Stop the Violence Bike Ride

The same social factors that shape health—including education, income and wealth, and related conditions where we live, learn, work and play—also are strongly linked to violence.

MONROE, La. (PRWEB)
June 10, 2021

Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA) has partnered with Rated E, LLC as the title sponsor to present the inaugural “Stop the Violence” bike ride on Saturday, June 26, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The event will feature live music with DJ Worm, vendors, yoga, and special guest speakers who will share messages of hope, peace, and more.

NEDHSA’s department of prevention and wellness will lead the yoga session, provide information for the participants and speak during the event about how social factors shape mental health that leads to violence.

“We know violence is not distributed randomly,” Dr. Monteic A. Sizer said, NEDHSA executive director. “The same social factors that shape health—including education, income and wealth, and related conditions where we live, learn, work and play—also are strongly linked to violence.”

NEDHSA’s vision is to build a unified region where individuals are thriving and reaching their full potential, and events such as this help move the authority closer to fulfill it.

H.D. Foy, the owner of Rated E, LLC, created the event as a way to show the youth “we care about them.”

“If you consider yourself a leader, you have to take control of a situation and be the pioneer of something positive,” Foy said. “Some of the youth have negative leaders and negative influences around them. This event will show our youth it’s okay to be influenced with positivity.”

Dr. Sizer said NEDHSA continually seeks ways to curb gun violence, underage drinking and improve regional health outcomes. In May, NEDHSA hosted a Youth Summit to inspire youth to refrain from underage drinking, and later in the summer will host other prevention and wellness programs.

“Although no single program or agency has all the answers, we must work hard to remove governmental silos and programmatic inefficiencies,” Dr. Sizer said. “This approach provides hope to achieve a sustained reduction in violence and the eradication of negative social determinants such as homelessness, high unemployment, single-parent households, limited education, and poverty.”

The event is also supported and sponsored by: The HUB Music Hall, Vascular Anesthesia Associates, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc, It’s my Passion Dance Co., Walmart, Manning Law Firm, Parhms Law Firm, Senator Katrina Jackson, 103.1 Now FM, True Releaf CBD/Hemp Store, 360 Nutrition, and Isaiah’s Vision.

To register for the event, please visit: https://bit.ly/StopTheViolenceBikeRide

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“Girls and women have always been powerful on and off the field. Voice-in-Sport has, at long last, given us a place to call home. VIS is a platform for building community and positioning the athlete and women’s health exactly where it belongs: front and center.” – Emily Jacobs, PhD (VIS Expert™)

NEW YORK (PRWEB)
June 10, 2021

Voice in Sport(VIS), the first independent, community-based platform for athletes, inclusive of all girls and women aged 13-23, announced that it will transform the mental health and wellness space by expanding its slate of services and experts to young women and girls in sport. As Naomi Osaka has elevated the conversation around Mental Health, VIS is determined to change the staggering statistics that girls in sport are facing:

• One third of D1 NCAA female student-athletes report behavior that demonstrated risk of anorexia nervosa (National Eating Disorders Awareness)
• 41.5% of high school female athletes in aesthetic sports such as gymnastics, figure skating, swimming and dance report disordered eating. (Jankowski, 2012)
• 46% of girls drop out of sport due to breast development (Brown, Hainline, Kroshus & Wilfert, 2014)
• 48% of female college athletes struggle with anxiety and/or depression (Brown, Hainline, Kroshus & Wilfert, 2014)
• One in four people ages 18-23 report feeling suicidal since the pandemic (CDC, 2021)
• 55% of female college athletes don’t know how to access mental health services (NCAA Survey, 2020)

Last August, VIS launched a virtual community centered around young, girl athletes (ages 13-23) empowering them to use their voices to drive change. The platform merges content, mentorship, experts and advocacy providing girls with the support needed to keep them in sport as girls drop out of sport at 2x the rate of boys at 14, and girls of color have a 25% lower participation rate in sport than that of their peers.

On the Voice in Sport Podcast, Olympic runner and VIS League™ mentor Colleen Quigley spoke about her journey with mental health and the moment she realized she needed that change of focus. She was spending countless hours working on her body and it became obvious that she needed to focus on her mindset. “You can’t be who you want to be as an athlete if you are struggling with something else in your free time” she said. “Your mindset going into something is the ultimate tool.”

VIS will continue to offer a portion of their platform for free to all girls and women in sport including exclusive content, a personal profile, community forum, digital notebooks and public mentorship events. In June Voice in Sport introduces 3 paid memberships $18/month, $45/month and $90/month which include access to new services across 1:1 or group mentorship, 1:1 or group mental health sessions, nutrition and sports sciences.

VIS will also launch a Sponsorship Program for individuals and teams (applications are available on their website) who want to be a part of the VIS platform. Any person or organization can sign up to sponsor a girl or team for a 1-month, 3-month, 6-month or yearly membership to Voice in Sport. Voice in Sport is aiming to democratize access by incorporating Sponsoring memberships into their holistic giveback model. Voice in Sport will also donate a portion of their membership revenue to Non-Profit Voice in Sport Foundation which aims to supercharge sports science for women and girls and fund gaps in public school sport programs.

VIS has teamed up with some of the top women in Sport Psychology, Sport Nutrition, Sport Dietetics and Sport Science Researchers to offer girls access to the resources and tools they need to have a better journey. The team of over 80+ VIS Experts consists of a diverse group of industry leaders such as: Dr. Stacy Sims PhD, Nicole Detling – PhD, CMPC, Holly Thorpe – PhD, Cynthia Clarke – PhD, Mariah Bullock – PhD, Kimberly O’Brien – PhD, Meghan Bishop – MD, Angie Ashe – MS, RD, CSSD, Lindsey Cortes – MS, RD, CSSD.

Stef Strack, the CEO and founder of VIS, built this community after competing at the Division 1 level and moving on to a 14-year career in sport at Nike. She hopes to provide the access she wished that she would have had while competing.

“There is still so much work to be done in the sports world,” said Strack who competed at the Division 1 level and spent 14-years building her career in sport at Nike. “At VIS it’s our mission to bring more visibility to women and elevate their voice. We need more women in leadership positions across the sports industry and this month we are incredibly proud of the women we have brought on board to help girls in sport with access to mental health and wellness resources.”

All girls or women in sport aged 13-23 are invited to join the VIS community and gain access to exclusive content, mentorship from professional athletes, experts in sport psychology & nutrition and a community to drive change. Check out http://www.voiceinsport.com and help drive change beyond the game.

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ABOUT VOICE IN SPORT (VIS)

Voice in Sport (VIS) ​is the first independent, community-based platform for athletes, inclusive of all girls and women aged 13-23, to merge content, mentorship, access to experts and advocacy with a mission to ​bring visibility to women and elevate their voice. VIS is creating a ​community of athletes, inclusive of all women and girls, who inspire each other to change more than just the game. ​​Founded by Stef Strack, ​​VIS​ is ​uniquely positioned to provide young athletes an inclusive community where they will have access to the tools they need to help navigate their teen and collegiate years as an athlete. ​​VIS ​extends beyond the platform (​​http://www.voiceinsport.com​​) through ​Instagram (@voiceinsport), TikTok (@voiceinsport), and Facebook (@voiceinsport). The ​​Voice in Sport Podcast ​launched in May 2020 will continue to explore the journey of athletes, inclusive of all girls and women, by sharing untold stories on topics like mental health, body image, sexual orientation, sports science and nutrition.

Testimonials from VIS Community:

“Girls and women have always been powerful on and off the field. Voice-in-Sport has, at long last, given us a place to call home. VIS is a platform for building community and positioning the athlete and women’s health exactly where it belongs: front and center.” – Emily Jacobs, PhD (VIS Expert™)

“It’s obvious: VIS will transform women’s sports by improving opportunity, access, and mental/physical health for all girls and women in sports.” – Megan Roche, MD (VIS Expert™)

“As for the impact of VIS for women’s sports and young athletes, the first thought to come to mind for me personally is the important conversations taking place. RED-S, eating disorder awareness, mental health, and so many other crucial topics are finally being discussed and brought to light. Guidance and educational pieces written by women, for women.” – Angie Asche, MS, RD, CSSD (VIS Expert™)

“Being a mentor gives me purpose and allows me to be more than just a role model, but someone that can help the next generation navigate the often complicated world of being a girl or woman in sport.” – Rosie Brennan, Team USA Ski (VIS League™)

“Knowing that my personal experiences can inspire the younger generations is something incredible and heartwarming” – Kiah Stokes, WNBA (VIS League™)

“I’ve enjoyed being able to connect with our younger generations. These girls are always asking the right questions and I’ve really enjoyed being able to share the lessons I’ve learned over the course of not only my athletic career but also my life in hopes of giving the younger generation an abridged version of what to do and what not to do.” – Lia Neal, Team USA Swim (VIS League™)

“VIS amplifies my impact with young women in sport who I can connect with and mentor.” – Colleen Quigley, Team USA Track and Field (VIS League™)

TUCSON, Ariz. (PRWEB)
June 09, 2021

Joanne Garland, a loving mother and determined survivor who has persevered through some of life’s greatest challenges, has completed her new book “A Pink Mountain: Like Mother, Like Son”: a personal memoir of her struggles with her son’s autism diagnosis and the realization that she shared his condition.

Joanne writes, “I guess it’s ironic that a person with such a deep capacity for understanding others, especially those who are the most misunderstood would be so misunderstood herself. But, as it appears to be, in my opinion, most, if not all people with some form of autism, are misunderstood by people who are, shall we say ignorant. And ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance can only be overcome by knowledge in conjunction with understanding.”

Published by Page Publishing, Joanne Garland’s inspirational tale dives deeply into her personal struggles with the stigma attached to autism.

When her son received his diagnosis, Garland, as a loving mother would, read and researched all she could to help her son live the best life he could, to understand what her role would be. In her studies, Garland came to a chilling realization, the signals and situations speaking to her, that she too, was on the spectrum. Interweaving poetry with her recounted memories, Garland relays a tale that she hopes will resonate with someone like her who felt alienated, lonely and fearful. “So it is natural to feel like something of an outcast. To feel like you are all alone. This is the reason why individual stories need to be told. If I can help just one person, then my effort at authorship will not go in vain.”

Readers who wish to experience this compelling work can purchase “A Pink Mountain: Like Mother, Like Son” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes Store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or media inquiries, contact Page Publishing at 866-315-2708.

About Page Publishing:

Page Publishing is a traditional, full-service publishing house that handles all the intricacies involved in publishing its authors’ books, including distribution in the world’s largest retail outlets and royalty generation. Page Publishing knows that authors need to be free to create, not mired in logistics like eBook conversion, establishing wholesale accounts, insurance, shipping, taxes, and so on. Page’s accomplished writers and publishing professionals allow authors to leave behind these complex and time-consuming issues and focus on their passion: writing and creating. Learn more at http://www.pagepublishing.com.

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See It, Stop It: Tackling Abuse in Amateur Sports will take place on June 16th and 17th.

“With the ‘See It, Stop It’ symposium, we aim to equip adults with information and empower them to create change at the parent and coach level all the way up to the institutional level.” – David Ulich, Executive Board Member for The Foundation for Global Sports Development

LOS ANGELES (PRWEB)
June 04, 2021

As youth sports organizations around the world begin reopening their programs, coaches, administrators, and parents have a unique opportunity to address an issue that has plagued youth sport for decades: abuse. A recent study from the Child Protection Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh found that 75% of youth athletes reported emotional harm from being involved in sport.

The Foundation for Global Sports Development (GSD) will host “See It, Stop It: Tackling Abuse in Amateur Sports” a virtual symposium, on Wednesday, June 16th and Thursday, June 17th exploring how athletes, coaches, and administrators can recognize and stop abuse in sports. The symposium will cover topics such as the basics of abuse prevention and recognition, understanding the difference between tough, healthy coaching and abusive coaching, and the role institutions can play in proactively keeping athletes safe. Registration is available on GSD’s website.

Speakers for the event include:

• Kimberly Hurst, BA, MA, MS, DFAPPA, PA-C – Founder & CEO of Avalon Healing Center
• Trinea Gonczar – Director of Development for Avalon Healing Center
• Grace French – President and Director of Communications & Research for The Army of Survivors
• Coach Stuart Krohn – Director of ICEF Public Schools’ Student Leadership Academy, Rugby, and Sailing and member of the – – SoCal Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
• Coach Lisa Finegan – Rugby Coach and Teacher at ICEF’s Public Schools
• Rébecca Khoury, M.A. – Founding Director of The Spirit of Trust, President & CEO of the MAKO Corporation
• Yetsa A. Tuakli-Wosornu, M.D., M.P.H. – Founder and Director of Sports Equity Lab, Asst. Professor of Clinical Public Health at Yale University
• Jonathan Vaughn – Former NFL player and survivor of abuse
• Professor Amos Guiora – Professor of Law at the S.J. Quinney College of Law and author of the book “Armies of Enablers”
• Daphne Young – Chief Communications Officer at Childhelp
• Tracy Leonard – Recognized as Darkness to Light’s 2021 Certified Instructor of the Year

“Our mission at GSD is to promote abuse-free sport for youth, and we cannot do that without addressing the key issues that allow abuse to thrive,” said David Ulich, co-founder of GSD and producer of ATHOG. “With the ‘See It, Stop It’ symposium, we aim to equip adults with information and empower them to create change at the parent and coach level all the way up to the institutional level.”

Prior to the live virtual sessions, symposium attendees will have the opportunity to watch “At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal” (ATHOG), the award-winning documentary about the Larry Nassar case. The film reveals a dangerous system that prioritized winning over everything else, including protecting young female athletes.

“The Nassar case highlighted in our documentary ‘At the Heart of Gold,’ tragically illustrates the need for education around this topic,” said Dr. Steven Ungerleider, producer of ATHOG and CEO for GSD. “As long as athletes’ safety and well-being is de-prioritized, abuse will continue to happen. We must all work to stop it.”

For a complete program description and registration information, visit the registration website.

About The Foundation for Global Sports Development and Sidewinder Films

The Foundation for Global Sports Development, established in 1996, was born out of a desire to promote and protect the best parts of sport. Guided by its original mission, the foundation delivers and supports initiatives that promote accessible, fair, and abuse-free sport for youth. The foundation achieves this objective through grants, awards, educational projects, and filmmaking. In 2015, the foundation launched its media company, Sidewinder Films, to inspire and educate audiences through films that shed light on the remarkable, untold stories that celebrate the sport of life. Visit http://www.globalsportsdevelopment.org and http://www.sidewinderfilms.org to learn more.

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We are excited to achieve this top spot on the list of Assisted Living Companies.

BETHESDA, Md. (PRWEB)
May 27, 2021

National Senior Housing Operator Meridian Senior Living is featured as one of the “Top Assisted Living Companies of 2021” on the Abacus Life blog.

“We are excited to achieve this top spot on the list of Assisted Living Companies,” shared Kevin Carlin, Principal and Chief Sales Officer of Meridian Senior Living. “Equally exciting is our continued partnership with Abacus Life, a leading buyer of life insurance policies in the U.S., to offer seniors and their families additional financial options in affording the senior living care they need.”

Meridian Senior Living is honored to be recognized as a top provider for 2021, as only five operators are included on the list. Earning a spot on this exclusive list is based on Abacus Life’s extensive research conducted on assisted living operators across the nation. Abacus provides this curated list on their website as a resource to seniors and their families who may be overwhelmed in their search for senior living options, as there are approximately 28,900 assisted living communities and nearly 1 million licensed beds in the U.S. today. For a full list of award winners, visit the blog post here.

Meridian’s Assisted Living communities are vibrant and safer than ever. They remain open and have rooms move-in ready for new residents. Their dedicated staff is committed to the safety and well-being of their residents and are trained to assist in daily support functions such as dressing, bathing, medication management and especially the ability to immediately respond to emergency circumstances. Furthermore, Meridian understands the power of communal living and how to enrich the lives of their residents, families and employees through extraordinary experiences in their communities. For more information about Meridian Senior Living, visit meridiansenior.com.

About Meridian Senior Living:

Meridian Senior Living, a privately held company based in Bethesda, Maryland, owns and operates seniors housing communities across the country and provides operational consulting to 24 communities in China. With more than 75 communities in 20 states and more in development, Meridian is one of the largest seniors housing operators in the U.S. The company prides itself on providing the highest quality care, exceptional lifestyle programming and a distinctive dining experience for its residents. For more information on Meridian Senior Living, visit meridiansenior.com.

About Abacus Life

Abacus Life has been a leading buyer of life insurance policies in the U.S. for the last 16+ years. With over 10$ billion in policy face value purchased, we have helped thousands of clients maximize the value of their life insurance. We provide white-glove services to financial advisors and policy owners. For more information on Abacus Life, visit: abacuslifesettlements.com.

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The wellyou global scavenger hunt is in these cities and hundreds more!

we realized we needed to do something bigger than just the app once people got vaccinated and could resume regular activities. Since we were already doing a gamified app, we thought, let’s do a global game, so our wellness scavenger hunt was born

BERLIN (PRWEB)
May 24, 2021

As much of the planet is waking up from our long global nightmare of COVID-19, many are finding that this time of stress and limited mobility has deeply affected their physical, mental, and social well-being. Enter wellyou, an app startup that combines the best gamified science-based wellness activities to provide users with the knowledge and tools to create a sustainably happier and healthier life. wellyou are launching their scavenger hunt, the world’s largest, in 1500 cities across the globe on June 19 to engage users in a fun adventure where all the players win as they improve their bodies and minds, and strengthen and enlarge their social bonds.

wellyou founders Adam Schuster and Amelia Strzepek were about to launch the wellyou app in March 2020 when COVID-19 shut down their plans. “We were so devastated by what was going on, but we hunkered down, like everyone else, to be safe and take the time to reevaluate,” notes Amelia. Adam adds, “then we realized we needed to do something bigger than just the app once people got vaccinated and could resume regular activities. Since we were already doing a gamified app, we thought, let’s do a global game, so our wellness scavenger hunt was born.”

Players will be able to access the scavenger hunt via the official website: http://www.wellyouworldwide.com. Starting on June 19, the web app will direct them to three scavenger hunt locations in their city daily, and instruct them to do a physical, mental, and social wellness challenge via video. From climbing to the Hollywood sign in Los Angeles, to running along Lake Ontario in Toronto, to taking the stairs up the Empire State Building (even if they only do 10 flights before taking the elevator to the observation deck!) in New York City, to doing a quick workout at “Checkpoint Charlie” in Berlin, players will be able to enjoy experiences both internationally and locally known. Once they complete a physical challenge, the app will also deliver mental and social challenges from completing a puzzle to contacting your nearest friend for a quick catchup and so much more. These activities will help users reintegrate into their cities and regularly scheduled lives.

Better physical, mental, and social health isn’t the only reward available in the wellyou’s scavenger hunt! Players are also eligible for prizes from numerous global and independent health, wellness, and sustainable brands including Freeletics, HUM Nutrition, Cognifit, and many more, with new brands coming into the game all the time.

Due to the setbacks and trials of the past year, caring for one’s wellbeing has never been more important. It has become essential that everyone focuses on keeping their minds and bodies as healthy as possible, as well as caring for their social health. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a surge in mental health issues. According to the KFF Health Tracking Poll, 37.7% of U.S. adults reported symptoms consistent with anxiety and/or depressive disorders in October 2020. Now more than ever, it is necessary for individuals to find a tool that can guide them towards a happier, more fulfilled life. With the coming of summer and with vaccinations well underway around the world, many people are realizing that the time is right to take real action for their well-being. wellyou are excited to offer the no longer homebound residents of 1500 cities a fun and social way to get back into top physical and mental form after this long challenging time.

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People are experiencing a lot of grief right now and sadness. A lot of my callers need someone to listen to them. It is important to recognize Mental Health Awareness Month for people who need us and share resources available.

MOBILE, Ala. (PRWEB)
May 21, 2021

AltaPointe Health clinicians can attest that people are hurting and in need of mental health help. Calls to a mental health hotline prove the pandemic is taking a toll on people of all ages and backgrounds.

AltaPointe Health, along with its partner, WKRG-TV 5 in Mobile, recognizes Mental Health Awareness Month by hosting a mental health hotline. AltaPointe staff members answered calls from the public for ten hours on May 18. Callers ranged in age, but all expressed concern over their mental health or someone they love.

“The impact of COVID-19 isolation was a common theme among many callers, isolated in their homes due to the pandemic,” said Trinette Law, a therapist with AltaPointe Health. “Depression, anxiety, and financial stress were often relayed on the line.”

“There is a lot of grief out there,” Eddie Pratt, a therapist with AltaPointe Health, added. “A lot of my calls are people who have experienced the loss of a loved one and have not fully recovered. Many of my callers just needed someone to listen to them talk. This mental health hotline gives them an avenue to reach out and see what resources are available.”

Other callers included mothers seeking mental health treatment for their children living with mental illness or substance abuse issues, a man calling from the hospital concerned over the mental health of his spouse, a grandmother calling for her grandson, and several people experiencing grief over the loss of a loved one, and veterans seeking information.

Behavioral health experts estimate that one in five adults will experience a mental health crisis in their life. Behavioral health experts expect that number to rise as the impacts of the pandemic continue to surface. AltaPointe Health’s Access to Care answered more than 40 thousand calls for mental health treatment in the last six months.

If you need help, you can call AltaPointe at (251) 450-2211. It provided more than 1 million mental health, substance abuse, intellectual disabilities, and primary care services in 2020.

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