DLH,
Inc. Introduces New Talkin' First Aid Kit -- Innovative
Product Advances First Aid Care to Homes & Businesses
The Talkin' First
Aid kit, designed in partnership with the NSC, sets itself apart
from all other kits being sold today by including step-by-step
/ verbal / care / instructions to help treat common household injuries
and manage more serious ones if professional medical attention
is not immediately available.
Easy to use in
even the most stressful of situations, the Talkin' First Aid kit
organizes supplies with instructions into individually labeled
and color-coded packs for each type of injury. Audio instructions
are delivered via a chip affixed to each of the injury instruction
cards. A press of a button starts, stops, and pauses the audio instructions.
"Our research
has found that very few individuals retain first-aid training when
faced with a medical emergency and most are unable to adequately
provide assistance to an injured person."
Talking consumer
kits will be available in early 2005. More information on the entire
line of Intelligent First Aid Systems is available through DLH
Inc.'s website www.talkinfirstaid.com
or by calling, 888-388-4854.
Frequent Filer
(Office Assistant)
Provide supplementary
and auxiliary clerical services to agency staff. Being a Frequent
Filer might not be as glamorous as being a frequent flier, but this
type of volunteer service is invaluable to this large social service
agency. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age. Contact Ramsey
County Community Human Services - Volunteer Services at 651-266-4090
for additional information or e-mail to volunteerservices@co.ramsey.mn.us.
Bequest Makes More
Assistance Dogs Possible
On September 11,
2004, a check for $111,414.63 was presented to Hearing and Service
Dogs of Minnesota (HSDM) by the Estate of Lion Dean Julifs through
the Adams Lions Club of Adams, MN. Mr. Julifs learned of HSDM, a
state-wide Lions project, through his association with the Adams
Lions Club
Dean was raised on a small diary farm near Adams. He was a very
quiet individual and stayed close to home. He was a bachelor with
no immediate family living near by. Dean had a strong faith and his
church, Little Cedar Lutheran Church, was very important to him.
In 2002, Dean was invited to join the Adams Lions Club and immediately
did so. In the spring of 2003, however, he became ill and was diagnosed
with pancreatic cancer. He learned that he did not have long to live.
Roger Weness,
president of the Adams Lions Club, said, "He made the decision
to leave each of his siblings, nieces and nephews a nice gift,
his church a gift to be used for youth and education, the local
high school a generous gift for scholarships and to the Lions,
two generous gifts to support Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota
and Leader Dogs for the Blind. On August 18, 2003, Dean passed
away at the age of 62. Dean was a true Lion. He served while an
active Lion and continues to serve after his death."
Lion Alan Peters,
Executive Director of Hearing and Service Dogs of Minnesota, said,
"I am deeply moved by the generosity of this fine person and dedicated
Lion. Mr. Julifs' gift will help us move forward with plans to
construct our own training facility so we can provide even more
assistance dogs to people with disabilities."
For more information, please contact Alan Peters at 612-729-5986
or apeters@hsdm.org.
Volunteers needed
for Meals on Wheels
Meals on Wheels
is seeking volunteer support from the community so that they can
ensure that all of their recipients receive a daily hot meal. If
you would like more information, please call Charlene Dickerson
at Wilder In-Home Services and Volunteers at 651-290-8676.
Help
Your Child Navigate the Teen Years
With
school back in session, teens are bombarded with a wide range of
daily pressures from peer pressure to homework and academic performance.
Dr. Michael Robertson of Lutheran Social Services suggests the
following cornerstones to help parents navigate their children
through adolescence: Foster Communication, Nurture Your Relationship,
Set Structure, Establish Discipline, Be Consistent, Live Your Values,
Be Supportive, and Nurture Positive Peer Relationships. For the
full text of this information go to: http://www.lssmn.org/press/press_teens_04.htm,
or contact Dr. Michael Robertson, at 320-251-7700 or mroberts@lssmn.org .
My
Pal Victor / Mi Amigo, Victor
Raven Tree Press
has just published a bilingual (English/Spanish) picture book about
two Latino boys who experience carefree friendship despite one
of the boy's confinement to a wheelchair. The beauty of the story
is that the readers do not know about the disability until the
end of the book. Visit Raven Tree Press website at www.raventreepress.com or contact Dawn Jeffers at 920-438-1605 for more information or
to get a copy of the book.
Hennepin County
to Launch Aging, Disabled Resource Centers
Hennepin County
Commissioners voted to accept $207,000 from the Minnesota Board
on Aging to design and launch Aging and Disabled Resource Centers.
Resource centers are envisioned for use by people to help them
become aware of long-term care options and become better consumers
of services as well as planners for their own care. Resource centers
will weave together existing pieces of the aging-and-disability
network, from telephone assistance to printed materials, and incorporate
a website to guide people through decisions about long-term care.
The pilot location will be at the Brookdale Service Center. Look
for more Resource Centers in doctor's offices and banks.
Family to Family
Support Groups
The National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill in Minnesota (NAMI-MN) sponsors support
groups for Minnesota families who have a relative with a mental
illness. Using support group principles and guidelines, people
who attend develop better coping skills, reject the stigma of mental
illness, and find strength in sharing experiences. A support group
is held the 2nd Wednesday of the month at Centennial United Methodist
Church in Roseville at 6:30pm. For more information contact NAMI
MN at 651-645-2948 or 1-888-473-0237.
MS Achievement
Center Receives $20,000 Grant
The Fairview
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Achievement Center received a $20,000 grant
from the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
to enhance the lives of people with MS and provide needed support
for the MS Achievement Center. The MS Achievement Center is one
of only four programs in the United States that provides quality,
on-going health care services that address the whole person living
with MS. For more information on the Fairview MS Achievement Center
contact Tami Peterson at 612-672-7236. For more information on
the MS Foundation visit their website at www.msfocus.org.
Parent Aide Volunteers
Being
a parent is one of the toughest jobs in the world. As a Parent
Aide volunteer you can offer your experience as a parent to a
single mother or father. Your words of encouragement and reassurance
can go a long way. You can give them hope and change the family's
life for the better. For more information or to volunteer, contact
Jackie Connolly, 612-348-2875 at Hennepin County Volunteer & Community
Partnership Program.
Artist Recognition
Grant deadline is November 8, 2004
VSA arts of Minnesota
will award six $1,000 grants to Minnesota artists with disabilities
through its Artist Recognition Grant Program, funded by the Jerome
Foundation. The program is open to individuals in all art disciplines:
visual, performing, written, media, etc. For an application or
more information contact 612-332-3888 or email jon.vsarts@bcmn.com .
Courage Cards
and Gifts
New Holiday Season
means new Holiday Cards from Courage Center. The on-site gift shop
at Courage Center in Golden Valley will be open October 4 through
December 23, 2004. Weekday hours are 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturdays
(Nov - Dec) hours are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The on-site gift shop at
Courage Center in Stillwater will be open November 14 through December
18, 2004. Monday and Friday hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, Wednesday
hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m and Saturdays hours are 9 a.m. to noon.
For more information visit www.couragecard.org or call 1-800-992-6872.
Hennepin County
Expands Mental Health Service for Children
Hennepin County
commissioners voted to accept $600,000 from the Metropolitan Health
Plan (MPO) to expand and improve services to children with mental
illness. About $245,000 will be used to expand crisis mental health
services to children, to ensure services are available 24 hours
a day, seven days a week. About $200,000 will be used fund more
Primary Projects in the 2004-2004 school year. Primary Project
identifies children in pre-school through 3rd grade who seem to
have a hard time adjusting to school and provides support for them
to improve their skills. The rest of the grant will be used to
improving a family's ability to obtain services within Hennepin
County. For more information contact Julie Halpern, Hennepin County
Human Services at 612-348-9259.
October is National
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Women over the
age of 40 are recommended to receive an annual mammogram and clinical
exams. According to the Minnesota Department of Health over 15,000
women were diagnosed with breast cancer during a five-year period
from 1992 to 1996 and over 3,000 women died from the disease in
that time period. If you do not have a doctor to receive these
services you can contact the Open Cities Health Center at 651-290-9200.
They do accept most insurances and do have a sliding fee scale
available.
Discharge Planning
Group Will Better Track Vulnerable Adults
Vulnerable people
leaving Hennepin County institutions or programs such as correctional
facilities or foster care are more likely to be successful, safe
and independent if they have plans for housing, employment, medical
care and other necessities. With discharge planning assistance,
people are less likely to reenter the public system. The Hennepin
County board staff is to forma Discharge Policy Planning Group
to evaluate discharge planning models and recommend new strategies
to increase the stability of people leaving institutions and reduce
costly and repeated returns to public assistance.
PACER Center
Offers Training
The PACER Center
is offering two programs for educating about disabilities.
Let's Prevent Abuse Program is a child abuse prevention program
featuring four puppets representing children with and without
disabilities and is designed for children in grades 1 through
4. Puppets talk about: the definitions of physical and sexual
abuse, things that children can do to help keep themselves safe,
the need for children to talk about the abuse if they are mistreated,
how to receive help and whom to tell, and that the child is never
at fault is he or she is a victim of abuse.
Count Me In! features puppets that represent children who are blind,
deaf, have mental retardation, epilepsy, ADHD, learning disabilities,
autism, cerebral palsy, juvenile diabetes, spina bifida, and other
disabilities. The program gives children the opportunity to listen
to how children with disabilities feel, think and move and ask questions
to learn about different disabilities.
For more information on the PACER programs contact them at 952-838-9000
or toll-free at 800-537-2237. You can e-mail them at pacer@pacer.org or visit their website at www.pacer.org.
Volunteer Opportunity
Ramsey
County is looking for citizens to serve on the Community Human
Services Citizens Advisory Council.
Ramsey County
depends on citizen input to help make policy decisions. The Ramsey
County Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) needs members on the following
committees: Chemical Health, Adult Mental Health, Development Disabilities,
and Low Income. Current or former recipients of services and persons
of color are especially encourage to apply for membership. For
an application or more information, call Dawn Autenreith at 651-266-4423.
