June 9, 2005, Vol. III Issue 12
Dear Friends,
I survived the winds, surf, and salt water of the Gulf Islands this past Memorial Day weekend. Saw some orcas (from afar) and a huge sea lion too close for comfort in a kayak! And, it was the nicest weather we’ve had here in the Northwest since early March when we had a false summer!
As we move into the summer months, there are fewer conferences and events to report on, so I have some other meeting-related topics up my sleeve. Watch for future articles about those consistently pesky challenges: the food and the A/V! Meanwhile, I wanted to share with you that while our speakers do lots of high profile public events, they are also brought in as outside experts for educational staff events. We’re reporting on one such event held recently in South Dakota in today’s issue.
And, in the spirit of her song, “The World Needs All the Good You Can Do,” I am honored to share with you, Jana Stanfield’s campaign to fund improvements at an orphanage in Bali.
Yours truly,
Barbara
Cardiac Services Get Heart Healthy Nutrition Advice
What can Cardiac Services Staff do to ramp up morale and get CEU’s? In May, Rapid City Regional Hospital, Rapid City, South Dakota, held an outreach education workshop (their fifth one) for healthcare professionals. Zonya Foco, RD, CSP, showed them (literally) ways to help themselves as well as their patients make healthier lifestyle choices. Zonya is the author of Lickety-Split Meals for Health Conscious People on the Go, and hostess of the current PBS series, “Zonya’s Health Bites.”
“We are very rural.” Theresa Ferdinand, Cardiac Rehab Coordinator, told me. “We have people coming many miles (300 mile radius) to our hospital for cardiac services, including coronary bypass, stent, angioplasty, and heart attacks. We work with patients here in Rapid City and then send them back home.”
“For this workshop we invite the outreach professionals that work at those outlying hospital sites, serving the patients in their own communities,” Theresa said. “They are cardiac rehabilitation professionals (nurses, exercise physiologists, exercise specialists, dietitians, etc.). Our goal is to provide them with updated knowledge, continuing education hours, program support as well as motivation and inspiration.”
Cardiac Services sponsors the program and there is no charge to the participants. The program was supported this year by the American Heart Association and Pfizer.
“We choose our topics and speakers for their motivational value, both professional and personal, as well as interest in new information relevant to cardiac health: procedures, cholesterol, medications, exercise, coaching, primary prevention, and anything having to do with risk factors. The whole purpose is to raise the standards of care available to everyone in the extended community.”
“We’re not doing anybody any favors by being boring,” Zonya flatly told her audience of cardiac professionals. “Evidence based health information does not have to mean boring, so stop presenting it that way.”
Zonya then asked them how many of these professionals KNOW that doughnuts aren’t good for them. They all raised their hands. “And how many of you have eaten one anyway, just because it was there?” she asked. They all chimed in that their patients and drug reps were the guilty parties, bringing those temptations to them as thank you gifts.
It was time for a doughnut healing. Anyone who has seen this demonstration, which is exclusively Zonya’s creation, knows that it works in a dramatic way. Like magic, the entire audience was cured to never eat one again, “just because it was there.” That’s just one little piece of Zonya’s presentation entitled “Making Nutrition Exciting and Fun.” It was definitely that, Theresa told me.
The afternoon program also included her highly popular program, “Selling Sound Nutrition to a Country that Loves Fad Diets.” “Never be down on what you’re not up on,” Zonya said and proceeded to explain exactly how Atkins and South Beach diets work and how to keep the “good parts.” Zonya said there are good reasons why these diets work, and the smart thing to do is to learn from them and work with your patients to create new habits that outlive the diet mentality.
“Zonya is so easy to listen to,” Theresa said, “and interesting, we could have had her for days. Another helpful asset she brings to her audiences is her teaching tools. Her cookbook, CD’s, books, and pamphlets like her Dining Out and Fast Food Guides, make it easy for our people to take well-researched, informative tools home to share with their patients in their communities.”
Zonya has a way of affecting everyone she touches personally, starting with the meeting planner! “I have read through the cookbook and am already creating a new grocery list,” Theresa said. “She has a positive affect on people’s motivation and getting them to take a closer look at what they are doing and how they could do things better. My staff and I have already taken some small steps that will make big differences in our own health. We would certainly like to have her back.”
