April 1, 2012 is the deadline to take advantage of the early bird registration for IC Convention 2012. After April 1st, registration will go up to $240.
June 21, 2012 is the deadline for hotel reservations at the standard rate. Make your hotel reservations today by calling the Embassy Suites Hotel and Convention Center at 405-364-8040or go to http://embassysuites. hilton.com. Be sure to mention our group “Epsilon Sigma Alpha International” (Code SIA).
Join St. Jude in Celebrating 50 Years of Finding Cures and Saving Lives Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. No family ever pays St. Jude for the care their child receives and, for every child treated here, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude discoveries. The hospital has played a pivotal role in pushing U.S. pediatric cancer survival rates from 20 to 80 percent overall, and is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted to children. It is also a leader in the research and treatment of blood disorders and infectious diseases in children.
St. Jude was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas, who believed that no child should die in the dawn of life.
Join that mission by visiting stjude.org or following us on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.
On January 7, 2012 the United States Postal Service unveiled a commemorative Forever Stamp honoring legendary entertainer Danny Thomas, the founder of renowned St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The unveiling took place at a star-studded gala in Los Angeles to celebrate Thomas’ 100th birthday and the50th anniversary of St. Jude.
“The Danny Thomas stamp, which will be officially dedicated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and go on sale on February 16, will become an ambassador for philanthropy, traveling on letters and packages to households and businesses throughout America and the world,” said Ed Ruiz, USPS Los Angeles district manager.
“It also will serve as a lasting tribute to one of America’s most beloved and enduring entertainers who worked tirelessly to help the most helpless of all—children with diseases.” Marlo Thomas
EASTER SEALS
We are inches away from a new pool!
Dear Mary,
In just 5 short months, we have raised more than $245,000 to build a new pool at Camp Challenge. Now, we need just $4,631 to start construction. (That's just 2% of the goal!)
The pool helps campers forget their disabilities as they enjoy the feeling of buoyancy, play games and interact with other swimmers. Federal law requires us to update our pool; it's more cost effective to build a new one. You can help provide this experience to thousands of campers, starting in the summer of 2013.
Thank you to the following for their leadership gifts:
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION (CH420) AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE 1-800-435-7352 WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
THIS ORGANIZATION RETAINS 100% OF ALL CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED.
The results of the Lily Seal Vote are in and we're excited to announce the 2012 Lily Seal of the Year! Congratulations to "Spring Arrival" by Patricia Wilson!
Over 4,000 people participated in our Lily Seal Vote this year. That's a tremendous show of support and inspiration for the more than one million people living with disabilities and their families who will depend on Easter Seals' critical services in 2012.
Consider a donation to "Camp Hope". This program is just getting underway in Florida. This will be a great way to support the Hope for Heroes program. For more information, click on the Camp Hope Informatin and Donation Form link below.
For more information on ways to help, visit the Easter Seals website at www.easterseals.com.
Easter Seals provides exceptional services, education, outreach, and advocacy so that people living with autism and other disabilities can live, learn, work and play in our communities.
Networking: Attached is a form that ESA’s Care Connection developed as a link to provide a network of services to ESA members, their families and communities. If you would like to participate, please complete a form for each ESA member and forward it on to Judy Huntley.
Crafters: If you can craft or crochet or knit check out the attached pattern for crocheting watch caps.
Wounded Warriors: Can you even imagine what our military and wounded veterans must be going through. As reported in the Lamp, many heroes are returning with multiple amputations or other disabling injuries not completely fixed even by fancy prosthetics, methodical rehabilitation, and job retraining. The Pentagon counts more than 29,000 combat wounded in the Middle East since the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Tens of thousands more were hurt outside of combat or in ways that show up later. . . . insurgents have relied on disfiguring bombs and bombardment as chief tactics. At the same time, better armor and field medicine have kept U.S. soldiers alive at the highest rate ever, leaving 16 wounded for every fatality, according to one study based on government data. The ratio was fewer than 3-to-1 for Korea and Vietnam. . . . Treatment, recovery and retraining often can't be assured quickly or cheaply. . . .These troops are just starting to seek help in large numbers, more than 185,000 so far. But the cost of their benefits is already testing resources set aside by government and threatening the future of these wounded veterans for decades to come. . . .” http://www.military.com
Founded in 2003, the Wounded Warrior Project is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization with headquarters in Jacksonville, FL. As of their fiscal year end in September 2010, 82% of total expenditures went to provide services and programs for wounded warriors and their families. Go to https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/Default.aspx?tsid=93 and you can donate $19 a month or even give a one time donation. Maybe this can be a chapter project.
