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ASIAN DRUMMER FOR MY INCLUSIVE QUARTET
August 29, 2021 Phoebe Sparrow Wagner	3 Comments
about 9 or 10 inches high (22-24cm) papier mâché and paper clay and paint (plus a little wood veneer and aluminum tape).
drummermusicianpapier machePhoebe Sparrow Wagner
Art, Mental Health, Mental Illness
CRAZY OR NOT, HERE I COME
August 1, 2021 Phoebe Sparrow Wagner	8 Comments
first published at https://www.blog88.org
by Phoebe Sparrow Wagner
I used to be "crazy." Labeled CMI, chronically mentally ill, prone to psychosis, i was a revolving door mental patient, one who spent almost as much time in her adult life in the hospital as out of it. Although I had various diagnoses, the main one was schizophrenia, or the variant of it, schizoaffective disorder that some claim combines features of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Over time, as I bounced from hospital to home and back to the hospital the doctors would tack on other labels as well, like PTSD and different personality disorders.
Although I occasionally was admitted "voluntarily," most of these hospital stays started out involuntary, until nurses, brandishing paper and pen, advised me of my right to sign in as "voluntary." I would sign, but this did not mean I could leave because not even voluntary patients could leave at will, not in the state where I lived at the time. If you wanted to leave before the doctor thought you should, you had to sign a paper stating this. Then wait to see if the doctor challenged the paper. If she did so within three days, you could be taken to probate court for a judge to hear the case. This was never good. We patients knew the judge virtually always sided with the doctors, since we were by definition "crazy" and could not know what was good for us.
But let me go back to the schizophrenia thing. I heard voices, most of the time. They were usually awful voices, voices that jeered and mocked and threatened me, voices that led me to burn myself dozens of times in an effort to rid myself of them. I heard and saw messages to me in everything, from the television and radio ads to newspaper headlines. I saw tiny scintillating red lights that swarmed about me like a cloud of gnats, and which I called the Red Strychnines. I saw Alan Arkin, the actor, and Senator Joe Lieberman dressed as Nazis supervising a conveyor belt sending bodies to the crematorium, and I heard music, people chanting in low voices, unintelligibly at first but later changing to threats. As is often the case, these voices and visions led me to distorted thinking, and to "paranoia," based on what I heard and saw.
There were other voices. Brother Luke was the name I gave to the one good guy in the lot. He talked to me about time and space and humanity and love, and I felt safe with him. And there were the voices I called the Little People, to distinguish them from the main voices, the bad ones. The Little People occupied objects I used, like my comb or paint brushes and they would talk to one another but would almost never speak directly to me. I could listen in on their lives and concerns, but mostly could not or did not want to interfere. They kept me company with their constant chatter, but they were never threatening or upsetting to me.
The bad voices did bother me, however, and I would often end up in the hospital because of them. But living in a hospital is as bad as it sounds, with horrible food, and little to do, and really no help at all except the constant pressure to take medication, which could turn to threats if you didn't comply. Worse, if you got out of line, that is, if you got too loud or angry at being kept there or treated by force, they would do things like have a team of security guards strip you naked and lock you in a freezing seclusion cell alone, or shackle your wrists and ankles to a bed, leaving you like that for hours, even days at a time. Or both at the same time. I know this because everything I write about happened to me and on multiple occasions.
Staff called seclusion and restraints measures of last resort, claimed they were only employed when necessary to maintain a patient in safety, but we patients knew they were used almost always as retribution and for punishment. Even SAMHSA (the Federal agency concerned with such things, the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration) knew that restraints and seclusion were not helpful, and were not used as a last resort at all, as they stated in one of their pamphlets:
"… there is a common misconception that seclusion and restraint are used only when absolutely necessary as crisis response techniques. In fact, seclusion and restraint are most commonly used to address loud, disruptive, noncompliant behavior and generally originate from a power struggle between consumer and staff. The decision to apply seclusion or restraint techniques is often arbitrary, idiosyncratic, and generally avoidable (Haimowitz, Urff, & Huckshorn, 2006; NASMHPD, 2003; SAMHSA, 2003)."
In another publication SAMHSA writes:
"Seclusion and restraint were once perceived as therapeutic practices in the treatment of people with mental and/or substance use disorders. Today, these methods are viewed as traumatizing practices and are only to be used as a last resort when less-restrictive measures have failed and safety is at severe risk."
"Restraints can be harmful and often re-traumatizing for people, especially those who have trauma histories. Beyond the physical risks of injury and death, it has been found that people who experience seclusion and restraint remain in care longer and are more likely to be readmitted for care."
But both seclusion and restraints are still used and increasingly so as staff to patient ratios are decreased in psych hospitals and units, with more patients per staff and many staff members poorly trained, if at all.
I don't believe mental illness is a real entity any more, I don't believe in schizophrenia or manic-depression or depression or the notion that anyone's personality can have a disorder. I don't believe that psychiatry is a valid science or even an art worthy of the name. And I do not believe that we are right on the verge of finally (for the umpteeth time?) discovering the truth about the origins of "mental illness". We were told the same thing many times before. For instance when the "miracle of psychosurgery" maimed or killed thousands by "helping" them with ice pick surgery and pre-frontal lobotomies. We were told of the miracles of shock, when a variety of drugs as well as electrical current applied to the brain "helped" thousands more, even when bones were broken and people died. And we are still being fed the lie that neuroleptic drugs like Thorazine and Haldol and the new generation of similar drugs like Zyprexa and Risperdal are in fact "antipsychotic" and are an effective treatment for, well, whatever ails you…*
But it was not true that lobotomies helped anyone, shock treatments, which induce grand mal seizures, are by definition brain damaging, and the drugs rarely help more than they hurt, since it has been shown that long term they create more illness, chronic illness, than they ever alleviated.
We should have known this. Back in the 50s when Thorazine was seriously referred to as a chemical lobotomy (which was seen as desirable) doctors noted that the drug was not in fact a treatment that helped the person who took it, reducing symptoms or restoring health. What they saw was that those given the drug became subdued, even immobilized into the infamous Thorazine shuffle, and more "compliant." This helped the nurses be nurses, as the formerly disruptive were now bludgeoned by Thorazine into mild, shuffling sufferers. They were no longer mad-men or mad-women, no, they had been disabled by the drug and could now be nursed as true patients, patients who were sick and needed nursing care.
