Filipe Fa and Sione Fa, two of the most popular contestants in television’s “The Biggest Loser” show, will make a special appearance in Beaver County on Tuesday, Aug. 3, to encourage employees of local educational entities to eat right, shape up and slim down. 

Their visit is sponsored by the National Network of Digital Schools (NNDS) as the kickoff event for this year’s wellness program for employees of NNDS, the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, Midland Borough School District, Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center and Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School. 

The Tonganese cousins competed earlier this year during the show’s seventh season, each losing about 140 pounds. They are to lead 50 employee volunteers in workout sessions in the morning, and in the early afternoon make a presentation to all employees in the mainstage theater of Lincoln Park.. 

At 3 p.m. the public is invited to meet Filipe Fa and Sione Fa in the Lincoln Park atrium for pictures and autographs. 

“Filipe and Sione remain among the most liked and recognized of all the show’s contestants, even though they did not win the Biggest Loser competition,” said Robert Babish, senior consultant for NNDS. 

“NNDS, PA Cyber and Lincoln Park are reaching out to provide employees with the tools for a healthy lifestyle, including smoking cessation classes, stress management, aerobic classes, a gym program, and health information. We bring the Highmark BCBS van to town to do health screenings, and encourage each employee and family member to use the Highmark health plan. 

“What it boils down to is that a healthy employee is a happy employee, and happy employees make for a better, more productive company,” said Babish. 

Filipe Fa is described as energetic, spontaneous and funny. “He has been told he should be a comedian … but never wanted to pursue comedy because 99.9 percent of his jokes are fat jokes and fat is not something he wants to be,” according to his Biggest Loser biography. 

Filipe did not start gaining weight until high school. He used his asthma as an excuse to not work out and be healthy. He comes from a family of nine; one of his siblings died accidentally at a very young age and Filipe has blamed himself for years because it was his responsibility to watch him. He came to the show when working in an oil-change business in Mesa, Ariz. 

Sione ran his own landscaping business in Mesa. Very athletic and competitive in school, his weight had been up and down most of his life. He tried many diets but always gained the weight back and more. Being the owner of his own company caused Sione to work long hours, making it difficult to get to a gym and follow healthy eating habits. 

Being a fan of “The Biggest Loser” since its first season, Sione called his cousin Filipe to go to an open cast call in their hometown of Mesa. It was a life-changing decision. 

Sione weighed in at 372 pounds. Not only was he overweight, he also was diagnosed with having severe sleep apnea, was pre-diabetic, and suffered from chronic headaches. In his last official weigh-in at the live finale this past May, Sione had lost 146 pounds – 39 percent of his starting weight – bringing his weight to 226. Filipe lost more than 130 pounds. 

Since the show, both now travel the country doing appearances such as this one to help people realize their own potential to change their lives through healthy lifestyle. Filipe also began a personal mission to help encourage and teach members of his Tongan community how to live healthier and happier lives. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Beaver Countyprovides programs that are designed to assist at-risk children from primarily low-income families. Youth development experts agree that at-risk children benefit from having supportive adults in their lives to instill confidence and self-worth. 

Jordon’s Story 

“I met Jordan last year when he was introduced to my family as my seven-year-old son’s Big Brother. I have to admit, I was apprehensive about Jordan’s age and not entirely sure about the obvious cultural diversity between my rambunctious, rappin’ although highly intelligent little boy also named Jordan and this laid back, clean cut, teenage ‘Catholic School Boy.’ The pair quickly proved me wrong and restored my faith in the philosophy of mentoring. Little Jordan and Big Jordan created a bond that I’m sure will last a lifetime. My Jordan truly admires his Big Brother. This experience will surely influence my son to one day want to make a difference in the life of a child.” 

It is the hope that as the children mature, each will be positively influenced and guided by the constructive experiences that are shared between a Big and a Little. The children become well-adjusted, contributing members of our community. 

On Friday, September 3^rd the Magic Million Golf Outing will take place at the Beaver Valley Golf Club.  Proceeds from this event help to support the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Beaver County programs.   For more information about this day of golf and other fun, please click here.  

If golf is your thing, please consider joining us and show your support for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Beaver County.

Discuss how to best care for an aging parent or ill spouse

Valley Care Association and Baby Boomers & Beyond Realty will host a Family Caregiver Support Group on August 11, 2010 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. at Valley Care Adult Day Center, 650 Cherrington Parkway, Moon Township, 15108.

Attendees will share strategies, resources, and information about caring for an aging parent or an ill spouse. 

This support group is free and open to members of the public. Light refreshments will be served. Free on-site respite care for older adults is available during the meeting. Please call in advance to discuss your loved one’s needs.

To RSVP, call 412-749-5257 or email ADS@valleycareassociation.org by August 6, 2010. 

About Valley Care Association

Valley Care Association has been serving seniors since 1978. Valley Care provides adult day services at its centers in Moon Township and Ambridge. Its Home Safe Home program provides home safety modifications for older adults. For more information, call 412-749-5257 or visit www.valleycareassociation.org.

