In the News

National Purple Day: Understanding Epilepsy

Written by Melissa Northway Wednesday, 11 April 2012 07:55

Originally posted on Mom It Forward on March 26, 2012 (http://momitforward.com/national-purple-day)

National Purple Day was created in 2008 by Cassidy Megan, a nine year old girl from Nova Scotia, Canada, who told her mother she wanted to create a day that would help people with epilepsy not feel alone. Cassidy knew first hand what it felt like to be isolated as she was never invited over for sleepovers due to her epilepsy condition.

Understanding and Supporting Those with Epilepsy

Who is affected?

There are over 3 million people in the United States and over 300,000 Canadians who have epilepsy. There are about 326,000 U.S. children through the age of 15 with epilepsy and more than 300,000 people over the age of 65 suffer from this condition. Overall, there are approximately 50 million people around the world living with epilepsy.

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that produces brief disturbances in the normal electrical functions of the brain. Normal brain function is made possible by millions of tiny electrical charges passing between nerve cells in the brain to all parts of the body. What we see with someone who suffers from epilepsy is these normal patterns are interrupted by intermittent bursts of electrical energy that are much more intense than usual. A person’s consciousness, body movements or sensations are affected by these bursts in the brain. These physical changes are called epileptic seizures, which is why epilepsy is called a seizure disorder. When I was doing research about this condition, I was surprised to find that 1 in 100 people are affected by epilepsy and that at least 1 in 10 people will have one seizure in their lifetime.

Joined Forces

In 2008, The Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia joined with Cassidy to help create what is now known as National Purple Day. In 2009, the New York-based Anita Kaufmann Foundation also joined forces and together they are the global sponsors of National Purple Day. They work with educators, individuals and organizations to help promote epilepsy awareness and get people to talk about and dispel myths about epilepsy.

I had a chance to speak to Debbie Josephs, Executive Director of the Anita Kaufmann Foundation, and she explained that their organization is the only foundation in the world dedicated solely to educating people about seizures. Josephs said that Kaufmann experienced firsthand discrimination at a top spa where they threw her out due to a seizure episode and told her never to come back. She decided at that moment that she wanted to create an organization that would educate people about seizures. This incident changed her life and she created the Anita Kaufman Foundation that now helps educate and support those with epilepsy.

They set up a 5^th Grade Education Program in New York, New Jersey, California, Missouri, Florida and Kansas where they come into schools and talk to 5^th graders about the condition, how the brain works, anti-bullying and how to provide first aid to someone who suffered a seizure. They also provide Skype seminars for educators interested in providing this program in their school. You can read more about their work at www.akfus.org.

In support of this day, please wear purple and pass along this article with related links on to your friends and family. Both sites provide excellent opportunities to show your support. It is important to educate our children about similarities and differences in people from all walks of life!

References:

The Epilepsy Foundation at www.epilepsyfoundation.org
Purple Day at www.purpleday.org
Interview with Debbie Josephs, Executive Director of the Anita Kaufmann Foundation, March 22, 2012.

Penelope's National Purple Day Giveaway

Written by Melissa Northway Wednesday, 21 March 2012 14:01

March 26th is National Purple Day! This day was started to help promote epilepsy awareness as Epilepsy affects over 50 million people worldwide or approximately 1 in 100 people. That's more than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's disease combined.

To learn about how you can help spread the word here is the link to the organization: http://www.purpleday.org/

In support of this great cause (and great color) Penelope is having a superfantastic giveaway.

Prizes include:

A newly released PURPLE Hello Kitty Build-a-Bear
Two signed copies of Penelope
$10 iTunes Gift Card
LOADS of promo codes from participating developers
And if we can reach 1,550 likes on her Facebook Page - a $30 iTunes Gift Card will be handed out to a random like (old and new are entered).

PLUS Penelope will go on SALE March 23rd through March 26th to only $.99 for both versions in support of National Purple Day!

So please spread the word about this wonderful organization as well as Penelope's National Purple Day Giveaway!

Community Programs: Soccer Shots Builds Character

Written by Melissa Northway Wednesday, 21 March 2012 09:33

Originally posted on Mom It Forward, February 24th, 2012 (http://momitforward.com/community-programs-soccer-shots-teaching-character-building-skills).

Exercise plays a vital role in achieving and maintaining optimal physical health. Next to diet, it is one of the most important habits to teach our children.

That is why I was such a fan of having my daughter start in a soccer program, but felt she was too young to enter AYSO Soccer, an organized soccer league. A friend introduced me to a wonderful program called Soccer Shots that combines skill building lessons with character building lessons each week. For example, they combine skill lessons like “Passing” or “Dribbling” with a character word of the day with “Sharing” or “Respect.” I was surprised at how much learning goes on in a short period of time as the children are constantly taught new skills in a fun and encouraging environment.

Soccer Shots, OC was founded by JoBen Barkey, a young man who dreamed of starting a quality program that could positively influence the lives of children. His background is in psychology and he played soccer in college. He has firsthand experience of how much adults can have a positive impact on children and JoBen wanted to create a program that would target a large group of kids who could benefit from a non-competitive skill-training program.

The coaches that they hire are very highly trained individuals with experience in working with groups of kids ranging from three years old on up to Third grade. The program is run year-round so you don’t have to wait for the beginning of the season and can even start up your own “team” if you have more than six kids participating — which is what we did.

Most of my daughter’s preschool class decided to participate and it is a good way for them to interact outside of school! Soccer Shots works with many elementary schools to set up after-school Soccer Shots programs and has grown to over 700 children in two short years.

What I found so compelling about this program is JoBen’s dedication to giving back to impoverished children in developing countries. In many low-income communities, they do not even have a ball for the children to play with during school.

In 2010, they sent one of their coaches to South Africa to set up a program, Academies, to run soccer camps as well as train coaches with their program techniques. They are launching their first sponsored academy in Pucallpa, Peru, in a jungle town that had only a few soccer balls for over 40 children.

Now with the sponsorship of Soccer Shots, they have increased the number of participants to over 150 children including the first girl’s program ever developed in this province! Their character-based curriculum plan will be taught to the locals in Pucallpa over a seven-day coaching seminar this April.

I just love to hear about how one person’s dream can become a reality with hard work and support! What started as a seed of an idea has grown into a character and skill-building program that helps children here in the U.S., as well as in impoverished developing countries.

You can read more about their great program here: www.soccershots.org. and www.soccershotsblog.com to reach JoBen directly.