Community News, Events and Online Calendars
CLICK HERE to submit information to be included in this "Community News" section.
________________________
Black Wings: American Dreams of Flight
February 2 - April 22, 2012 - Admission and parking are free!
Museum of Florida History, R. A. Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Downtown Tallahassee
850.245.6400 or www.museumoffloridahistory.com for more information.
From the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and made possible by the support of the MetLife Foundation.
________________________
A Hope to Dream
For every mattress sold at your Tallahassee Ashley Furniture HomeStore, $5 is being donated to provide mattress sets to local children in need. Our goal is to give away 500 mattresses by the end of the year.
We need your help to accomplish our mission by referring a child for consideration to receive a mattress set. Our efforts can only be successful if caring individuals refer the children in need.
We invite you to review the program online and refer a child in need of a new mattress set. To request additional applications please send an email to: AHopeToDream@ashleyfurniture.com or use the online application at www.ahopetodream.com
________________________
Community Baby Shower
Click here to watch WCTV's "In the Spotlight" featuring the Community Baby Shower
________________________
Healthy Kids Day - New Farmers' Market Initiative at the YMCA
http://www.clipsyndicate.com/video/playlist/19093/2383561?title=wtxl_full_feed&wpid=9716
________________________
We Give Books - United Way of Florida Campaign
Read a book online today and help put books into young people's hands across Florida.
When you select the United Way of Florida's Children's Week campaign and read online, you'll help We Give Books distribute brand-new books to children in need across the state.
Each year, the United Way of Florida and more than 80 partners put a spotlight on issues that affect young people and their families during Florida's Children's Week. A primary focus is literacy: dozens of community and family reading celebrations across the state culminate with a week of exciting events at the State Capitol in Tallahassee - all to raise awareness about the importance of early childhood literacy and other vital children's issues.
This year, the We Give Books ReadMobile Tour is joining many of these community reading events to promote the importance of reading through fun, educational activities hosted with United Way partners. At each stop across the state, the We Give Books team coordinates engaging literacy events for children aged 3 through 7.
Then, the ReadMobile Tour concludes on the steps of the State Capitol building with reading events, literacy awareness activities, and the Legislative Reading Corner, where state leaders read with young children all day long.
The Children's Week campaign at We Give Books is an integral part of the United Way of Florida's efforts to increase literacy and awareness for children aged 1 through 7 across Florida. With your online reading support, the Pearson Foundation and We Give Books are committed to donating 5,000 brand-new books to children throughout the state as the exclusive Literacy Partner of Children's Week. Every time you read a book at We Give Books, you will put a brand-new hardcover or paperback book in the hands of a young person who attends a Children's Week event. The United Way of Florida will also reach out to the wider community of families and children, all with the goal of increasing literacy rates among young children.
Many of these children may never before have had a book to call their own, and the impact of taking home a story to read with family members can be profound. Your efforts will make a difference for young people throughout Florida as they discover the joy of reading during Children's Week and embark on a lifetime of learning.
Go to www.wegivebooks.org/united-way-of-florida for more information.
Click here to read a book online!
________________________
National Sleep Awareness Week --- March 7--13, 2011
March 4, 2011
March 7--13, 2011, is National Sleep Awareness Week. Sleep impairment is linked as a contributing factor to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors (1). Persons experiencing sleep insufficiency are more likely to have chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, or obesity (2,3). In 2008, approximately 28% of surveyed adults in the United States reported frequent insufficient sleep (≥14 days in the past 30 days) (4), which has been associated with fair/poor general health, frequent mental and physical distress, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and pain (3). Sleep insufficiency and poor sleep quality also can result from sleep disorders such as chronic insomnia, restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea, or narcolepsy (1).
The National Sleep Foundation suggests that healthy adults need 7--9 hours of sleep per day, and school-age children might require 10--11 hours of sleep (5). Additional information regarding the public health importance of sleep is available at http://www.cdc.gov/sleep. Information regarding sleep health and safety is available from the National Sleep Foundation at http://www.sleepfoundation.org.
References
- Institute of Medicine. Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unmet public health problem. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2006.
- Buxton OM, Marcelli E. Short and long sleep are positively associated with obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease among adults in the United States. Soc Sci Med 2010;71:1027--36.
- Strine TW, Chapman DP. Associations of frequent sleep insufficiency with health-related quality of life and health behaviors. Sleep Med 2005;6:23--7.
- CDC. Perceived insufficient rest or sleep among adults---United States, 2008. MMWR 2009;58:1175--9.
- National Sleep Foundation. How much sleep do we really need? Washington, DC: National Sleep Foundation; 2010. Available at http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need. Accessed February 22, 2011.
________________________
ZERO TO THREE Video Promotes Early Language and Literacy Development
Source: ZERO TO THREE Policy Center - Retrieved August 27, 2010
The ZERO TO THREE Policy Center has released a new video illustrating how early language and literacy development contributes to a child’s success throughout life. The video can be viewed online and can be shown to policymakers, advocates, community partners, and others. A Window to the World: Promoting Early Language and Literacy Development is available at http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid4250110001?bctid=587336352001
_________________________
July 20, 2010
TeenTruth.org Fosters Positive Youth Development
Tallahassee-based Wahi Media and the Florida Department of Health launched an interactive, web-based initiative to encourage young people across Florida to make positive choices by providing the information they need to make the right decisions. TeenTruth.org utilizes a new approach—interactive drama—to educate Florida’s youth in a way that extends the relevancy, reach, and retention of the information for teens.
Wahi stands for Web Automated Human Interaction. Wahi partnered with the Florida DOH’s Office of Positive Youth Development to provide over 90 minutes of content for TeenTruth.org. Each viewer navigates through the wahi much like an online “choose your own adventure” book. Each time the viewer interacts with the wahi, it responds and leads the viewer down the next branch.
The wahi also educates parents on the realities of teen life by simulating "real life" examples of good child/parent relationships and challenging ones, as well as encouraging parents to help their teens to make positive choices. The wahi targets community members, informing them on the realities of teen life and urging them to mentor kids and be empathetic to the challenges they face.
Go to www.TeenTruth.org to view the wahi.
_________________________