Kelly Strayhorn Theater Presents a Gene Kelly Birthday Event For The Community

Saturday, August 21^st | 2 PM Paper Making Workshop

Saturday, August 21^st | 3 PM Gene Kelly’s “Cover Girl”

The doors of the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater will open to the community for a free workshop and $2 movie tickets to celebrate the life and talent of one of its namesakes, Pittsburgh’s own Gene Kelly (1912-96). A hands-on workshop, theater tours, a Kelly film, and birthday cake will be featured. The workshop is free and movie tickets are $2; no reservations are needed. 

The afternoon celebration will feature a hand-made paper workshop led by East Liberty artist, Erika Johnson, beginning at 2 pm. Her installation “uproot”, comprised of hand-made, recycled paper circles is on display in the theater lobby. Those participating in the workshop for all ages will get to make their own circles of hand-made paper and will contribute to the completion of “uproot” which will feature the work created at the event. 

Free tours of the theater, running from 2 to 3 pm will provide background on the history of the former Regent Theatre, a film house that opened when the building was completed in 1914. Now, the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater will announce its 11th season of its own productions of vibrant arts programming while also providing a venue to a variety of local organizations. 

A Kelly film, COVER GIRL (1944), featuring the dance and film icon with Rita Hayworth, will be shown at 3 pm with an admission of just $2 per ticket at the door. The film is the third of the $2 Classics series offered during the summer at KST. In COVER GIRL, Hayworth portrays chorus girl, Rusty Parker, who wins a cover girl contest for ‘Vanity’ magazine because she’s the image of her grandmother, the lost love of the magazine’s mogul. But her instant fame throws her romance with her dancing mentor Danny McGuire, played by Kelly, for a loop. 

“We love inviting the community to take part in the arts and learn more about our past and present at the Kelly Strayhorn,” says Yvonne Hudson, marketing and development director, who will give the tours. “It’s wonderful to hear stories about the building’s days as a movie theater and to be screening one of Mr. Kelly’s wonderful films again.” 

Gene Kelly and his family–all five Kelly children were dancers who participated in their mother’s dance school–lived in the East Liberty area of Pittsburgh. Kelly was born on August 23, 1912 and passed away in 1996; his centennial birthday will be celebrated in two years. A University of Pittsburgh graduate, Gene went on to film fame. The Kelly Strayhorn is named for Kelly and Pittsburgh jazz great Billy Strayhorn. The KST also annually celebrates Strayhorn’s birthday with “Suite Life,” this year on Saturday, November 27. 

Details on the Gene Kelly Birthday Party event and the Kelly Strayhorn, visit www.kelly-strayhorn.org. Call 412.363.3000.

Local students fill collection jars with donations of spare change 

Children and youth in the Sto-Rox area school district  recently participated in the Pasta for Pennies program to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, sponsored by Olive Garden. This national fundraising program supports the fight against blood-related cancers, helps fund important life-saving initiatives and provides critical services to patients and their families. 

A total of $472.00 was raised by Sto-Rox Middle School students and children enrolled in Focus On Renewal’s Positive Parenting Program, which has three preschools in the Sto-Rox community. 

According to Adrienne Roberts, director of the Positive Parenting Program, the preschoolers emptied their own piggy banks and asked family and friends to donate their spare change. “Our staff thought this was a good opportunity to teach the meaning of giving back. The children raised more than one hundred dollars for this worthy cause and were treated to ice cream sundaes for their participation.” 

Seventh graders in Timothy Howells’ class collected the most money and were awarded an Olive Garden pasta party. The local fundraiser was organized by Marlene Banks, community liaison and organizer for the Sto-Rox School District. 

Since 1994, Pasta for Pennies has raised more than $42 million to fight leukemia and lymphoma and to provide a wide range of services to patients and their families.

Our Town Cooperative, Inc. is the managing organization of the downtown revitalization program in the borough of Canonsburg.  Our Mission is to stimulate renewed interest in preserving and invigorating the Business District of Canonsburg while providing support and resources to the community. 

Success in this endeavor is dependent upon the creation of partnerships amongst merchants, property owners, civic and government leaders so that all are working toward the common goal of sustainable growth and prosperity.

 Working with volunteers, lots of volunteers!, the 4 Point Approach to downtown revitalization is used through Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring.   Each of the committees working together is what makes this program a success in any community, together being the key word!  

The Committes (Volunteers are needed for all) 

• Organization – the Our Town Cooperative governing board of directors which oversees the program.
• Design – The committee oversees the Façade Renovation projects as well as some streetscape elements.
• Promotion – Downtown special events and advertising projects – this is one of the “fun” ones!!
• Economic Restructuring – The go-to committee for economic development in the downtown be it new business’s or expansion projects for existing business’s.  This committee also organizes workshops and the like for business owners in the district.

The OTC, Inc. is a designated Main Street Program through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and accredited by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and the National Trust for Historic Preservation  as a National Main Street Program.

For more information on any of the committee’s, feel free to contact our office anytime!  Our website is  www.downtowncanonsburg.org.

