Prayers for Morgan Miller and ALL Brave Children

 

    For years I have climbed my way to the top of skyscrapers in Chicago etc. for Children's Memorial Hospital.  Well, it is now the new Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital and it is spectacular!
"Lurie's," is state-of-the-art and THE hospital for the Midwest. In fact, it is the only hospital in Illinois and for other nearby states which performs life-saving heart transplants.
     This afternoon I, along with the Miss and Teen Illinois International Director Jennifer, spent the day at Lurie's.  We played with little ones who are patients and family members those being treated there. One such family was there as a newborn has just received a new heart and was doing very well!
     Jennifer read a message about a very brave 14-year old who wanted us to visit.  She was in critical condition as doctor tried to figure out why a sudden onset of encephalitis continued. I am so glad they allowed us to visit with her.She is Miss Teen Neoga has the prettiest color of red hair.  Her father asked us to visit again soon when she is able to talk. You can follow her journey on Facebook, through Prayers for Morgan Miller.  A big Thank you to Jessica and Lurie Children's Hospital. Many times the children we serve through CASA have found themselves in a hospital like Lurie's.  It's great to know how well they are taken care of.

https://www.facebook.com/PrayersForMorganMiller

You're on!

This afternoon I spent time talking with the creator of "Best Ever You," Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino. I was thrilled when I found out she wanted to interview me for her radio show. It meant a chance to talk about CASA and Mrs. International.  With over 100-thousand listeners, it is a wonderful way to let others know about both!  And it was made even better when our interview was selected as a Staff Pick of the Day for Blog Talk Radio which means even more ears tuning in to listen and learn.  Thank you Elizabeth!!
www.besteveryou.com

Fore!!!!

This morning was the 2nd of two CASA golf tournaments.  I missed the first one because it was the kids' first day of camp and I wanted to be there as they got on the bus in the morning and to be there when they got home around lunch. It was a good decision.  Still, I was excited to be a part of this golf outing.  The day was spent on a par 5 with a long-drive champion, Mick Yalovich.  He and I gathered donations from golfers and he would in turn, drive a ball about 400 yards for them to then play from. It was a perfect day/evening and a wonderful success for CASA.

CASA Lake County Comm Dir , Joanie and Exec Dir Terri Greenburg.

 

Women Only!

This morning I joined other volunteers from the American Heart Association to help with the Chicago Women's Half-Marathon which benefitted Go Red for Women.  We all were there before 5am, when it was still dark and cool outside.  By the time some of the faster runners were finishing, it was hovering around 90 degrees...in the shade. I was part of gear check and it was the least I could do for these inspiring women who ran 13.1 miles.  It was a really great time full of a lot of laughter and felt like a GIANT "Girls' Day Out!"  I met a small group of volunteers who started BeCause of Beth.  It is a newer org established in honor of a sister who died very young from sudden cardiac arrest.  They're mission is to get everyone of us volunteering for causes that are personally important.  Check them out: www.BeCauseBeth.org.

What Did I Do This Time?

In an effort to get in better shape, I took on a tough trainer a couple of weeks ago. A really tough trainer who makes me push sleds and do wind sprints. (It isn't pretty)  I admit, my thighs were fried when I took a neighbor up on an offer to go run.  And then I took a stumble and not so gracefully caught myself with those fried thighs. I battled on, believing it was just a really back muscle cramp in my quadriceps, and a mile later, I had to get picked up by car. It was no cramp, but a very nice partial tear to my rectus femoris. Which means, a brace for a week, no running etc for 6-8 weeks, no riding Legs for a month AND plenty of physical therapy. The good news is this injury had nothing to do with riding a horse! And for that I am grateful.

Congrats Jane!

I am so very proud of our neighbor Jane.  Last night she graduated from high school and I was excited to listen to her speak about having to overcome and rise above many challenges and SHE DID IT! 

Seeing the Big Picture

Through, CASA, I was approached to train for a program through the State's Attorney General's office this weekend.  The program is called the "Victim Offender Mediation Program."  Through grants, the program works with  juvenile 1st time non-violent offenders. If the case qualifies and the victim/s agrees, they will meet with a facilitator who will act as a mediator.  It allows the victim to voice what the crime meant to them. The offender is able to see the entire picture of what that crime caused so they can understand the fall-out.  Then they design a to-do list for the offender to complete so that the charge is then wiped from their record. It is already proving to be a very effective way to keep these first-timers out of the system for good.