recession

Get Involved: Child Hunger Ends Here

by JavaMom on April 14, 2011 · 6 comments

in Uncategorized

One of the most formative memories of my junior high days was when my confirmation class spent a day working in the local food bank.  First we sorted through massive boxes of donated foodstuffs and put them into bins of like items, carefully checking each can or box for an expiration date; then we were given a [...]

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Katherine Hanley Family Shelter Mini-Walk September 12

by JavaMom on September 1, 2009 · 0 comments

in Uncategorized

Whether by yourself or with your family, come enjoy a fun day, a lovely walk and that incredible feeling when you’ve done something for a good reason — come out to the Katherine K. Hanley Family Shelter Mini-Walk Open House Saturday, September 12.

The walk is truly mini — approximately 1.4 miles of stroller- and wheelchair-friendly terrain. But the registration fees go to Shelter House, the organization that runs the Katherine Hanley Family Shelter (KHFS) and your presence helps count towards the tally for the Fannie Mae Walk to End Homelessness — Shelter House will receive a donation from Fannie Mae based on the number of walkers they get from the combined tally of walkers at each of their mini-walks. So you help twice just by registering.

In addition to the walk, the shelter will open its doors so you can view Fairfax County’s newest shelter, and the first homeless shelter in the country to win a Green Globes rating for its sound energy and environmental design practices. This shelter looks nothing like how most people imagine shelters — nestled in a residential neighborhood, most people driving on Lee Highway aren’t even aware of its presence. The Open House gives members of the community a chance to come learn more about the shelter via a scavenger hunt through the shelter, as well as just hanging out for some old-fashioned fun with a moon bounce, a magician, and more!

Details:

  • Saturday, September 12, 2009
    • 8:30 – Registration
    • 9:00 – Walk Begins
    • 9:30 – 12:00 – Open House!
  • Registration information:
    • Register by Thursday, September 3rd to receive your Help-the-Homeless Walkathon t-shirt!
    • On-site registration is available, but t-shirt will not be available day of registration
    • Registration is $15 for youth (25 and under) and $25 for adults! All of registration fee goes to Shelter House and is tax-deductible.
    • Registration form is available at the Shelter House web site.
  • Katherine Hanley Family Shelter is located at: 13000 Lee Highway, Fairfax, Virginia
  • For more information, contact Kristen Lenz, Development Coordinator at 703.536.5383 or
    kristen.lenz @ shelterhouse.org (remove spaces)

The Katherine Hanley Family Shelter is one of three housing programs run by Shelter House. There will be additional mini-walks hosted by partners, including:

- Falls Church Presbyterian Sunday, October 25

- John Calvin Presbyterian, Sunday, November 1

More will be posted on the Shelter House web site as dates are finalized.

Note, I am affiliated with the Katherine K. Hanley Family Shelter as I am on their Community Advisory Board.

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Guest blogger: Louie’s Kids — Fighting Childhood Obesity

by JavaMom on May 25, 2009 · 13 comments

in Uncategorized

Today I’m pleased to have my first guest blogger, Louis Yuhasz, founder of Louie’s Kids. I met Louis only a week ago when he spoke at the Junior League Mid-Atlantic Conference and his speech about watching his morbidly obese father’s decline after having a stroke, and then how he and his organization work with kids and their families today to change not only the numbers on the scale, but their attitudes toward food, toward exercises, and toward themselves through nutritional counseling, exercise programs, mental counseling and mentoring, was inspiring and life-changing. He’s a man on a mission and you can’t help but get swept away when you listen to him. Today, DC Metro Moms is having a special “Topic Tuesday” about Children of the Recession, and you will find my own post listed there. I’ve asked Louis to write about his organization and about the challenges the kids he work with face during the recession.
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louies-kidsRunning a non-profit organization that works with kids struggling with obesity is certainly not easy, but there are many instances when it comes with rewards.

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Children of the Recession: We Have to Act NOW to Save a Generation

by JavaMom on May 21, 2009 · 8 comments

in Uncategorized

I wept.

After not allowing myself, a former television reporter, to watch the news for weeks because I found the doom and gloom about the economy too stressful, I watched several CBS news clips from the Children of the Recession series online, and when I watched as an emergency room pediatric nurse practitioner showed the x-rays clearly depicting the multiple injuries of a young child — TWO broken arms, TWO fractured legs, I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. And neither could the reporter on the story.

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