American Community Gardening Association

www.communitygarden.org

The national 2010 American Community Gardening Association Conference will be held in Atlanta in August.

The Mission of the American Community Gardening Association is to build community by increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening across the United States and Canada.

The American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) is a bi-national nonprofit membership organization of professionals, volunteers and supporters of community greening in urban and rural communities. The Association recognizes that community gardening improves people’s quality of life by providing a catalyst for neighborhood and community development, stimulating social interaction, encouraging self-reliance, beautifying neighborhoods, producing nutritious food, reducing family food budgets, conserving resources and creating opportunities for recreation, exercise, therapy and education.

ACGA and its member organizations work to promote and support all aspects of community food and ornamental gardening, urban forestry, preservation and management of open space, and integrated planning and management of developing urban and rural lands.

The Association supports community gardening by facilitating the formation and expansion of state and regional community gardening networks; developing resources in support of community gardening; and, encouraging research and conducting educational programs.

Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive

Join Renewal in Donating Canned Goods to a Good Cause

www.renewaldesignbuild.com

Join Renewal Design-Build in celebrating the Thanksgiving season by donating canned food November 2-20, and help us meet our goal of 250lbs! The generous contributions will be donated to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

We will pick up your cans! We will actually pick up your cans on Thursday, November 12th beginning at 9am. Or, you can drop them off at our office during normal business hours from November 2-20.

If you choose to have your cans picked up, please email kelly@renewaldesignbuild.com so that we may verify your home address.

Please have your cans in a bag - clearly labeled "Canned Food Drive"- and placed by your front door at 9am on November 12th.

Most Needed Items:
peanut butter
canned tuna
canned beans
canned soups, stews, and pastas
100% fruit juice
canned fruits and veggies
macaroni and cheese dinners
whole grain, low sugar cereals

** No glass containers, please!**

Grief Support Group - 2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
The 2nd & 4th Tuesday of each month
SUNRISE OF DECATUR
920 Clairmont Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030

Sponsored by Evercare Hospice & Palliative Care. Our Bereavement Support Staff gently walks you through the difficulties of grieving a loved ones death.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
If you have any questions or would like to sign up in advance, please call Ande Temple, Bereavement Coordinator, 770-417-2018. Join us for as many sessions as you want.

Healthy Family Home

http://www.ymca.net/healthyfamilyhome/play-every-day.html
Play Every Day!

All family members should be effective role models by participating in all of the guidelines below:

• Moderate, fun, physical activity: try for at least a total of 60 minutes every day (which can be spread out in 10 to 15 minute intervals), and include outdoor activity whenever possible.
• Vigorous, fun, physical activity three days a week: aim for 20 minutes total on these days and include outdoor activity whenever possible.
• Bring adults and kids together in physical activities in order to provide opportunities for connecting and modeling positive behavior.
• Limit screen time to less than two hours per day (television, video games, computer). Meals should not be consumed in front of a screen.

Tennis Ping Pong Play tennis ping pong with a volleyball, soccer ball, basketball, bouncy ball, etc. at a local tennis court. You could even draw a line (to replace a net) on the driveway if a tennis court is not available. Use your hands as paddles (carry it over or catch and throw, especially with the heavier ball) and follow ping pong rules. With the tennis court as the ping pong table the only exception to ping pong rules will be that you are able to stand on the ‘table'!

Dinner vacations at home For fun ask “where's dinner” meaning where shall we eat tonight?
It could be on the porch or the patio, on the stairs or the family room floor as if an indoor picnic.
Consideration of what types of food to be served is important. With chairs and blankets make a tent and pretend you are far far away and describe what it's like where you are and what "foods" you're having there. Ask questions like is it sandy, hot or cold, any animals lurking around?

Park Play Day Have a community garden host a Family Garden Club. Park Play Day could include Kite-Flying, Kick-ball and Arts n Crafts. Park Arts n Crafts portion could include families making row markers for the vegetable garden.

Walking Obstacle Course Go for a family walk and every few minutes or at the end of each block perform an activity for one minute to increase everyone's heart rate. Try lunges, jumping jacks, mountain climbers or running in place.

The Great Outdoors Search for a park or trail near your home and plan for a family hike. Pack a healthy sack lunch and make a day out of it.