I have been given high doses of Thorazine and know from experience that it is a horrible, deadening drug. I have been forcibly treated with soul-killing Haldol and Mellaril and Stelazine and the others, and when Clozaril came out I was given that (thankfully, because the side effects were horrendous, I developed agranulocytosis, twice, so I was taken off it) and then Risperdal and Zyprexa and again, most of the others that later came onto the market. None of them helped me or reduced the voices or made me happier.
Two things did help. Art, which became my life's passion, and therapy, therapy not with a psychiatrist or an LCSW working under the auspices of a psychiatrist, clinicians who saw only so-called mental illness, but with a woman who does not even have a license to practice in this country. She never saw schizophrenia or bipolar or personality disorders in me when we talked, she saw me, the me beneath all the labels, and she saw me as good, she saw a good person, not the "Satan's spawn" that the voices derided. She saw me healthy and thriving, even before I did. She did not want to control me, in fact human freedom was and is her main concern. But she accepted me as I was, and her unconditional acceptance and love (for what else was it?) gave me back a sense of self and the self-esteem to thrive and move forward into my life.
I want to say a word about my falling in love with art. I became an artist very suddenly, overnight, in 2008, and this was a miracle in my life. I did not at the time understand how or why it happened, but I woke up one morning with a voice inside my head (all the others seemed to emanate from outside me) telling me, "You must build a human, you must build a human." Well, I thought, this voice is not telling me to harm myself, so what's the problem with obeying it? So I set out to build a human, and did in three months, create a life-size papier mâché woman, seated in a paper mâché chair.
Decorated Betsy
Later this won a prize and was bought by an art collector/friend. But it seemed to unleash something in me that drove me to make art constantly from 2008 onward.
It was only in 2017 and later in 2020, when I managed to get off all my psych drugs, that I realized I had also stopped doing art. Was it possible that the drugs were responsible, then, for the miracle I could no longer live without? I went back on them, and within a week or two I was doing art again.
And a second trial of slowly stopping them, which also resulted in my stopping my practice of daily art, led me to the conclusion that without at least one of these drugs, I could not do art. And art was my raison d'être, something I could not live without.
After some lengthy experimentation, I finally determined that it was a drug called Abilify that had produced the miracle of allowing me to do art. Abilify, which I had started in 2008, and which is technically in the "anti-psychotic" class of drugs, is also used along with antidepressants purportedly to help in depression. Nowhere has anyone ever noted its use in stimulating creativity. But that's what it does for me, and it does so reliably.
Off Abilify, I do no art. On it, on a "therapeutic dose," I can access my creativity in a way that I can no longer live without. But it decidedly does not act as an anti-psychotic, or as an anti-depressant, because I'm fine these days, and all my "symptoms" — a term I never use except in quotes — all the voices and visions, the distorted thinking and "paranoia" I used to experience are gone, whether I take the drug or not.
I believe that the extreme mental states called "mental illness" all have their origin in trauma, childhood and otherwise, and often these traumas are re-enacted and reinforced by what is absurdly called "psychiatric care."
Forced medication and forcible treatment, restraints and seclusion and involuntary commitments, all these are liberally employed, as if shackling a person to a bed or chair for hours at a time, or holding someone down for forced injections, is an act of compassion. Note that these measures are undertaken most often against poor people or minorities, and buttressed by the same lies about "anti-psychotics" and "anti-depressants" that are also foisted on the general public.
If psychiatry was a profession entirely dedicated to the truth about each individual and the truth about trauma, and was not so tied to the mercenary interests of the pharmaceutical companies, maybe today it would be a healing profession and not the corrupt, pseudo-medical cabal it is.
The profession could change, become what it purports to be, but this would necessitate psychiatrists looking honestly at history. Alas, I doubt that those who have arrogated so much power to themselves will ever relinquish it, much less acknowledge with remorse the immense harm psychiatry has inflicted on the world.
* Dr. Heidi Fowler, a psychiatrist at HealthTap wrote this: "Abilify (aripiprazole): Abilify (aripiprazole) is used to treat Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, as an adjunctive medication for recalcitrant major depression; autism spectrum disorders. Off label uses include: dementia; alcohol abuse/dependence and the following for which there are no trials or minimal efficacy: Generalized anxiety disorder, Social phobia, ADHD, agitation, Eating disorders, insomnia, borderline personality disorder."
* If you subscribe to Quartz you can read this: https://qz.com/293932/how-this-antipsychotic-became-americas-best-selling-drug/
*Another article on Abilify: https://medtruth.com/drugs/abilify-side-effects/
*Abilify became America's best-selling drug in 2013-2014, and it was used in myriad ways, not just to "treat" schizophrenia or depression.
mental illnessPhoebe Sparrow WagnerRecoverySchizophreniaTrauma
IMPEACH IMMEDIATELY


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Gender and Politics in the Age of Letter-Writing, 1750–2000
Máire Cross, Caroline Bland
May 15, 2017 by Routledge
Letters have long been an outlet for political expression, whether they articulate the personal politics of the daily routine or the political views of individuals who witness or participate in dramatic events. In addition, letters can be unusually revealing records of the relations between men and women. Though letters have frequently been studied as a privileged space for literary, social, and cultural expression, the three-dimensional relationship of politics, gender, and letters has not been the focus of an entire volume. The nineteen essays in this collection examine how the gendered nature of political literacy is revealed over a 250-year period through letter writing, whether the writer is famous or unknown, the wife of a prominent politician or activist, a political prisoner or political militant. Ranging wide in terms of subject matter and geography, the contributors examine correspondence that ponders familial concerns, as well as letters providing political commentary on the effects of war or revolution on everyday life. Among the impressive group of international scholars are Jim Allen, Clare Brant, Edith Gelles, Jane Rendall, and Siân Reynolds.