Recycling is Caring: Obviously recycling ink cartridges and toners and phones can bring donations into Easter Seals, but how about those items that damage the environment that need to be recycled? Check out http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/electronics/default.htm It gives a wealth of information on how and where to deposit your tv’s, vcr’s, PC’s, laptops and chemicals and more.
Hope for Heroes: The ESA website has a wealth of information on how to help our heroes. Check out the Make a Difference button for the details. And in case you missed it from the January Lamp:
www.Homesforourtroops.org constructs homes for the severely injured vets who served after 9/11. Donate equipment or help build a home.
www.Dav.org/volunteers provides free transportation to vets unable to travel to VA medical facilities on their own. You can volunteer to drive a DAV van.
www.guardianangelsforsoldiers.org Take in a dog or cat of a deployed soldier or wounded veteran while they are on duty or receiving VA medical treatment.
www.loc.gov/vets Record a war story: conduct an interview of an old soldier with tales from the front lines. The Library of Congress wants to hear his voice. A field kit gives tips for the interview including biographical data and release forms.
www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com Send used phones to this organization. They will pay for an hour of talk time for troops overseas.
www.coupsfortroops.com Coupons are needed after all. I checked and there are drop off spots in Holiday, Bell and Melbourne, Florida. And the military families can use them up to six months past their expiration date.
So, now you know more about how you can help. God bless our efforts in caring.
Paula Kelly, Care Connection Coordinator, has prepared a very interesting document outlining useful information for Care Connection. Please see the accompanying document.
Hope for Heroes is a national program sponsored by ESA to support our military personnel. The primary purpose is to let the veterans know we are thankful for what they are doing. November 7 - 14, the week surrounding Veterans' Day, is the time to involve your community and honor military men and women. Here are some things you can do, not just November 7 - 14, but all year long:
Coupons for Vets
Make 9" x 12" pillows to send
Send Christmas Cards
Donate proceeds from sports events
Take books to VA hospital or a VA nursing home
Invite a veteran or military family to dinner
Wave flags outside a military base entrance
Contact VFW to see how you can help
Donate books
Buy a grocery store gift certificate
Provide magazines or books
Find a soldier you can support
Send care packages
Take a vet to lunch
Make donations
Have a yard sale and donate proceeds
Advertise your yard sale as supporting Camp Hope
Support Vets Helping Returning Heroes that trains service dogs for our broken heroes
Get local restaurants to give a portion of profits to vets
Go to "Welcome Home" celebrations when troops come home
Support the family left behind with house/yard work, take the kids out, take a casserole, etc.
ESA Foundation is the organization that awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors, graduate studants, people returning to school after being in the work place, as well as others, but it is also the non-profit side of ESA. There are certain advantages for you, as an individual, to belong to Foundation. Please contact your chapter president or a member of the Executive Board for more information.
Sisters,
It is now time to solicit applications for the ESA Foundation Scholarship program. I have adapted a post card sized handout that our members can take with them when they are eating out or shopping and encounter students who would like to apply for scholarships. The file Information for printing and using the Scholarship post cards explains what the post cards are all about. There are two files for the post card – a front and a back. When I did the files and could not figure out how to make it one file.
The last file “Why the ESA Foundation Charges a Fee” is important for each member to understand so they can tell explain the Foundation’s position on charging a fee. The short summary of this documents is that we are a volunteer organization and the fee helps reimburse the State Counselors and Regional Scholarship Committee members for postage costs incurred in processing the scholarships received. Any money not used for reimbursement will be added to the Scholarship Fund.
Your help in spreading the word about the Scholarship Program is appreciated. I am looking forward to receiving many applications by February 1, 2012. If anyone has questions, please have them contact me.
Sue Ceriale ESA Foundation State Counselor for Florida