And if you have some free time, we’ll give you a job to do!!

Find us on Facebook – Downtown Canonsburg

Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley is a nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter that has proudly served the Allegheny Valley for the past 43 years. Originally founded in 1966 as a network of foster homes designed to provide shelter and adoption services for abandoned, abused and strayed dogs and cats, Animal Protectors received a permanent facility in 1986. For the past 23 years, thousands of animals have walked through our doors seeking shelter, food, companionship and most of all, love.

Animal Protectors provides a variety of services related to the mission of caring for abandoned and injured animals and vigorously promotes spaying and neutering to help prevent animal overpopulation.

On a normal day, the shelter is full of activity. We comfortably house 23 dogs and 40 cats in our facility, as well as about 30 animals in foster homes. We are dedicated “matchmakers” who strive to place animals in homes that match their personalities. We match energetic dogs with active families, older cats in quiet homes and kittens and puppies are placed in homes that have time to nurture and train.

All of our matchmaking is done by an all volunteer Board of Directors, a dedicated group of volunteers and a shelter staff of 10 part-time employees. Each member of our organization spends countless hours walking, cuddling and caring for our animals in order to prepare them to be adopted into forever homes.

Not only do we showcase our animals at the shelter, we take our animals to community events and to meet and greets a local pet stores. We are committed to educating the community about our shelter, as well as important topics such as animal care, abuse and responsible pet ownership. Animal Protectors works closely with the New Kensington community and law enforcement to provide humane and effective animal control.  

For more information about our animals, our services or to volunteer, please visit our Web site at http://www.animalprotectors.net  or call 724-339-7388.

Follow us on Facebook!

Adoption Hours:

Tuesday and Thursday 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Penn State Cooperative Extension is working with Tufts University to provide an exciting opportunity for women to improve their heart health through an active, educational study and workshop. If you are a woman over 40, have a body mass index over 24, and are not exercising more than once a week, you may be eligible to participate! 

The  Strong Women Healthy Hearts Workshop details are:

When:  Tuesdays and Thursdays from September 7 through December 7 

Time:  5:30 – 6:30 pm 

Where:  Bradys Run Indoor Recreation Facility Observation Deck, located in Beaver Falls, Beaver County PA.  

Each of the 12 classes will include aerobic activity and interactive discussion.  You will also have an opportunity to participate in food preparation. 

To determine your eligibility for the study, contact Mary Alice Gettings, Nutrition and Food Safety Educator, at 724-774-3003.

On June 21^st and 22^nd, over 200 Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers from across this state gathered at the Central PA College Conference Center for the first annual PA CASA state volunteer training conference.  Our CASA volunteers shared experiences, heard testimony from former foster youth and received training from experts across the state in a variety of topics. The conference was a wonderful opportunity for instruction and inspiration, ensuring that everyone involved in CASA is better able to serve children who have been abused and neglected. It was an exciting two days!  

CASA advocacy has grown to include nearly 800 citizen volunteers throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, presently serving courts in 21 counties. CASA of Allegheny County has 210 volunteers.  Yet too many children are waiting.  In Pennsylvania, there are over 18,000 children in the foster care system on any given day. Over 1,900 of those children are in Allegheny County alone.  CASA can only continue to serve these vulnerable children with the ongoing help and involvement of citizens like Together We Flourish’s readers. 

Because every child deserves a permanent family CASA volunteers dedicate their time to ensure that vulnerable children do not languish in the foster care system. The dedicated child welfare caseworker may have 60 or more children on their caseload, while a CASA volunteer is assigned to one child or a sibling group. A CASA serves as an officer of the court and will stay with their child throughout the time he or she is in foster care, often being the only constant the child may know as they change homes, schools and caseworkers. Research indicates that children assigned a CASA volunteer are far more likely to get the services they need, and when their case closes, it is twice as likely to remain closed. The PA Partnership for Children report that more than 25% of children without a CASA are returning to the system within 12 months.  As a taxpayer, we must recognize that CASA is not only a vital resource for our children; it is a financial solution for our overburdened communities. 

There are many ways to help these children in Allegheny County. Become a CASA volunteer, support CASA of Allegheny County events like the Steelers Tailgate Party on October 28 or simply offer your skills in support of a CASA office.  For more information on how to help CASA help kids, please go to PA CASA.org or pgh-casa.org. Thank you,

Please join Pennsylvania Women Work and Workforce Development Global Alliance for a Day of Peace - Saturday, July 17, 2010 at West Park on Pittsburgh’s Northside. Families are invited to participate in a community day to avert violence and promote PEACE! 

The Day of Peace events will include:

• Peace March – noon
• Peace Concert – 3:00 p.m.
• Vigil – 7:00 p.m.   

All participants are asked to wear white and bring a flashlight (in lieu of candles) for the vigil honoring families that have lost loved ones to violence. 

This event is a prelude to the Northside Family Connections program that will start in Fall 2010 which will help to build family communications and economic stability—starting Fall 2010. 

For more information please call Pennsylvania Women Work at (412) 281-9250.