Contents: Part I 1750-1850: Epistolary connections in Enlightenment and Revolution: Gender politics: breathing new life into old letters, Máire Cross and Caroline Bland; 'The tribunal of the public': 18th-century letters and the politics of vindication, Clare Brant; Parenthood and gender roles as seen in Diderot's Correspondance, Ursula Yvonne Roberts; Deconstructing gender: Henriette's correspondence with Rousseau, Anne-Françoise Gilbert; Third person singular: the liberation of the Marquise de Sade, 1789-90, David McCallam; 'Remember the ladies': politics in the letters of Abigail Adams, Edith B.Gelles; 'Friends of liberty & virtue': women radicals and transatlantic correspondence, 1789-1848, Jane Rendall; The correspondence of a 'sister in humanity', Máire Cross. Part II 1850-2000: Correspondence in times of trial: Requests, complaints, demands. Preliminary thoughts on the petitioning letters of lower-class Austrian women, 1865-1918, Christa Hämmerle; A history in letters: the Allemane family's letters during and after the Paris Commune, 1871-80, Siân Reynolds; Across the divide: a correspondence during the Dreyfus Affair, David H. Walker; The gendered politics of correspondence: the curious case of Céline Renooz, 1840-1928, James Smith Allen; Reading between the lines. Letters to Eleanor Keeling Edwards, 1890-1900, Krista Cowman; More than just 'a sporting couple': the letters of a militant marriage, June Balshaw; Slinging the ink about: Ellen Terry and women's suffrage agitation, Katharine Cockin; 'In great haste': the personal and political in the letters of F.W. Stella Browne (1880-1955), feminist socialist sex radical, Lesley A. Hall; 'In case the worst comes to the worst': letters home from Berlin, 1942-45, Caroline Bland; Constructing identities and remembering Fascism: the published letters of Elisabeth Langgässer, Joanne Sayner; Corresponding in the sex and gender revolution: desire, education and feminist letters, 1970-200
'Collectively, these excellent essays show how letter writing has functioned historically as a form of gendered subjectivity, simultaneously providing political commentary, creating political subjects, and redrawing the boundaries between public and private life. A real tour de force that will be of great use to historians as well as to literary and cultural studies scholars.' Laura Levine Frader, Northeastern University and Harvard University, USA 'This volume aims to breathe 'new life into old letters', and succeeds by presenting us with a diverse and fascinating array of correspondence ranging from the middle of the eighteenth up to the late twentieth century... One of the most enjoyable aspects of this book lies in the way in which it demonstrates the range of letter writing available, and it allows the letters themselves to provide glimpses into the social, political and cultural worlds of the authors and their readers... This volume will be of immense value to those interested in literary, cultural and historical studies. The function and the variety of the epistolary form is considered in its historical context as to highlight the relationships between politics and private life, and also to describe the evolution of the epistolary form as a genre.' Women's History Magazine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Why Do People Think Vaccines Cause Autism
How To Know If Baby Has Autism
Can A Child With Autism Be Denied Ssi
Can You Get Rid Of Autism
What Is The Autism Act
What Causes Autism Exploring The Environmental Contribution
Myth #: We Don't Need To Vaccinate Because Infection Rates Are Already So Low In The United States
Do Vaccines Cause Autism? – Dr. Bradley Peterson
Thanks to "herd immunity," so long as a large majority of people are immunized in any population, even the unimmunized minority will be protected. With so many people resistant, an infectious disease will never get a chance to establish itself and spread. This is important because there will always be a portion of the population infants, pregnant women, elderly, and those with weakened immune systems that can't receive vaccines.
But if too many people don't vaccinate themselves or their children, they contribute to a collective danger, opening up opportunities for viruses and bacteria to establish themselves and spread.
Not to mention, as the Centers for Disease Control warn, international travel is growing quickly, so even if a disease is not a threat in your country, it may be common elsewhere. If someone were to carry in a disease from abroad, an unvaccinated individual will be at far greater risk of getting sick if he or she is exposed.
Vaccines are one of the great pillars of modern medicine. Life used to be especially brutal for children before vaccines, with huge portions being felled by diseases like measles, smallpox, whooping cough, or rubella, to name just a few. Today these ailments can be completely prevented with a simple injection.
Academy Experts Offer Advice For Fps
March 18, 2020 10:01 am — Understandably, news headlines around the country — and, indeed, around the globe — are currently being dominated by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and the AAFP has been leading the charge to keep family physicians up to date with the latest COVID-19 developments.
It's critical to remember, though, that outbreaks of infectious diseases such as influenza and measles continue — and that although a vaccine for coronavirus is still a year or more away, vaccines for other known preventable diseases already exist and are readily available.
Unfortunately, as the results of a recent Gallup survey indicate, public support for vaccines continues to trend in the wrong direction. The survey found that fewer people today say it's important for parents to get their children vaccinated than in 2001, while more people now think that vaccines cause autism in children and are more dangerous than the diseases they are designed to prevent.
Sarrc's Message On Vaccines
At SARRC, we believe the ultimate decision to vaccinate a child is a personal choice. If asked, we would recommend vaccinations because dozens of reputable scientific studies have failed to show a link between vaccines and autism, while numerous other studies demonstrate that the risks from the diseases the vaccines are meant to prevent are dangerous to a childs health and well-being. Our research focuses on early identification of autism because it leads to early intensive intervention, which is the most important support we can provide for a child diagnosed with autism at this time.
Read more about autism and vaccines in a Q& A with SARRC's Vice President and Research Director Christopher J. Smith, PhD, here.
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Medical Experts Weight In
In addition, several studies reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offer assurance to parents that vaccines do not cause autism.
These studies evaluated eight vaccines and also looked at a child's response to antigen development from several vaccines over the first two years of life. Plus, the CDC found that exposure to thimerosal, either early in life or in the womb, does not increase a childs risk.
Additional studies from Europe, the Institute of Medicine, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have confirmed what the CDC found the patient advocacy group Autism Speaks also agrees.
Even though the medical evidence strongly supports that vaccines do not cause autism, many parents find the data overwhelming or simply ignore it. Some parents do not follow their child's vaccine schedule and skip immunization, a great cause for concern.
In a study from Kaiser Permanente published in JAMA Pediatrics researchers found evidence that among children aged 4 to 6, those with autism were "significantly less likely" to receive the full range of recommended vaccines compared with other children.
Talking About Vaccines: Autism
Claims that vaccines cause autism have led some parents to delay or refuse vaccines for their children. The most common claims are that autism is caused by MMR vaccine, vaccines that contain thimerosal, or too many vaccines. Many scientific studies have been done to test these claims. None has shown any correlation between vaccines and autism.
Corporate Authors: Publisher:
Read Also: Do Autistic Toddlers Dance To Music
The Danger Of Medical Myths
People want and need to be able to make informed decisions about their own health care and the health care of their family. And when armed with the correct, science-based information, people can make very effective health decisions for themselves and their loved ones.
Other vaccine myths have cropped up as well.
One myth is that we dont need to vaccinate against diseases that are no longer endemic. But the only time we can safely stop using a vaccine is when a disease is eradicated worldwide. So far, thats only happened with smallpox.
Other people have raised fears that vaccines weaken the immune system and that natural immunity is better. However, thats not the case. Vaccines strengthen the immune system by providing a challenge to the immune system against a very particular antigen or group of antigens.
Medical myths are not benign. They have the potential to do the most harm.
People want and need to be able to make informed decisions about their health care and the health care of their families. When armed with the correct, science-based information, people can make very effective health decisions for themselves and their loved ones.