Jug Catch Kids ask a grown up to help you. Cut a one-gallon plastic jug (like a milk jug) in half horizontally. Recycle the bottom half of the jug, but save the top half with the handle and keep the cap. Grown-ups cover the cut edge of the jug with duct tape. Cut and decorate a jug for everyone in the family.
Now two or more family members can play together using the jugs to toss a tennis ball or beanbag back and forth. See if you can toss and catch without touching the ball with your hands. In the warmer months try tossing water balloons back and forth. The jug can also be used by one family member, toss the ball in the air and catch it using the jug, see how many successful tosses and catches you can make in a row.

Track Your Fun Wear a pedometer (a gadget that counts your steps) and track your movement. Everyone in the family can wear them and compare steps at the end of the day. Set goals or have contests. You may decided to give out prizes for the most steps in one day or one week.

Musical Meals After family dinners (other meals), turn on music and dance, play musical chairs, or make up a family dance routine/skit that you practice a couple of evenings a week.

Safe Kids Georgia

Safe Kids Georgia

http://www.safekidsgeorgia.org/

1655 Tullie Circle
Atlanta, GA 30329
Phone: 404.785.7436
Email: safe.kids@choa.org

Who We Are

Safe Kids Georgia is dedicated solely to preventing unintentional childhood injury. The focus is on one specific problem: more children 1 to 14 die from accidents such as motor vehicle crashes, fires, drowning, poisoning and falls than any other cause.

Accidents kill one million children each year around the world and permanently disable many more. And almost all of the injuries are preventable. More than 450 coalitions in 16 countries bring together health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments and volunteers to educate and protect families.

What We Do

Safe Kids Georgia promotes changes in attitudes, behaviors, laws and the environment to prevent accidental injury to children. In the United States, Safe Kids partnerships have contributed to a 45 percent reduction in the child fatality rate from accidental injury - saving an estimated 38,000 children's lives. Locally, this is done thru community partnerships, advocacy, public awareness and distribution of, and education on the proper uses of, safety equipment.

How We Do It

Safe Kids Georgia depends on the support of grass roots networks in its 22 local coalitions to implement safety programs and hands-on training throughout the State of Georgia. These grass root networks work closely with law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, health and safety experts, professionals, educators, parents, businesses, foundations, governments, policymakers, volunteers and most importantly, children to educate and protect families. By mobilizing communities at the local level, we provide public education programs, facilitate engineering and environmental modifications, enact and enforce laws and regulations and conduct research to drive our programs and determine the efficacy of our efforts.

Safe Crossing Week November 1-7, 2009

Download the railroad safety fact sheet for parents

Come on Board for Safe Crossing Week!

Safe Kids USA and CN, one of the largest railroads in North America, are working together again on Safe Crossing Week 2009 to encourage parents, teachers, and caregivers to teach elementary school children how to safely cross railroad tracks.

In 2008, 744 people were killed and 1,372 were injured in incidents involving trains in the United States. These incidents involved either trains and people or trains and motor vehicle occupants. In 2008, a total of 22 children ages 14 and under were killed and 122 were injured in incidents involving trains.

Safe Crossing Week 2009 focuses on Teaching Safety for Life. Although parents are responsible for their kids’ safety, children can be little ambassadors for a safer community. Children pass along what they learn to their families and set good examples as role models for one another. If we want to build a culture of safety, it starts with reaching children early so that safe practices and behaviors become second-nature as they grow and develop into safe teens and adults.

This year’s innovative in-school program provides a grade level-specific railroad safety curriculum and activities. Local Safe Kids safety experts, CN Police officers and CN employee volunteers are teaching more than 50,000 students in hundreds of elementary schools and other locations across the United States, making it the largest and most wide-spread Safe Crossing Week in history.

This year, some of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals and children’s museums have come on board to hold special events to further broaden the reach of the program.

To see if your community/school is participating in Safe Crossing Week, contact your local Safe Kids coalition.

Nov 4 - Lou Walker Senior Center Harvest Fest 2009

Lou Walker Senior Center Harvest Fest 2009
10 am to 3 pm, Wednesday, Nov. 4th
2538 Panola Road, Lithonia, GA 30058
Phone: 770.322.2900

-Flu Shots sponsored by the DeKalb Co. Board of Health
-Arts & Crafts for sale, including pottery, ceramics, greeting cards, candles, jewelry & more
-Info. booths and more!