National Memory Screening Day will take place on Tuesday, November 17^th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. 

Are you concerned about Memory Problems?  Take advantage of free, quick, confidential memory screenings.

 Memory screenings make sense for:

• Any one concerned about memory loss or experiencing warning signs of dementia
• Whose family and friends have noticed changes in them
• Who believe they are at risk due to a family history of Alzheimer’s disease or a related illness
• Any one who wants to establish a baseline for future comparisons. 

Screening Site:

Homemaker-Home Health Aide Service of Beaver County, Inc., 376 Market Street,  Beaver, PA  15009 

For an appointment, call:  724-774-4002 

*A memory screening is not used to diagnose any illness and does not take the place of an evaluation by a qualified healthcare professional.

Our Reading with Dads program began when Pam Little, Director of Parent Education, attended a joint meeting with Dwayne Barker, Chairperson of the Male Fatherhood Involvement Committee (MFIC) of the Pittsburgh Public  Schools Early Childhood Centers and father of six year old DeiMar.  Impressed with what he heard about the nonprofit organization, Beginning with Books, he asked Little if she might give him some books to hand out to kids through the MFIC.  “My short answer is no,” she said. “My long answer is this: whenever we distribute books, there must be a program piece attached to it.”

After a lively discussion debating a variety of goals and objectives, including Barker’s suggestion that he would like to see a stronger role for dads to play in their child’s education, Little outlined an idea that eventually became Reading with Dads where fathers are recruited to read in their children’s classrooms in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.  Each child takes with them a brand new copy of the book read to help build their own home library.  Leo Thomas, another Reading with Dads recruit (and father of Taliel, age 5 and Lea, age 2), Cynthia Taibbi, Associate Director of Development, and Dwayne spent some time one afternoon talking about the program.  The conversation went something like this.

CT: Tell me about your childhood relationship with books and how that led you to become involved in Reading with Dads.

DB: I always knew why Rudy Huxtable’s character was laughing at her TV dad because Bill Cosby is a funny guy, but I never understood why she was smiling when he read to her.  Nobody had ever read a book to me, so I never knew how magical it would be to read to my own child. Now, take that magic to the millionth power and that’s how it feels to read to a room full of children.

LT: My mom was a librarian, so my play time was spent among the stacks. She’d let me look at all the newspapers on microfiche. When I look back on it, it was a pretty slick way to get me interested in reading! My dad taught me how to be a man, but she taught me how to be a teacher. Together they taught me about community and that’s part of what I instill in my children. When I first began to read in my son’s classroom, I was simply known as Taliel’s dad; now I’m Mr. Leo.

CT: So, the children not only get the benefit of being read to by any dad, they are read to by the dad of one of their classmates. 

DB: Exactly! These kids are our best ‘commercial.’ They bring that new book home and tell their parents, “DeiMar Barker’s dad read this book today.” Hopefully, this will inspire them to become their child’s reader too. Parents have a unique opportunity to be seen by their child as the smartest person in the world if they just capitalize on it.

LT: It’s too easy to blame the school for a child’s failing grades; too easy to ignore the problems and then yell at the teachers. This is a partnership. I believe in the old saying, ‘education starts at home,’ and the Reading with Dads program allows us to bring home into the classroom.

CT: You seem to feel an innate sense of responsibility for this community of children. Does this awareness come as fathers or as men?

DB: Looking back, I now recognize the power of a man’s voice. I learned lessons from my dad that I didn’t even realize were lessons at the time. I’ll never forget the day he saw holes in my shoes and shook his head in frustration. He said to me “I’d rather have holes in my shoes than know you have holes in yours.” The simple act of being present in my son’s classroom may not seem like a big deal to the children today, but I’m concerned about their tomorrows.

LT: My dad taught me that he was my dad before he was my friend. ‘Team Thomas’ was what he called us. Through him I learned the importance of being a role model not only to my own children, but to all the children in my neighborhood. The kids in my son’s classroom don’t just learn about books when I read to them; they also learn about respect and asking questions and the joy of having someone from their community coming in to visit them. And, they may not know what to call it, but I also think they learn optimism.

CT: What are you reading right now?

LT: I’m reading a book by Tony Buzan titled Using Both Sides of Your Brain. It’s helping me to think outside the box.

DB: I’m reading more children’s books. Remember, the Reading with Dads program is my baby!

The Women’s Center of Beaver County strives to provide shelter, counseling, support, advocacy, and education to victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault.  Please take a moment to read the results of this census that was taken on just one day.  When you do, you will have a better understanding of why it is so important that we support the great work of this nonprofit organization.