The Allure Of Natural Health
Our society is increasingly preoccupied with organic foods and medicinecertain that natural substances are all we need to remain healthy and than "chemicals" are the problem. In 2018, Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle company, Goop, invited "holistic health psychiatrist" Kelly Brogan to speak at a conferenceBrogan links vaccines and autism, and insists flu shots don't work. Holly Blumhardt, a California mother of three unvaccinated children, told the L.A. Times her family believes in staying healthy "from the inside out." She takes vitamins, avoids GMOs and sees to a chiropractorand receives a belief exemption from innocculating her kids.
An entire alternative medical establishment has emerged to serve anti-vaccine parents fixated on being "natural": One former naturopathic doctor told The Atlantic she met a naturopath who suggested elderberry syrup could substitute for the flu vaccine. Naturopaths undergo far less rigorous scientific training than conventional doctors, yet 20 states give them licenses to practice, legitimizing science-skeptical philosophies.
Also Check: Symmetra Overwatch Autistic
Substantial Uncertainty On Vaccines And Autism
Perhaps the most well-publicized and debunked claim of danger posed by vaccines is that they cause autism. Currently, 10% of U.S. adults believe vaccines cause autism in children, marking a modest increase from 6% in 2015. Nearly half, 45% do not think vaccines cause autism, up modestly from the 41% who said the same almost five years ago. And 46%, down from 52%, say they are unsure.
Yes, do cause autism
Gallup, Dec. 2-15, 2019
The more advanced an American's formal education, the more likely they are to say vaccines do not cause autism. The figure is 73% among those with postgraduate education, falling to 61% among those with a college degree only, 42% of those with some college and 28% of those with no college experience. Importantly, lesser-educated Americans are much more likely to have no opinion than to say they believe vaccines do cause autism. The percentage making the causal connection tops out at 12% among Americans with no college education, versus 5% of postgraduates.
There are also substantial partisan differences, with 55% of Democrats saying vaccines do not cause autism, compared with 37% of Republicans.
Problems With Herd Immunity
How do we know that the MMR vaccine doesnt cause autism?
Parents who have relied on herd immunity, which takes place when the vast majority of a population is immune to a highly contagious disease like measles, can no longer do so.
To the parents who don't trust the AAP, saying it is in the pockets of the vaccine industry, consider this. Of all the medical societies, it is the one which consistently lobbies for the benefit of moneyless patients: children. It doesn't lobby for the pediatricians. Like child psychologists and psychiatrists, pediatricians have the best interests of the child, not the vaccine company, at heart. The huge amount of time they spend trying to convince parents to have their children vaccinated is unreimbursed. The amount they are paid for administering a vaccine is negligible.
Even Autism Speaks, a well-known autism advocacy group which in the past has not helped encourage vaccinations, in 2015 urged parents to vaccinate their children with MMR. Over the last two decades, extensive research has asked whether there is any link between childhood vaccinations and autism, said Bob Ring, Chief Science Officer, in a statement at that time. The results of this research are clear: Vaccines do not cause autism. We urge that all children be fully vaccinated.
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Thimerosal And Autism: What's The Link
Thimerosal was removed from most vaccines by 2001 . That's because researchers worried that children were being exposed to too-high levels from receiving multiple vaccinations in a short timeframe. This decision was based on what levels were considered safe for methyl mercurythe kind in fish, which is structurally very different from the ethyl mercury found in thimerosal. Although scientists suspected that thimerosal was much safer than methyl mercury, they decided to remove it anyway, just to be super-careful.
However, a large study published in Archives of General Psychiatry in 2008 found that cases of autism continued to increase in California long after 2001, when thimerosal was removed from most vaccines. "If thimerosal in vaccines were causing autism, we'd expect that diagnoses of autism would decrease dramatically after the chemical was removed from vaccines," says Eric Fombonne, M.D., director of the psychiatry division at Montreal Children's Hospital and a member of the National Institutes of Health advisory board for autism research programs. "Not only did cases not decrease, but they continued to rise. That tells us that something else must be responsible for rising rates of autism in this country."
A series of many studies in other countries and populations drew similar conclusions. "Thimerosal was removed from vaccines in Canada in 1996 and in Denmark in 1992," says Dr. Fombonne. "Autism is still on the rise in those countries as well."
Myth #: Vaccines Can Infect My Child With The Disease It's Trying To Prevent
Vaccines can cause mild symptoms resembling those of the disease they are protecting against. A common misconception is that these symptoms signal infection. In fact, in the small percentage where symptoms do occur, the vaccine recipients are experiencing a body's immune response to the vaccine, not the disease itself. There is only one recorded instance in which a vaccine was shown to cause disease. This was the Oral Polio Vaccine which is no longer used in the U.S. Since then, vaccines have been in safe use for decades and follow strict Food and Drug Administration regulations.
Also Check: Pecs Visual Schedules
Myth #: Infant Immune Systems Can't Handle So Many Vaccines
Infant immune systems are stronger than you might think. Based on the number of antibodies present in the blood, a baby would theoretically have the ability to respond to around 10,000 vaccines at one time. Even if all 14 scheduled vaccines were given at once, it would only use up slightly more than 0.1% of a baby's immune capacity. And scientists believe this capacity is purely theoretical. The immune system could never truly be overwhelmed because the cells in the system are constantly being replenished. In reality, babies are exposed to countless bacteria and viruses every day, and immunizations are negligible in comparison.
Though there are more vaccinations than ever before, today's vaccines are far more efficient. Small children are actually exposed to fewer immunologic components overall than children in past decades.
Why Do People Believe Vaccines Cause Autism Where Did This Myth Come From Why Has It Spread As Truth
In 1998, a UK physician named Andrew Wakefield that claimed he found a correlation between autism , gastrointestinal disorders, and infection with the measles virus.
The paper did not directly implicate vaccines. However, in the subsequent press conferences and media contacts Wakefield had, he specifically spread concerns about the MMR vaccine being linked to this gastrointestinal-autism disorder connection.
The fear that vaccines cause autism spread from that point for the following decade and beyond.
Mmr Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism Examine The Evidence
There is no scientific evidence that MMR vaccine causes autism. The question about a possible link between MMR vaccine and autism has been extensively reviewed by independent groups of experts in the United States, including the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine . These reviews have concluded that the available epidemiologic evidence does not support a causal link between MMR vaccine and autism
Why Do Parents Worry About Vaccines
By Claire McCarthy, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
We are in the midst of a measles epidemic. As of July 25th, more than 1,100 cases have been reported in 30 states since the beginning of the year. Thats the highest number since 1992 and since measles was declared eliminated in 2000. Given that measles is extremely contagious the virus can linger in rooms even after a sick person has left and can lead to serious complications, this is really alarming.
