabor Academy, Lyndon Hall South in the Academic Center
85 Spring Street, Marion, MA 02738
[Parking available on Spring St.]
Dr. Rau is Chief Medical Director and founder of the Paracelsus Clinic in Lüstmuhle, Switzerland. He will explain his nutritional, therapeutic and detoxifying three-step-program for Lyme disease, with which he has a high success rate. He will also talk about how this approach has had a long-term success rate of 60-80% in Colitis and Arthritis patients, without antibiotic, cortisone or immune-suppressants.
There will be a book signing after the lecture with Dr. Rau – The Swiss Secret to Optimal Health.
Doors open at 6:30 PM and seating is first come first served. Space is limited. Donations welcomed.
- For directions go to: www.taboracademy.org/about_directions.asp
- For more information, please call 508.748.0816 or email info@pbmn.org
- For more information on the Spring 2010 Biological Medicine Seminars, click here.
BIOLOGICAL MEDICINE: Approaches for Regeneration and Immune Modulation
These seminars are designed for health care practitioners and medical students who are interested in learning more about Biological Medicine or have been following the PBMN seminar series. Both seminars will take place at Rachel’s Lakeside, 950 State Road, Dartmouth, MA.
LECTURE TOPICS INCLUDE: Chronic Infectious Diseases, Phytotherapy, Dysbiosis, Causes and Treatments of MS,Chronic Fatigue, MCS, Fibromyalgia, Crohn’s and Rheumatoid Arthritis, Biological Medicine Perspective of Autoimmune Disease, Vaccine Update, Dr. Rau’s Biological Well Aging Program and much more.
LED BY:
Thomas Rau, M.D., Paracelsus Clinic, Switzerland
James Odell, O.M.D., L.Ac, Louisville, Kentucky
DATE: April 22nd & 23rd, 2010 | 8 am - 6 pm
$625* Early Registration by Feb. 10, 2009
[ includes breakfast, lunch and dinner on Thursday evening only ]
$675* Full Registration after Feb. 10, 2009
[ includes breakfast, lunch and dinner on Thursday evening only ]
Medical Student Discount: $50 off registration.*
PLEO-SANUM: Advanced Clinical Applications
LECTURE TOPICS INCLUDE: Pleomorphism - Modern Contexts and Milieu Regulation, Gut Health and Advanced
Pleo-Sanum Immuno-Modulation, Pleo-Sanum in Autoimmune Disease Treatments
LED BY:
Thomas Rau, M.D., Paracelsus Clinic, Switzerland
DATE: April 24th, 2010 | 8:30 am - 2:30 pm
$229* Registration
$199* Registration for Medical Students
[includes meals]
Registrants enjoy a 10% one-time order discount– that could pay for the session!
For more information or to register, call the Marion Institute at 508.748.0816, visit www.pbmn.org or e-mail us at info@pbmn.org. Please pass this on to fellow health care practitioners & students.
*Cancellation Policy: There will be a $75 processing fee for cancellations received before March 20, 2010. After March 20, 2010 there are no refunds for cancellations. Registration is non-transferable.
Why angry?
A few people have contacted us to say while they love our mission of better school food, they don't love our movie title, Two Angry Moms. It seems that some folks are put off by the word "angry".
Here's a short explanation as to why our calling ourselves "angry moms".
- Anger is a misunderstood emotion in our culture.
- Especially when it comes to women, we are told from childhood that "nice girls don't get angry" and that conditioning persists into adulthood.
- Also, many people associate anger with aggression and violence, but that is only one way to react to feeling angry.
- Anger is often about boundaries.
- When our boundaries get violated, we get angry.
- It's a great feedback mechanism.
As a mom with three kids in school, I get a bit angry when my kids are exposed to unhealthy food.
It undermines what I'm trying to do at home to make sure my kids grow up healthy.
Think of mama bear protecting her cubs, it's a protective sort of anger.
I've been working to improve school food for over 10 years. That "anger" often works as fuel to keep me moving forward to help make school food better.
My hope is that other parents who aren't too pleased about the food and junk food rewards their kids receive at school will be inspired by the film to take action in their own schools.
If you're not angry about what is being served in your kid's school, maybe you ought to be! Have lunch with your child one day.
Take a look around at what is being served and what is being eaten.
Check in with your gut and see what you feel!
A film's title has to grab your attention and make you curious.
Names like "Making School Food Healthier" just aren't sexy enough to draw a crowd.
If you have any clever suggestions, we'd love to hear them. When you read about "two angry moms" it paints an interesting image that draws you in and makes you wonder what they are up to!
The Movement:
Former Texas Agricultural Secretary Susan Combs said that it will take 2 million angry moms to change school food. This gave Amy an idea.... Build from 2 to 2 million angry moms.
That's where you come in.
If you agree that our kids should have the option to eat real, wholesome, tasty, nutrient dense food in schools, then join us.
You can help us bring this movie to every school district in America.
Sign up for our quarterly email newsletter to read the latest news about school food and what parents are doing.
Join our social network, angrymoms.groupsite.com, to meet angry (or maybe just concerned!) parents in your town and around the world.
Download our pledge and collect names, host a screening of the movie - get involved!
Check out this Clip!
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