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On September 17, 2008, the Women’s Center of Beaver County was one of 61 domestic violence programs in Pennsylvania that participated in the national census of domestic violence services.  On that one day in Pennsylvania:

• 2,476 domestic violence victims sought and found services in our statewide network of sister programs
• 1,132 victims found refuge in emergency shelters or transitional housing.  We can house 24 women and children in shelter and three families in transitional.  Shelters provide a safe place for victims and their children while they plan for the future.
• 1,344 adults and children found assistance in counseling, legal advocacy and support groups.  Victims need core services such as crisis intervention, safety planning, court or hospital accompaniment, legal assistance, and more.  Victims face a wide range of issues including loss of housing, medical care, lack of transportation, court hearing, loss of wages, substance abuse.
• 847 Hotline calls were made and answered; our helpline is answered 24/7 and serves as a lifeline for victims in danger, providing crisis intervention, support, information, safety planning and resources.
• 1,690 persons were educated in training sessions and prevention programs.  We provide a variety of programs for all ages.
• 242 unmet requests for services on that one day, 158 of these were for shelter; many programs reported a lack of staffing and shortage of funds to assist victims in need of services such as transportation, childcare, counseling and legal representation.

On that day:  In Pennsylvania, a women obtained a 3 year protection order after she was held at knifepoint and her abuser broke her ribs and blackened her eyes. 

Across the country:  A different woman sought a protection order form her ex-husband who had been released on parole after being in jail.  When the judge asked her if she was still afraid of him, she replied, “Yes. The only reason I’m still alive today is because his gunned jammed.”  Another woman learned that her abuser will get only 3 months of probation despite breaking her arm and threatening her life.  Yet, another woman decided to stay with her abuser because her only other choice was to be homeless.

            On September 17, 2008 as they do every day, victims found refuge, support and safety at programs like the Women’s Center of Beaver County.  They depend on the immediate and compassionate response of domestic violence programs to help them escape abuse and rebuild their lives.  Adequate funding is crucial to our ability to help victims.

Can you help this organization provide these very necessary services? If so, please visit our website at http://www.womenscenterbc.org/ or call 724-775-2032 to find out hou you can help.

The folks at the Hero Program would like to take a moment of your time to bring you up-to-date on the progress of this young, worthwhile organization.  They are doing such great work and have made amazing strides in a short period of time.

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The Hero Program was established in early 2009 and has made tremendous ground in coming to the aid of terminally-ill children and their families in a short time.  In June of 2009 the Hero Program and its parent organization, Frontline Initiative, Inc. (www.frontlineinitiative.org), were awarded Beaver County’s Not-for-Profit Business of the Year award by the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce.  

So far, the Hero Program has been able to provide support for six terminally-ill children and their families and currently has a waiting list of over 20 other children.  We have provided two vehicles, a hospital bed, mortgage/rent payments and other financial support to the families of the real heroes because of supporters like you and me.  

The program has gained the support of athletes such as Troy Polamalu (Pittsburgh Steelers), Paul Posluszny (Buffalo Bills), Hines Ward (Pittsburgh Steelers), Lauryn Williams (Olympian), Adam LaRoche (Atlanta Braves) and Sean Lee (Penn State).  Coaches Tom Bradley (Penn State), Joe Maddon (Tampa Bay Rays), and Joe Girardi (New York Yankees) along with entertainers like Illusionist David Copperfield have also provide support to the Hero Program. 

Would you like to help?  Please contact us to find out how you can make a difference in the life of a terminally-ill child.  www.heroprogram.org & www.heroes4heroes.com

Volunteers are desperately needed to become Court Appointed Special Advocates for abused and neglected kids.  CASA extensively trains community members on how to become a CASA volunteer.  

On November 18^th, CASA of Allegheny County will hold its monthly Open House to provide you with the opportunity to learn more about volunteering for this very worthwhile program.  Please join us to learn more about CASA, our upcoming volunteer training, and the application process. 

If November 18^th does not work for you, CASA has an Open Houses every third Wednesday of every month, at 6pm.  These hour-long programs are located in our Downtown office, at 564 Forbes Avenue, suite 902.  Contact CASA at 412-594-3606 or fill out our web form at www.pgh-casa.org to RSVP.