There is a simple way to help: get more people immunized.
Also Check: Life Expectancy Of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Do Vaccines Cause Autism
Some parents of children with ASD wonder whether a link exists between autism and vaccines. The concern first started with the MMR vaccine, an immunization against measles, mumps, and rubella. Some parents believe this vaccine causes the onset of autism. Despite these strongly held beliefs by proponents of the vaccine theory, there is no scientific proof that the MMR vaccineor any other vaccinecauses autism.
States Facing Delays And Hurdles In Covid
Vaccines Don't Cause Autism: Healthcare Triage #12
None of the claims have proven to be true when it comes to autism, and there's no reason to think they are any more valid with the Covid-19 vaccines. With the stakes so high, it's important to understand just how and why vaccine doubters are wrong.
It's true that the Covid-19 vaccine went through an unprecedentedly rapid process for which we should all be grateful, given the urgency. And while there's concern that the Covid-19 vaccines were rushed and that that means they haven't been properly vetted or that their safety is otherwise in question, it's simply not the case.
Recommended Reading: What's The Difference Between Autistic And Autism
Why Are People With Autism At Higher Risk Of Covid
The higher risks of COVID-19 that researchers found in people with autism arent due to the developmental or intellectual disabilities themselves, but rather because people with them are more likely to live in a group setting, be unable to communicate about having symptoms, or have trouble understanding or following safety measures, according to the CDC.
Sometimes it is difficult for people with ASD to wear masks and keep social distancing, themselves and others at increased risk of spreading or acquiring COVID-19, says Robert Hendren, DO, a psychiatrist and the director of the program for research on neurodevelopmental and translational outcomes at the University of California in San Francisco.
Early symptoms may be overlooked because people with ASD may not be able to express their discomforts, such as sore throat. If someone with ASD gets COVID-19, they may have a very difficult time being in the hospital and receiving treatments that are unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and potentially scary, Dr. Hendren explains.
Further, and as noted by the authors of the NEJM Catalyst report, people with intellectual disabilities are more likely to have other health problems at the same time that put them at higher risk for infection and COVID-19 disease, such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Banks says this is true of people with ASD as well.
RELATED: How to Care for Yourself When Youre Caring for Someone With Autism
Vaccine Ingredients Do Not Cause Autism
One vaccine ingredient that has been studied specifically is thimerosal. Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative used to prevent germs from contaminating multidose vials of vaccines. Research shows that thimerosal does not cause ASD. In fact, a 2004 scientific review by the IOM concluded that the evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosalcontaining vaccines and autism.Immunization Safety Review: Vaccines and Autism external icon
Since 2003, there have been nine CDC-funded or conducted studies that have found no link between thimerosal-containing vaccines and ASD. These studies also found no link between the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and ASD in children. Learn more about the CDC Studies on Thimerosal in Vaccines pdf icon.
Even before studies showed that thimerosal was not harmful, there was a national effort to reduce all types of mercury exposures in children. As precaution, thimerosal was removed or reduced to trace amounts in all childhood vaccines between 1999 and 2001. Currently, the only type of vaccine that contain thimerosal are flu vaccines packaged in multidose vials. There are thimerosal-free alternatives available for flu vaccine. For more information, see the Timeline for Thimerosal in Vaccines.
Besides thimerosal, some people have had concerns about other vaccine ingredients in relation to ASD. However, no links have been found between any vaccine ingredients and ASD.
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World Mental Health Day 2020: Darren Cheadle, UK Power Networks
After losing someone close to him to suicide and experiencing a period of mental ill health, Darren Cheadle, Project Designer at UK Power Networks attended a Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England course. Ten years later, Darren is now a MHFA England Instructor Member and has helped build a workplace programme that has seen over 200 Mental Health First Aiders trained. Hear from Darren in his own words.
I first became a MHFAider over 10 years ago. I was struggling with some things in my personal life and had been trying to support someone close to me going through difficult times. I was doing the best I could but honestly, it wasn't really helping. After years and years of struggling, they gave up the fight and ended their own life, and my world fell apart.
I blamed myself for not doing more and I had underestimated the effect it was having on me too. Putting these together, I began to experience mental ill health and came close to suicide myself.
I had been in touch with my local branch of Mind and had some support from them, but they also recommended a MHFA England course. Having had first-hand experiences, I found moments of the course were difficult for me. So much of it was relatable, but I began to make sense of a lot of things in my life, and I realised there had definitely been issues I hadn't addressed. The course was like an awakening for me and I learned that just a little bit of knowledge can be a powerful tool!
Too late maybe to help the one person that mattered most to me, but not too late to help other people. I'm looking out for others more now – I make sure I take time to ask someone how they really are and mean it, and listen to understand and see if, or how, I can help. I've started conversations with strangers as well as people I already know. I know what it's like to struggle and no one should have to struggle alone.
A few years later, appreciating the value of my new knowledge, I trained as an Instructor Member and began to try and get MHFA England training introduced at UK Power Networks. It turns out there was a lot of other like-minded people there too. While I am continuing with my main role as a Project Designer, I have been delivering half-day and two-day MHFA England courses as an in-house trainer. The Employee Engagement Survey last year highlighted the desire by employees for greater awareness and support for mental health and this spurred our Employee Engagement team into putting a programme together for 2020 to raise awareness, and a commitment was made to train 100 MHFAiders by the end of the year. To increase the impact of the programme, some courses were also arranged with external trainers and we are now on track to have more than 250 MHFAiders by the end of the year as well.
I'm so pleased we now have a training programme in place at UK Power Networks. We are also building a community of first aiders where we can share ideas, knowledge and experience to help each other and our colleagues. We use a private group on Yammer for instructors only, but also a public group for all aspects of wellbeing for healthy minds and bodies. With around 6,200 employees in what is still a predominantly male work force, we're breaking down the stigma surrounding mental ill health. There have been some very open discussions about mental health at all levels from the CEO to the customer-facing field teams.
I applaud everyone who has and is making this happen and has put themselves forward to be there to help other people. These are skills for life - literally!
External resources to support your mental health:
It's important to know that support is available, even if services seem busy at the moment because of coronavirus.
NHS provide information and support.
Samaritans works to make sure there's always someone there for anyone who needs someone.
Mind provide advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem.
OK Rehab specialises in local drug and alcohol rehab and addiction treatment.
