The Beat Goes On

February 1^st was National Go Red day in support of heart disease awareness. Across our country, men, women, children, and animals were decked out in red! Even the Empire State Building joined in the fun. It was a beautiful and moving day, especially for those who have been impacted personally by heart disease. I helped at the St. Louis AHA Luncheon with over a thousand of my heart allies, finding myself overwhelmed by the amazing energy in the ballroom throughout the afternoon.

Our work has just started though. February 1^st kicks off heart month. All throughout February, we will work tirelessly to help educate and advocate. You may get sick of hearing from me, but please know, I need the American Heart Association to save my life. I depend on the research and the continued support of AHA and Go Red.

Debora Grandison, survivor, Karen Guccione-Englert, survivor, and Rachelle Bartnick, St. Louis AHA

If you weren’t able to Go Red on the 1^st, that’s okay. You can do it all month! Here are some fun ideas for any day in February:

At work:

- hang up red holiday lights in your office or cubicle

- decorate with red poinsettias

- type in red for all your messages

- have a heart healthy lunch with co-workers and invite a speaker in to share heart-healthy tips

- ask your co-workers to Go Red with you and encourage them to wear red

At home:

- bake cookies with red sprinkles or cupcakes with red icing

- hang up red holiday lights, balloons or streamers

- decorate with red poinsettias

- if you have a pet, put a red bandana or bow on him/her

- ask your whole family to Go Red with you and encourage them to wear red

At school:

- feature red foods or heart-healthy foods in the cafeteria

- invite a speaker in to share heart-healthy tips

- participate in Hoops for Hearts or Jump Rope for your Heart

- dress up for Go Red and have a contest for the wackiest or most creative GO RED outfit

At church or special interest group:

- invite a speaker in to share heart-healthy tips

- offer up special intentions and/or prayers for those impacted by heart disease and for the doctors and researchers working hard to end it

- add a message about heart month in your church's newsletter or bulletin

Karen, Kim, and Mary -- 3 survivors from St. Charles

Thank you for your support of Go Red for Women and the American Heart Association. I am living proof of their amazing work. With them, the beat goes on! - Karen

As always, there is no pressure but should you wish to donate directly to the AHA and Go Red, please use the following URL:

http://www.goredforwomen.org/wearredday/donate/advocatedonationform.html?kwoAdvocateId=536SMJ3

Photo Credits: American Heart Association, St. Louis Chapter members

Who knew we already knew?

I recently attended Saturday Writers monthly meeting and it was fantastic! This chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild is growing by leaps and bounds. With membership close to 100, the group lives up to its motto “Writers Encouraging Writers.”  Saturday Writers, formed in 2002, celebrates the craft of writing and the creative process, allows for networking opportunities, and inspires writers to meet their individual goals. 

This past weekend, our speaker was Mrs. Margo Dill - author, teacher, editor, mother, and all-around go-to gal. I was excited to hear Margo speak, especially since her focus in on children’s literature. She did not disappoint! Using the 6+1 traits of writing as her framework, she reminded us that everything we need to know as writers, we already learned in school.  Now we just need to focus on tweaking that to meet our needs as adult writers. I loved her honesty and candor, mixed with fantastic wit, about the writing  process. 

Even though I am familiar with the 6+1 process as an educator, I still found myself taking copious notes. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I struggle with voice when writing. Mrs. Dill addressed this area at length, never sugar-coating but also encouraging. She used examples from her own work but also pulled in work from other authors. 

 If you are looking for a great speaker, for children or adults, I would highly recommend Mrs. Margo Dill. She recently published her middle-grade novel Finding My Place and works at WOW! Women on Writing. Great job, once again, Saturday Writers on another superb meeting and for encouraging this writer to write!

Photo Credits: Saturday Writers (top photo), White Mane Publishing (bottom photo)

Promises are Promises

    In keeping with my New Year’s Resolution, I have ventured into new reading lands. In the past, the idea of reading a fantasy novel would have left me feeling a bit uninspired. I tend to be a realist in most areas of my life, including my reading selections so fantasy has never been my genre of choice. Never a quitter though, I decided to read a book popular among my older students. I recently finished The Familiars by screenwriters Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson. 
 

    The first in a trilogy, The Familiars, was released in 2010 with HarperCollins Publishers. The story is cleverly written with a great mix of humor and excitement, perfect for younger readers.  In many ways, I was reminded of the Warrior Series and the Harry Potter blending together. 

    The main characters are three animals with magical powers that embark on the journey of their lives in a quest to save their human companions. Aldwyn, a young alley cat, does not know he possess magical powers but has keen survival skills. The other two animals Skylar, a rather bossy blue-jay, and Gilbert, a fun-loving but bumbling tree-frog, have been with their humans for many years.  The humans play a relatively small role in the story, leaving the major action to the unique animals that each bring their own special flare to the story. 

    Even though I knew many of my students enjoyed the story, I was still hesitant. I am excited to say that I enjoyed the story very much and am eager to read the other two books in the trilogy. I found The Familiars easy to read, as the action kept moving. The characters were playful and fun and I think many young readers would relate them.

    So while I am early in the year, book one of the New Year’s Resolution has gone well. Here’s to book two!

    There is a downloadable teacher’s guide for The Familiars available at: http://www.thefamiliars.com/

Photo Credit: Peter Chan and Kei Acedera