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Posts Tagged ‘Members’

(PRWEB) January 13, 2012

Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners, a member of the Health Action Partnership, has announced the members of the inaugural Birmingham-Jefferson Food Policy Council. The group met for the first time Thursday, Jan. 12 at United Way of Central Alabama.

Renowned food policy pioneer Mark Winne led the retreat. Winne helped start the first food policy council in Knoxville, Tenn., in 1981. He will help the council determine its leadership structure and set priorities for 2012.

“The food policy council becomes kind of like a table,” Winne told The Birmingham News in September. “Bring our ideas bring our food, so to speak and come up with a plan to have the food system work as optimally as possible for everybody.”

Twenty-one community leaders have been selected for the new council, tasked with improving Jefferson Countys overall food system. According to a 2010 study conducted by Main Street Birmingham, nearly 90,000 Birminghamians live too far from mainstream grocery stores and therefore lack access to fresh, healthful foods such as fruits and vegetables.

“The bottom line is that our food system affects us in more ways than we realize, and this council is a huge step toward correcting many of the inefficiencies and inequalities in the current framework,” says Suzette Harris with the Jefferson County Department of Health. “A lot of people simply eat unhealthy because that’s their only real option, and that’s not sustainable for a healthy community.” Harris oversees county-wide obesity initiatives for the Jefferson County Health Action Partnership.

Those interested in serving on the council in the future may serve on a working group in the meantime to familiarize themselves its goals and its members. To learn more about the Birmingham-Jefferson Food Policy Council, including working groups, call Food Policy Council Coordinator Jennifer Ropa at 205-229-7871.

Jefferson County Health Action Partnership is a coalition of more than 100 nonprofit organizations working alongside the Jefferson County Department of Health to encourage physical activity, reduce obesity, expand food access, advance smoke-free policies, reduce tobacco use and improve the overall health of Jefferson County residents. http://www.championsforhealth.org.

Birmingham-Jefferson Food Policy Council members are: Monica Baskin (UAB School of Public Health), Virginia Bear (Alabama Beverage Association), Hana Burwinkle (Jefferson County Department of Land Planning & Development Services), Craig Corwin (Jefferson County Department of Health), David Fleming (Operation New Birmingham), Burgin Fowlkes (Jefferson County Department of Health), James Gibbs (City of Birmingham), Keecha Harris (KHA, Inc.), Maureen Holt (Little Savannah), Aimee Johnson (American Diabetes Association), Natalie Kianoff (Childrens Policy Council of Jefferson County), John Obert, Jr. (J3 Organics), Mark Rubino (Staysail Group, LLC), Ama Shambulia (West End Community Garden), Scott Silver (Jones Valley Urban Farm), Ellie Taylor (Alabama Grocers Association), Spencer Taylor (Birmingham City Schools), Patricia Terry (Samford University), Paulette VanMatre (Magic City Harvest), Chris Vizzina (Campus Dining), Kristie Waters (Adams Produce Companies).

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Garden City, NY (PRWEB) November 30, 2011

The November 16, 2011 meeting of the NAPW Baltimore Chapter was about making plans for the future, getting to know the members and learning why they joined NAPW. The Chapter discussed future meetings and opportunities to promote their businesses.

Jennifer Garcia, Member Outreach Chair, led the meeting in Chapter President Janet Borowskis absence. Since the meeting, Chapter President Janet Borowski announced her stepping down from her position. Jennifer Garcia has stepped in to become the new Chapter President. Many thanks were extended to Janet for all her hard work in getting the chapter started.

At the November 16 meeting, the chapter had a few returning members in attendance, Linda Mathieu, Tamera Swan-Mason and Jennifer Garcia. Most were first-timers and recently joined members. Although most did not know each other, discussions revealed common goals and a shared vision for the direction of our chapter.

It was decided that starting January, 2012, our meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of the month at 5:30. The location will vary from month to month but will be held in the Pikesville/Owings Mill area of Baltimore because this is a good mid-way distance point so that all members can attend. The last meeting of 2011, however, will be a holiday lunch on December 21 at noon at a restaurant in downtown Baltimore.

Thank you to Linda Mathieu and Kay Kravchuck for helping to organize the holiday lunch, said Jennifer.

The members would like to encourage other professional women to join NAPW, so it was agreed that the chapter would invite visitors to meetings. According to NAPW policy, a visitor interested in joining can attend two meetings, after which they will have to become members to attend further.

Nayo Carter suggested short presentations about each members businesses to better promote businesses at meetings. After some discussion, it was decided that the chapter will give her suggestion a try. As of January 2012, one member will be given 10-15 minutes to promote their business at each meeting. Members are encouraged to make their presentation informational or motivational to the members. Theyve scheduled January to April and at the April meeting they will decide whether or not to continue to have these presentations. The presentations are as follows:

January: Tax information to prepare for tax season by Nayo Carter, First Step Accounting

February: Following up on your New Years Resolutions by Marilyn Thorpe, Business & Life Coach with NexPhase Transitions

March: Solo Te tea parties by Sabrina Owens, Solo Te

April: Help with the home-buying process by Ann Kress, Keller Williams Select Realtors

We look forward to the information our members will provide us, Jennifer said.