Focus On Renewal, a nonprofit social service agency in McKees Rocks, PA would like you to meet the six new members of our Board of Directors.  They are:

• Anne Immekus, director of development at Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine;
• Craig Rippole, partner with Trinity Commercial Development LLC;
• Portia K. (PK) Weston, professor at Point Park University;
• Paul K. Brown, owner of Professional Limousine Services;
• Jenifer Jones, a community volunteer and former Focus On Renewal employee; and
• David Hopkins, vice president and market manager at PNC Community Development Banking.

In other news, Fr. Regis Ryan, executive director of Focus On Renewal, received the William Sylvis Organizing Award from the Pennsylvania Labor History Society at its 36^th annual conference.  Fr. Ryan was recognized for his dedication and efforts to make a better life for workers. Mr. William Sylvis was a founder of the Iron-Molders’ International Union, and he led the National Labor Union from 1868 to 1869.

Focus on Renewal (FOR) is celebrating its 40^th year of serving the McKees Rocks community. For more information please call 412.771.6460 or visit www.forstorox.org.

North Hills Community Outreach is taking steps to making food donations and other items that are needed easier for those that have the ability to give.  Please do what you can. The need in our communities is even greater during the holiday season.

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North Hills Community Outreach, located at 1975 Ferguson Road in Hampton, will be open on Saturday, November 7, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon to accept donations of food and other items on their wish list.

When NHCO issued a plea for food donations earlier this month, many donors requested a weekend drop-off time, something the nonprofit did not have in place. To accommodate the requests, NHCO opened on Saturday, October 10, and received $4,000 worth of food donations in just three hours. 

NHCO addresses the needs of local people in crisis, hardship and poverty. More information is available by calling 412-487-6316 or visiting www.nhco.org.

Hello fellow non-profits. During this time of economic slow-down collaboration among nonprofit organizations is an essential part of our sustainability.  Working together to save time and money can help all of us to make the best use of our resources. 

Here at the EOC McGuire Memorial we have over 60 clients ready to work to help you save time and money on projects such as:

• Mailings
• Clerical duties
• Folding brochures

And many other projects that are time consuming for the staff of many nonprofit organizations. 

The EOC McGuire Memorial offers pick-up and delivery service.  If your project requires completion onsite, we will come to your place to help out for whatever length of time your project requires. 

We are also willing to work with you to find pricing that will match your budget. 

Please call me, Mike Cunning, at 412.604.5371 for more information. I would be happy to discuss a collaboration strategy with you. 

If you can find the time, we would be very happy to have you come in for a tour of our facility.

McGuire Memorial offers programs for adults with mental retardation, ranging from mild to severe/profound, for the support and training needed in their individual journeys through adulthood.

A program teaching long-term weight management through healthy eating and exercise is to be held Thursdays in December and January at the Midland Wellness Center. 

The six-session program is free for members of the Silver Sneakers program and participants in Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, according to Robert Babish of Avanti Management Group, a co-sponsor of the health improvement program. The fee for non-members is $65. 

Sessions are to be held from 10 to 11 a.m. on Thursdays at the Midland Wellness Center in the Midland gymnasium, 901 Midland Ave., on Dec. 3, 10 and 17. After a holiday break classes will resume Jan. 7, 14 and 21. For registration or information, people may call Joann Uccellini at 724.643.1180. 

 “Everyone knows that there are benefits to eating a well-balanced, nutritious diet and exercising regularly, but many of us just don’t know where to start. The Eat Well for Life program will teach us to live it, not diet,” said Babish. 

Babish said letters will be sent to Silver Sneakers members residing in Midland and the surrounding Tri-State Area, inviting them to participate in the free program 

The Eat Well for Life I and II programs are designed by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield. Highmark trains those who facilitate the class. In Midland, the class will be led by Pamela Bown, a registered dietitian.
”It’s not about being on a diet your entire life, it’s about understanding the right kinds of foods and ways to eat,” said Jennifer Grana, director of Regional Preventive Health Services at Highmark. “Eat Well for Life provides a stepping stone for those who are ready to make these important lifestyle changes and enjoy the many benefits of a healthy lifestyle.”

Junior Achievement is looking for guest speakers for the Black Hawk School districts Economic Program.  Basically we need volunteers in the community to discuss their specific career with the students according to the chapter they are on in the Economic Book. 

The chapters outlined in the Economic Program are: 

• Retail Sales                                          
• Marketing Director                          
• Entrepreneur/ Business Owner  
• Insurance Agent                               
• Manufacturing                                   
• Banking                                                  
• Government Official                         
• Car Sales                                                
• Financial Planner                              
• Real Estate                                           

If you are interested in helping Junior Achievement by participating in this type of presentation, please contact Dawn Bereznay at 724-772-5900 ext. 118.