Shred-it event helps fight identity theft

Might be time to get rid of these...

From 9am to 4pm today, Shred-it, the world’s leading on-site information destruction company, and Kohl’s are teaming up to help consumers fight identity theft through a Community Shred campaign.

The event will take place at four Kohl’s locations, including Awhatukee, Chandler, Avondale and North Glendale. A donation of $5 per box or $10 for large boxes of items to be shredded is suggested to help support Phoenix Children’s Hospital.

“The event provides the public with an opportunity to help fight identity theft while helping to raise money for the Children’s Hospital,” says Kelley Johannsen, general manager of Shred-It. “The items that people can bring to shred include anything that contains your name, address, and/or phone number. You cannot be too safe when it comes to protecting your identity and the identity thieves are becoming more creative.”

Shred-it also shreds computer hard drives, expired plastic credit cards, outdated IDs, cell phone chips and driver’s licenses. For more information, call call 602-264-0400 or visit shredit.com. The company also is on Facebook .

12th Annual Baby Diaper Drive supports moms and babies in need

Monday, Nov. 15, marks the start of the 12th Annual Baby Diaper Drive . The Valleywide drive, which runs through Jan. 30, supports moms and babies at Homeward Bound by providing diapers, wipes, formula and emergency funds.

Homeward Bound is a transitional housing program for homeless women and domestic violence victims with children in metropolitan Phoenix. The organization’s mission is to assist families in achieving economic independence; securing long-term, safe, decent and affordable housing; and break multi-generational cycles of homelessness and domestic violence.

“I joined the board at Homeward Bound in 1997 and learned a lot about family needs, such as the fact that diapers, shampoo, wipes and other paper products couldn’t be purchased with food stamps,” Eileen Rogers, diaper drive founder and president of Allegra Marketing and Print. “I also learned how expensive formula was and heard stories about moms who were going without food so they could purchase various items for their babies. [Through the] Baby Diaper Drive we can intervene and ensure that babies have clean, dry bottoms, adequate formula, baby food, safe car seats, cribs and funds to meet emergency needs — because no child should go without these necessities.”

Those interested in helping out can donate baby goods or give to the Baby Emergency Fund; host a Baby Drive at their company, school, church, or community group; create a holiday or family event that involves children learning the importance of giving or simply join the group’s Facebook to help spread the word.

“Our goal is to raise $75,000 in Emergency Baby Funds and to collect 100,000 diapers,” Rogers says. “Every donation matters — regardless of size. We accept loose diapers as well as packaged ones.”

For more information and to find drop-off locations, visit babydrive.org/.

Taking steps to support families affected by Down syndrome

Two different events will take place next Saturday, Oct. 30, to support families affected by Down syndrome.

At 9:30am, Sharing Down Syndrome in Arizona will host the 11th Annual Buddy Walk in conjunction with National Down Syndrome Awareness Month in October.

At 12:30pm, members and friends of Down Syndrome Network (DSNetwork) Arizona will “Step Up for Down Syndrome” as they walk with the ASU Homecoming Parade.

John Robert Marcell, whose family and friends are walking for J.R.'s Dream Team in this year's Buddy Walk.

BUDDY WALK

More than 2,500  people from around Arizona are expected to participate in this event, which will take place at the SRP Pera Club Park located at 1 E. Continental Dr. in Tempe.  Onsite registration opens at 7:30am, with the walk and other family activities starting at 9 and continuing through 11:30.

Buddy Walk participants will enjoy a wide range of family-friendly activities, including a one-mile stroller-friendly walk, a live DJ providing music, smoothies, game booths, moon bounces, cotton candy, ice cream, snow cones and face painting.

New this year, Sharing Down Syndrome AZ will announce the winner of the Man or Women of the Year Award, for an outstanding citizen with Down syndrome.   They will also announce the Outstanding Community Member of the Year. Learn more at sharingds.org.

Stepping Up for Down Syndrome 2009.

Step Up for Down Syndrome

“We are walking to give a voice to the individuals and families impacted by Down syndrome,” says Tara Cash, acting director for DSNetwork. “We walk for Early Intervention, which provide therapies that give our children the best possible life. We walk for our Parents and Schools in Partnership, which helps educators and parents work together to provide the latest tools and best education. We also walk for our Young Adult group, who are teens transitioning out of high school, who really want jobs and dates, so we provide vocational training and social activities. And we walk to let people see the unbridled love that is available if you become friends with someone with Down syndrome.”

In addition to walking during the homecoming parade, DSNetwork will participate in ASU’s Homecoming Block Party, which features face painting, games, balloons, costume contests, and more. After the walk, a lunch will be held in the Down Syndrome Network tent, where the Club ASU passport program will provide trick-or-treating and the chance to sign up for the DSNetwork mailing list and connect on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

“We are a volunteer staff with minimal resources and we have found the electronic media to be the least expensive and most powerful marketing avenue for DSNetwork,” Cash says. “It seems that no matter what someone is struggling with, someone else has found a way to work through the problem. We can touch the lives of many by utilizing all of the electronic resources such as Facebook and Twitter.”

Also at the event, the “A Day in the Life” program will allow people to experience Down syndrome in a fun and enlightening way.

“We have presented it to more than 500 children, and the children have a new respect and empathy for others with special needs,” Cash says. “They also have the chance to Step Up for Down syndrome and we train them to be philanthropists and advocates.”

Presenters teach groups of educators or students about Down syndrome and they get to experience what it must be like by using socks to simulate hypotonia (low muscle tone) and then walking through the activities of a typical day.

Registration begins at 8am at the Tempe campus of Arizona State University. Participation is free but donations are welcome. For more information visit firstgiving.com/dsn.networkaz.

Media is about YOU!

News used to be what was told to you. The media were the gatekeepers and the level of entry was high.

That standard has changed.

This shouldn’t be news to you (pun intended). We’ve been living in a world where anyone can be a journalist, a writer, or break a news story, for quite some time.

What you may not know is that media WANTS you to participate. We want to help you break the news story, or be the story yourself. We want your comments, your ideas, your input.

Raising Arizona Kids is about community. And that means we NEED YOU.

How I can participate?

RAKMompreneur

Each Monday, blogger/writer Brittney Walker shares the story of a local woman who runs her own business while raising a family. Her stories are inspirational, uplifting and encourage us to support each other. We are always looking for RAKMompreneur suggestions. Have a favorite local business with a strong mom behind it? Email your suggestion to Brittney.

RAKRecipes

The U.S. is an all out health war. More than ever it is important to teach healthy eating habits to our kids. All it takes is an email with your favorite recipe for an after-school snack, bag lunch or family meal. Our photographer may even make time to come out and shoot a beautiful photo of your creation. Help us make all parents food decisions a little easier – and healthier!

Focus Groups

Once every few months, Raising Arizona Kids looks to you for ways we could improve. We invite parents to come share their insights on resources, directories, online content and what we should be writing about. Without your feedback, these changes may never get made. We make it worth your time with giveaways, snacks and old fashion appreciation. Help make it worth ours. Sign-up for our e-newsletter, Twitter and Facebook pages for focus group notifications.

Rant/Rave/Reflect

At the end of every print issue, we invite our readers to submit their stories. Parents share experiences about cell phones, babysitting, tough times and special moments. Submit yours by emailing mailbox@raisingarizonakids.com.

Social Networks

Our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts are there for you. We have 20 years of archives ready to answer your parenting questions. Not only that, but we have over 3,500 fans/followers ready to help you out as well. I know I’ve asked for help and had great response. Try it.

And most importantly, COMMENT! Tell our bloggers what you think by posting a comment to their posts. Call in if you enjoyed or hated a story. Write on our Facebook wall, or reply to us on Twitter.

We can’t read minds. We need you.

The world keeps getting smaller…

…and I like it!

I’ve been a social media convert since the beginning. I grew up on AOL instant messenger and chat rooms. I’ve been blogging since the days of geocities and was the first of my friends to be on Facebook in college. It doesn’t take much to convince me of the value of these new tools and how they can be used to bring people closer together.

I understand that not everyone is as easily convinced as I. That is why I’m always so excited when I have a new story about how social media has connected people.

A few weeks ago, I posted to the Raising Arizona Kids twitter account that our 500th Facebook fan would receive a complimentary 1-year subscription to the magazine.  I messaged the winner, a young woman named Tatiana Scocos, and was pleasantly surprised by her enthusiastic reply.

It turns out that Tatiana had posed when she was a baby, with her mother RoxSand Scocos, on our May 1992 magazine cover.

Social media allowed Tatiana to connect with the magazine that’s been a part of her entire life. It has also permitted me to connect with her in a personal way that was more than just a name on a Facebook page. 17 years after appearing on our cover, we’re happy to have Tatiana as a fan and hope to rediscover more connections as our following grows.

Do you have a social media story? Share in the comments.