Each of the members were asked to introduce themselves, discuss their role as a professional woman, share why they joined NAPW and what they hope the chapter can offer them.

Tamera Swan-Mason is President and CEO of White Swan Inc. Her company’s principal products are Wild Rose Hand & Body Lotion, Bath & Shower Gel and Soothing Bath Salts. Tamera is also an ordained New Thought Minister. She is a contributing book author, having written six articles for 6 books on womens issues. Tamera is a member of the Professional Woman’s Network. She was called by NAPW to become a member.

I joined to have a group of women from whom to learn, Tamera said. This is the second meeting of the NAPW Baltimore chapter that she has attended. Tamera can be reached by visiting http://www.whiteswanproducts.com/.

Nayo Carter is CEO of First Step Accounting. Nayo is an accountant with experience in taxes and bookkeeping. She is currently looking for office space to expand her business. Nayo joined NAPW last year looking to network in order to help her build her network of women to reach out to, refer to, and help her through the rough patches in this tough economy. This is the first meeting of the NAPW Baltimore chapter that she has attended. Reach Navo by visiting http://www.1ststepaccounting.com/.

Ann Kress is a realtor with Keller Williams Select Realtors. Ann is a sports nut and loves to dance. Ann is a new NAPW member and this was her first NAPW Baltimore chapter meeting. She wants to meet new people, connect with fellow professional women and explore the social aspect of the group. Contact Ann by visiting http://www.kw.com/kw/agent/annkress.

Linda Mathieu is a licensed Certified Public Accountant, working in the field of retirement planning for over 30 years. Linda walked the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure for breast cancer this year. She has been an NAPW member for 6 months and has attended 3 NAPW Baltimore chapter meetings. Linda joined NAPW group for the networking. Linda is the Social Committee Chair for the chapter helping to organize the holiday party this year. Visit her at http://www.tefrainc.com/.

Marilyn Thorpe is a Business & Life Coach with NexPhase Transitions, LLC working with micro businesses, start-ups and entrepreneurs who are stuck or have plateaued to help and teach them how to transition smoothly and successfully to entrepreneurship and realize profits within their first year. The company is a professional service company offering coaching, consulting and training services. She loves travelling, reading, and playing tennis. Marilyn joined NAPW recently and this is her first NAPW Baltimore chapter meeting. She is interested in meeting people and sharing ideas. Visit her at http://www.coachnexphase.com/.

Elder Jean Bonds is President/Founder of Woman to Woman International Ministries, which specializes in locating housing. She is the founder of a dance/drama company and is currently looking for a location for it. Jean is also a Mary Kay Representative. She is a member of the Sisters to Sisters network. She joined NAPW one year ago and this is her first NAPW Baltimore chapter meeting.

Sabrina Owens is the President of Heavenly Sweepers Cleaning Service, a commercial cleaning company. Sabrina recently started a business, Solo Te, organizing tea party events. She is also a Pastor and as such is currently involved with a local mentor program for youth. Her missionary work also helps the homeless and elderly. Her hobbies and interests include knitting, sewing and travel. She has been a member for 2 years. This is her first NAPW Baltimore chapter meeting. She wants to network and train others to be self-sufficient entrepreneurs.

Jennifer Garcia is Owner and President of Logicreative, a marketing and design business specializing in brand marketing and social media strategy. Jennifer has been invited to speak to various business organizations on Social Media, Web Marketing, Networking, Branding, and Entrepreneurship. Jennifer gave a brief talk on Social Media at the September meeting of the NAPW Baltimore chapter. Jennifer has been a member of NAPW for 4 years and has attended 2 NAPW Baltimore Chapter meetings. As the Member Outreach Chair, she created Facebook and Linkedin groups for the chapter to keep members connected in between meetings. Soon after the meeting, she became the new Chapter President. Visit Jennifer at http://logicreative.com.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) December 01, 2011

Hearing health plays a key role in personal health and quality of life, but many people with hearing difficulties dont believe their problems warrant treatment. And, according to a new survey of AARP members, nearly half of survey respondents say their hearing is getting worse.

The survey, conducted by AARP and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) released today, focuses on the state of hearing among Americans 50-plus. It examines attitudes toward hearing, the needs and unmet needs that the 50-plus population has for treating hearing issues and knowledge of where to go for help.

Maintaining hearing health as one ages is a very important concern among our members, said AARP Vice President Nicole Duritz. While the survey results indicate that older Americans recognize the impact hearing difficulties can have on relationships with family and friends, people are also going without treatment, which can negatively impact quality of life and lead to safety issues.

Key findings from the survey include: