April awareness programming

April is sexually transmitted disease (STD), alcohol and distracted driving awareness month and the programming at Know99 Television  reflects these important topics on Thursdays during April, from 8am-4pm.

Know99 is the City of Phoenix’s youth and education cable channel on Cox channel 99.

Kids are in school all day so unless they are watching the programming as part of the school curriculum, set up the DVR or, if you still have one, the VCR, and record a few shows and watch with your child, and then discuss.

Need some hints about talking to your kids about delicate subjects? Some past articles in the magazine may help:

Talking to kids about sex by Lisa Poulin

It’s Simple – Talk to Your Kids About Drugs  by Vicki Balint

An excellent Valley resource for parents is notMYkid.

Glendale Green Festival

I was in the Glendale Library yesterday and saw this exhibit by Water Use it Wisely showing what 136 gallon jugs looks like stacked into a pyramid. This is how much water each person uses every day.

It was part of an exhibit promoting the Glendale Green Festival, which will be held from noon to 4pm Saturday, March 31 at Glendale Main Library and Xeriscape Demonstration Garden, 5959 W. Brown in Glendale.

The festival will have information and activities for families on being energy efficient and environmentally smart. Glendale residents can get free energy-saving devices like programmable thermostats, high-efficiency shower heads and a 4-pack of CFLs. — Daniel Friedman

Beautifying neighborhoods

Last week kids at Maurice C. Cash Elementary school had an assembly to kick off the Barrios Bellos (Beautiful Neighborhoods) program sponsored by Valley Toyota Dealers and in collaboration with Chicanos Por La Causa and the City of Phoenix, to help beautify the historic Latino neighborhood.

There was a poster contest and luminaries like City of Phoenix’s “Neighborhoodasaurus,” Maurice C. Cash Elementary School “Roadrunner” mascot, Cash student Ty Perez, and McGruff the Crime Dog as seen in the photo above. Note Ty’s poster, as that is the focus of the project, which is to clean up the west Phoenix neighborhood.

On March 24, they need volunteers to help the neighborhood residents clean up by painting over graffiti removing debris and plant flowers.

The location is Playa Margarita Park, 3615 West Roeser Road, Phoenix, 85041. The event is from 8:15am to 12:30pm. Sign up to volunteer by calling 602-257-0700 or by e-mail to events@cplc.org

More information at MyvolunteertPhoenix.org.

Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

photo: Alan Levine, Fickr.com

The 57th annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show is Feb. 16-26 at Westworld Scottsdale. Horses from all over the world will compete for $1,000,000 in prize money.

Check out the schedule of events especially for the “Meet An Arabian Horse” every day at 10:30am and the behind the scenes barn tour at 2pm.

Friday Feb.. 24 is Free Family Night starting at 3pm. For all other times, tickets are $10 per day for adults, $7 per day for Seniors and military is  and Children 12 and under are free. See ticket information for bleacher and reserved box seating prices.

Super dads can go to the Super Bowl

Okay, dads, you can win two tickets to the Feb. 5 Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis by explaining how you are a “super” dad in 60 seconds.

The contest is “in response to a serious deficiency in responsible fathers” according to the National Center for Fathering, which is sponsoring the contest. A press release says the contest gives dads an opportunity to win tickets to the Super Bowl by showcasing characteristics of a good father. To win the “Super Dad” contest, fathers must demonstrate the center’s three foundational fathering attributes: loving, coaching and modeling. The winner, along with his son or daughter, will win tickets to Super Bowl XLVI.

The Super Bowl contest is part of the nonprofit’s mission to stop the nation’s trend toward fatherlessness.

“We want to see a culture filled with heroic dads,” says National Center for Fathering CEO Carey Casey. “Instead, we have a serious deficiency in championship fathers and role models. This shortage has proven to be responsible for an increase in teenage pregnancy rates, physical and mental health problems, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide and poverty. Giving away Super Bowl tickets represents an opportunity for us to raise awareness about our mission and reward championship fathers.”

To enter the Super Bowl contest, a father must create and post a 60-second video to YouTube explaining why his child is the ultimate football fanatic, how he is a championship father figure and why he deserves to take his child to Super Bowl XLVI. Fathers then name the video using this formula: “[Your First Name and Last Initial] – Fathers.com Super Bowl Contest” and upload the video link to the National Center for Fathering’s Facebook page. Entries must be posted by Jan. 15.

Homeless families need holiday help

Happy families receiving Thanksgiving dinners last year.

The Real Gift Foundation intends to deliver 3,650 pre-cooked Thanksgiving dinners to feed homeless families with this year but its fundraising effort is short $80,000, thanks to the lousy economy. For the 22,000 people who need food, Thanksgiving will be here next week regardless of the economy.

The Real Gift Foundation is looking for donations to help meet its goal. To donate, visit therealgift.org or call 602-482-5800.