To learn more about Zonya give me a call at 503-699-5031 or visit our website.
A Good Cause: Raise the Roof for Girls
A vacation brings unexpected blessings when it leads to a result like this. Jana Stanfield and her group of twenty-eight explorers returned from their visit to Bali last December with a mission: To help raise the roof for fifty girls in a Bali orphanage. For any of our subscribers new to FYWB, Jana is a singer-songwriter, and an insightful, funny speaker with a heart of gold. In her “Butterfly” song, she sings about change: “We can become what we dream of if fat, furry worms can fly,” and so her loosely organized fan club is aptly called, The Caterpillar Society.
Back to the orphanage they visited. Jana and the group witnessed the girls living under a deteriorating roof that was leaking on their beds. One of these little girls was sleeping in a top bunk with a plastic grocery bag tied to the ceiling to keep the water off her bed. They did not have adequate bathroom facilities or even an oven to heat their food, yet they’ve managed to stay as clean and healthy as possible.
Jana’s Bali group decided to do something about it. Raising just $50,000 would restore the building and more than that, it would help these fifty girls as well as the hundreds of girls who will live there in the future.
I’ve never shared anything like this in this e-newsletter before but I was touched by these little girls and their situation, and Jana’s group’s commitment to making a difference. It stirs my desire to go beyond my own borders and help in a personal way, and I hope it moves you as well. The need is so real, and it would be so easy to do something about it and feel the genuine satisfaction of contributing to the lives of kids whom we can actually reach out and touch. In fact, you can view a video of the girls and the orphanage at Jana’s website, http://www.JanaStanfield.com.
To restore the orphanage, roof, plumbing, floors and all, they just need 500 people who are willing to give $100. If you can’t give the $100 yourself, but can give $20, ask four other friends to give $20, and then be the one to send it in together. As a Caterpillar Partner, your tax-deductible gift will be acknowledged with a letter of thanks. In addition to this, they will take the Caterpillar Partners’ names with them to Bali next December to display them permanently in the orphanage.
Also, you can give gifts, “In Appreciation Of . . . :” We’ve all had “butterflies” who encouraged us when we felt like “fat, furry worms.” If you would like to donate in honor of one of your favorite encouragers, that person’s name will be put next to yours in the restored orphanage. To find out how to donate, go to:
http://www.JanaStanfield.com/orphanage/ The Community Foundation of Fox Valley, Appleton, Wisconsin is handling the administration of the fund.
Act now! Their goal is to raise $50,000 by July 10th. Thank you for sharing your abundance and making a difference.
Summertime and the Zucchini are Sizzling
I should probably write about this later in the summer when your gardens are overflowing with zucchini, but I’m already buying them 3/$1 at the farmer’s market and enjoying them on the grill. I was once so over-run with zucchini, I bought a cookbook dedicated solely to this prolific vegetable.
No cookbook needed for this easy side dish. Grilled zucchini is quite simply delicious, satisfying and virtually calorie-free. Grilling somehow gives it an extra dimension, fresh and complex. Simply slice 6-inch zucchini lengthwise, into three sections, spray or brush with olive oil and sprinkle with your favorite dried or fresh herbs. The other night, I used dried thyme from last year’s harvest. Depending on the heat of the fire, they’ll take about five minutes on each side. Savory and delicate with grilled chicken, fish or steaks, who would have guessed a simple zucchini could taste so good?
Until next time, take care of yourself, for your well being and those you love.
Yours truly,
Barbara
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ABOUT OUR SERVICES
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The Speak Well Being Group specializes in providing exceptional speakers for health, wellness and women’s events. Because we’ve worked with so many hospitals and healthcare groups around the country, we speak your language. Our hand-picked speakers are attuned to your needs and adept at addressing the issues while delivering information in an entertaining way, or simply providing
a good time with a light message when that’s the ticket. When you work with us, you’ll come back for more “How are we going to top that?” speakers.
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Or please call anytime and let us assist you: 503-699-5031
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