Please note ENA is not responsible for the content of external websites.


The RWN Offices are intended by design to be a resource centre.
This is our digital equivalent.
The Roscommon Women's Network project office is an Information Centre for women in the County. Some of the many supports services available at our Drop-In / Resource Centre. Please ring the Office 094 9621690 for details of times & appointments.
Email and Instant/Text Messaging (IM) are NOT safe or confidential ways to talk to someone about the danger or abuse in your life. If possible, please call a helpline instead. If you use email or IM, please use a safer computer and an account your abuser does not know about.


Planning applications received by the City in the McCauley neighbourhood.
A planning application (map) has been received for a property at 10767 95 Street NW.
The application proposes to rezone the property from Site Specific Development Control Provision (DC2) to a revised Site Specific Development Control Provision (DC2).
The revised DC2 Provision proposes to add Cannabis Retail Sales as a permitted use within the existing building in the Italian Village commercial sub-area of the McCauley neighbourhood.
A planning application (map) has been received for a property at 9267 110A Avenue NW. The application proposes to rezone the property from Direct Development Control Provision (DC1) to Site Specific Development Control Provision (DC2).
The proposed DC2 rezoning will bring the existing 6-unit apartment building into conformity with the current zoning bylaw. The proposal includes parking at the rear of the building.
An associated application has been made to amend the Boyle Street/McCauley Area Redevelopment Plan to enable the rezoning.
A planning application (map) has been received for a property at 9322 109 Avenue NW.
This application proposes to rezone the site from Direct Development Control Provision (DC1) to Site Specific Development Control Provision (DC2) for the purpose of developing a three-unit Row House.
To support the proposed DC2 rezoning, an associated application has been made to amend the Boyle Street/McCauley Area Redevelopment Plan, which currently designates the subject site for single detached and semi-detached housing.
A planning application (map) has been received for properties at 9639 107 Avenue NW and 9643 107 Avenue NW.
The application proposes to rezone the properties from Site Specific Development Control Provision (DC2) and Medium Density Multiple Family Zone (RF6) to Low Intensity Business Zone (CB1).
The rezoning application would enable a commercial development with potential mixed uses that complies with the proposed zoning.
A planning application (map) has been received to close the lane south of 105A Avenue NW, north of 103A Avenue NW, east of 97 Street NW, and west of 96 Street NW.
This application intends to consolidate the lane with the adjacent property to the northeast to accommodate additional parking for an existing building.
Urban Planning Committee Date: To be determined.
A planning application (map) has been received for a property at 10570 96 Street NW.
The application proposes to rezone the property from Medium Rise Apartment Zone (RA8) to Site Specific Development Control Provision (DC2).
The proposed DC2 rezoning will allow for development of small-scale neighbourhood commercial uses.
Planner: Email ania.schoof@edmonton.ca or call 780-508-9210 for more information.


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TrueLife
FBC Staff
Pastor Rod & Teresa West
Pastor Rod and his wife Teresa came to Friendship Baptist in November 2013 from Wilmington, NC. During his almost 25 years of ministry Pastor Rod has served as a Youth Minister, Senior Pastor, and Church Planter. He is a graduate of Liberty University, Andersonville Theological Seminary, and is currently completing his MTS from Louisiana Baptist Theological Seminary.
Teresa serves as Friendship's Ministry Assistant and Pastor Rod's partner in ministry. She is a graduate of Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, and a former middle school math teacher. Next to God and family Teresa has two great loves, her alma mater and Carolina (North Carolina) basketball. Rod and Teresa have been married for 30 years and have two adult sons in whom they are very proud.
If you would like to contact Pastor Rod with questions about Friendship Baptist Church or other related issues you can reach him by email or calling the Church Office Monday - Friday (Teresa's email) You can also read more about Pastor Rod and his teachings by visiting his blog Just Thinking.
Mark Timmons, Associate Pastor
Mark and his family came to Friendship in 2018. It is his joy to oversee small groups, Sunday School, children & youth, and worship. Mark earned a Master of Divinity from Southern Seminary and has been serving churches in the Charleston area since returning to the low country in 2014. He also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the College of Charleston, where as a college freshman he came to know the saving grace of Christ. He and Libbie were married in 2002, and have been given five delightful children: Ellie Grace, Lydia, Simeon, Anna Skye & Eden Joy. Mark's ambition is to see the Lord build up the local church through the ministry of His Word until they are "mature in Christ" (Col. 1:28) and live as a city on a hill with a compelling testimony to a lost world!
Belinda Swindler, Pianist
Belinda is a hometown girl and knows the "ins and outs" of North Charleston as well as anyone around. Her musical talents are a tremendous blessing to Friendship and our community. She's a vital part of our music ministry and provides tremendous insight to the worship experience of our church.
Belinda's email
Ann Burt, Church Bookkeeper
Ann is also a hometown girl and probably knows the history of Friendship Baptist better than anyone. Her loyalty and dedication to the people of our church is unrivaled. She and her husband John are great team players fulfilling many ministry roles.
Ann's email
John Burt, Sound & Media Technician
John is gifted with a true servant's heart. If something needs doing he is one of the first to help (normally being the first to arrive and the last to leave). John's service comes naturally after watching his parents minister in similar roles at Friendship for many years.
John's email


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FANGIRLS – James Majoos On An Important Show With Heart And Diversity
Category: Arts
Written by Jesse Chaffey
Everyone's a fan of something. But nothing screams passion and dedication like fangirls.
A List Of Shows With Queer Themes/Artists At Perth's 2021 Fringe World Festival
Published: Wednesday, 13 January 2021 14:36
Perth's Fringe World Festival is just around the corner, due to be a much-needed celebration of the arts after a turbulent 2020.
Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras 2021 – Four Fabulous Events Added To Programme
From a comedy gala showcasing some of the country's funniest LGBTQIA+ talent to an insightful series of talks from queer thought leaders, Sydney Gay And Lesbian Mardi Gras have announced four fabulous events taking place in February.
Yellamundie Festival 2021 Programme
Moogahlin Performing Arts, together with Sydney Festival and Carriageworks, will present six groundbreaking works as part of the fifth biennial Yellamundie Festival.
James Galea's Search For The Best Trick Ever Hits Sydney
Award-winning magician and creator James Galea has previously been seen on our screens in ABC's 'Best Trick Ever' (not to mention appearances on the likes of 'Ellen', 'USA Today' and more), and now he'll take to the stage in Sydney joined by a line-up of great Australian magic experts.
MELT Festival Of Queer Arts And Culture Returns To Brisbane Powerhouse In 2021
MELT Festival Of Queer Arts And Culture and the MELT Portrait Prize will return in 2021.
Feast Festival 2020 In Adelaide – Rescheduled Events
Artists involved with Adelaide's LGBTQIA+ festival Feast have been nimble performing a magnificent pirouette to reschedule shows as a result of recent COVID lockdowns.
Maeve Marsden's Queerstories Comes Back Out For ANTIDOTE In Sydney
Wolfram-J VK
Published: Wednesday, 18 November 2020 15:22
Sydney Opera House's ANTIDOTE festival of ideas, action and change will return to the venue for its fourth year in 2020, bringing talks, workshops, visual arts and installations to audiences, all in one jam-packed day.
5 Ways To Exude Optimism With Parallel Park Artists Holly Bates and Tay Haggarty
Published: Tuesday, 17 November 2020 11:18
With everything happening around the world this year, it's about time to celebrate the sunny side of life.
New Reports Show Record Low HIV Cases In Australia
New figures from 2018 have revealed the lowest number of new HIV infections since 2001.
Queering The Pitch Goes Beyond The Binaries In Melbourne: Open Letter From Curator Mama Alto
Leaps And Bounds Music Festival nurtures the musically talented community of Melbourne.
Imbi The Girl Has A Bunch Of Fun With Authentic Expression And A New Single
Sydney-based non-binary artist imbi the girl has been crushing it on the music scene since their debut in 2017, and now they're back with smooth new single 'I Used To'.


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KMCI-DT1
black-ishblack-ish Nothing but Nepotism (HD, TV-PG) Bow tries to get Dre to use his connections to find Zoey a fellowship, but he doesn't want her to rely on nepotism to get things in life.
Mike & MollyMike & Molly Carl Is Jealous (HD, TV-14) Carl believes his friendship with Mike is in jeopardy when Mike starts to spend more time with Molly, so Mike decides to invite Carl on a double date.
Mike & MollyMike & Molly Who's Afraid of J.C. Small? (HD, TV-14) Molly gets the chance to help her literary icon, J.C. Small, after Mike and Carl take J.C. into custody for driving under the influence.
How I Met Your MotherHow I Met Your Mother The Magician's Code Part Two (HD, TV-14) On Barney's future wedding day, the gang looks back on the time they encouraged Ted to chase after the one woman that got away and reconnect with her.
How I Met Your MotherHow I Met Your Mother The Perfect Week (HD, TV-PG) As Barney attempts to hook up with seven women in seven days, his friends cheer him on in order to distract themselves from their own misfortunes.
2 Broke Girls2 Broke Girls And the Look of the Irish (HD, TV-14) Max and Caroline act as Nash's managers while he tries to break his way into the modeling industry; Sophie and Oleg attempt to remain chaste.
« Edison ForceEdison Force (TV-14, R, **) Everyday scandals of the police are noticed by a journalist that is determined to depict the reality and he finds himself trying to survive.
The Last Witch HunterThe Last Witch Hunter (TV-14, PG-13, **+) A valiant warrior, cursed with immortality by the Queen Witch before he killed her, becomes humanity's last hope when the evil witch is resurrected.
COURTMY
« The First 48The First 48 Boogie Man; Murder on Flowering Peach (HD, TV-14) A Dallas woman's body was found burned in a car and detectives search for her killer; Tennessee police cross state lines to find a man's murderer.
The First 48The First 48 Pre-emptive Strike; Unlucky (HD, TV-14) Detectives deal with a shooter in a barricaded home; while investigating a decomposing body, detectives are pulled into a dangerous manhunt.
The First 48The First 48 The Run Around; Night Cap (HD, TV-14) Memphis detectives must talk to shady witnesses who saw a mini market shooting; detectives in Phoenix use a bar's surveillance tape for a parking lot murder.
Escaping PolygamyEscaping Polygamy After the Escape: Broken Family (HD, TV-14) As woman tries to make an impossible decision, another works hard to break her ties to her polygamous husband; a woman seeks healthcare for her father.
« Tall in the SaddleTall in the Saddle (TV-14, NR, ***) A hard-headed and chauvinistic cowboy is framed for murder by a group of corrupt officials who want to force him out of town so they can realize their plans.
The Redhead and the CowboyThe Redhead and the Cowboy (TV-14, NR) When a cowboy gets framed for a murder, he and a Union spy chase after the only person who could exonerate him: a Confederate messenger headed west.
KSHB-DT
« Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone CollectorLincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector
Dateline NBCDateline NBC The Black Candle Confession (HD, New, TV-PG) A woman recalls a childhood memory from a sleepover decades later, which reignites an investigation into the unsolved murder of a local bartender.
41 Action News at 10 PM41 Action News at 10 PM (New) The day's major news events, business reports, local sports updates, weather information and tomorrow's forecast are presented by the 41 Action News Team.
KSHB-DT2
COZITV
FrasierFrasier Junior Agent (TV-PG) Frasier gets a new agent on his show and instantly feels that he is annoying, but he realizes he needs to focus on his competition with a rival broadcaster.
RoseanneRoseanne Do You Know Where Your Parents Are? (TV-PG) Dan and Roseanne come up with an idea to teach the girls a lesson for continuously breaking curfew by celebrating the anniversary of their first lovemaking.
RoseanneRoseanne Confessions (TV-PG) Bev decides to pay a surprise visit to Roseanne's house, tricking Jackie into visiting for a heated argument between the three women over past events.
RoseanneRoseanne The Courtship of Eddie, Dan's Father (TV-PG) Roseanne sets up Crystal with a guy she mat the diner, but when they come over for dinner, Dan learns that she has been seeing his father and plans to get wed.
RoseanneRoseanne The Wedding (TV-PG) Roseanne wants to begin preparing for her wedding, but Dan doesn't want to get started with it so soon, leaving her to start the preparations behind his back.
The OfficeThe Office The Seminar (HD, TV-PG) Andy holds a small business seminar in order to raise his sales figures, but Michael and Holly take over; Erin needs help in a competition against Gabe.
According to JimAccording to Jim The Punch (TV-PG) Concerned that Cheryl has turned their son Kyle into a regular mama's boy, Jim attempts to teach him how to throw the perfect punch.
Home ImprovementHome Improvement The Colonel (TV-G) Jill's father asks for her opinion on the story he wrote; Randy joins a hockey team as the goalie, so Tim builds him a device to help him train.
Home ImprovementHome Improvement Room for Change (TV-G) After Randy interrupts his brother's phone call, Tim forces Randy and Mark to share Randy's room, while Brad gets Mark's old room all to himself.
Home ImprovementHome Improvement Too Many Cooks (TV-G) Al fills in for the host of "Cooking with Irma," and Tim is asked to be his assistant; Randy has a hard time striking up a conversation with a girl he likes.
Home ImprovementHome Improvement The Eve of Construction (TV-G) Tim tells Jill he doesn't think couples should work together, so she joins Al's Habitat for Humanity team; Brad gives another girl's locket to Ashley.
According to JimAccording to Jim Hoosier Daddy (TV-PG) Jim's plans to take Cheryl to a motel in Indiana for their fifteenth anniversary are foiled by a labor scare and a tornado warning.


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Sandhills Habitat Newsletter
Habitat Newsletter
From our Executive Director
Business Build Kicks Off with CEO Build Day
Habitat Business Build kicks off every year with the CEO Build Day. Local business, civic and non-profit leaders trade in their suits, ties and heels for hardhats, tool belts and work gloves to raise the home walls. Our partners at The Pilot Newspaper featured a lengthy story about the Business Build history. Read More Here
Even though this year brought torrential rain, our versatile construction team quickly pivoted to plan "B" and saved the day! Regardless of the showers, 25 volunteers came out to build and support Habitat's mission. Our goal is to bring people together to build affordable housing for hardworking families. The CEO Day allows us to showcase the quality, energy-efficient homes we build and highlight our program to employers who might know potential homeowner candidates who need a "hand up—not a handout." Many of our CEOs encourage volunteering because it is a great teambuilding experience, and several companies reserve multiple days throughout the year.
Carol Haney - Town of Southern Pines
Charles Gregg - Pinehurst Surgical Clinic
Sandra Barnhardt -Mid Carolina Regional Association of Realtors
Mickey Foster -
FirstHealth of the Carolinas
Jamie Ledford- Golf Pride
Scott Greenblatt - Veterans Guardian
Bill Taylor - Veterans Guardian
Brian Clodfelter- Rhetson Companies
Amy Bullman- Southern Pines Nutrishop
Kim Wade - Sandhills Cooperation Assoc.
Our CEO Supporters
Sandra Barnhardt
Fallon Brewington
Dot Brower
Amy Bullman
Brian Clodfelter
Aaron Cooper
Karen Dulmage
Jamie Encinosa
Mickey Foster
Scott Greenblatt
Charles Gregg
Carol Haney
Bert Harrell
Danny Hayes (Fishman)
James Ledford
Kirk Lynch
Jamie Luzar
Linda Parsons
Reagan Parsons
Helen Probst Mills
Mary Rocco
Ry Southard
William Taylor
We reserved our build days with workplace teams or individuals eager to put their hands to work. No prior build experience is needed. Our construction team will help you find your niche for the day! We build every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm. Building with Habitat is a great teambuilding experience that breaks down the walls of a traditional corporate structure. It encourages the employees to learn about each other on a more personal level.
The Business Build offers a chance to give back to the community, become a fiduciary sponsor or donate services as an in-kind gift in exchange for various benefits and recognition. Learn more about the 2021 Business Build and Habitat for Humanity's work in the community at the upcoming Virtual Blueprint Breakfast on Wed, Oct. 28 at 9 am. The event will be live-streamed on the Habitat Facebook page and our website.
We appreciate the following companies for participating in the CEO Build Day.
Important Reminder:
Please sign in every time you volunteer with Habitat. Among other uses, this is the tool we use to perform contact tracing in the event that we have a positive Covid test. In the event that we have a staff or volunteer who tests positive, we will utilize Volunteer Hub to determine who is actively volunteering and who may have been in contact with the individual. Please help us keep you, and our entire team, safe and healthy by signing in and out even if you are just stopping by briefly. Thank you!
Missing Mrs. Freida Powers
Not seeing some of our volunteers has been hard during the Covid restrictions, volunteers who have been with us for decades. We hope that someday soon, again, we will be able to work side by side and embrace each other. Unfortunately, we will not have that opportunity with one of our most treasured volunteers. Sadly, we lost one of our most faithful volunteers and supporters last weekend. Freida Powers served on the construction site with a hammer in hand up into her 80's and was also a longtime ReStore volunteer with the Monday Cleaning Crew, keeping our ReStore in shape. She attended many a Habitat Gala and was very proud of the work she was a part of at Habitat.
If you knew Freida, you were blessed to know a true altruistic angel and have a special place for her in your heart. Her legacy will forever be with us! To view her memorial service Click here
Hoke County Update
Habitat is EXPANDING! We just received our final Town approval and are ready to begin building great homes. Our first home will be on Blue Springs Road for the Laffin family with walls up on Thursday, Oct. 29. We are looking forward to partnering with you! We will continue to build every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm. If you would like to sign up for a build day, go to our website and click on the big blue volunteer button. Bring a friend or bring a team; no experience necessary! We also signed a lease for a new ReStore location at 1304 Fayetteville Road in Raeford. Follow us on Facebook at @HokeReStore to get more information about opening dates, volunteering and donation pickups.
Visit our Website for More Information
Why Do We Build?
Our homeowners go through a rigorous application process to qualify for the program. Review here. Every fall, we have an "Open Session" that invites the community to learn more about partnering with Habitat to build your own home. This year we had over 70 interested families, and after the application and selection process is complete, we will only be able to build eight to ten houses. The need for affordable housing for hardworking families in the Sandhills is prevalent. We need your support to make it happen!
Homeowners working "Sweat Equity" hours at ReStore
Home Dedication
ENJOLI ALLBROOKS
Thursday, October 29th | 6:00 pm
250 Alan Charles Way | Aberdeen
Live Broadcast on Facebook
Facebook Live Page
Repair Program Update
The Repair Program received over $420,000 in grant support for home repairs needed in Moore, Richmond and Hoke counties! The grants received include USDA-Rural Development (2 year grant), Urgent Repair Program Grant from theNorth Carolina Housing Finance Agency (funded by the NC Housing Trust Fund), Community Foundation of Richmond County, Richmond County United Way, PNC, CSX, Walmart, Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, and the Moore County Community Foundation. We are very appreciative and encouraged by the continued support from these Federal, State and local organizations.
Learn more about our supporters, click on the names bel0w.
NCHFA
This support level enables us to reach more families in more areas and increase the number and scale of repairs we can offer to local homeowners. Our volunteers and staff's hard work has added a level of creditability and trust by our supporters and homeowners. The home repairs are done safely, professionally and always within the building code specification.
Volunteer-led home repairs and Neighborhood Revitalization efforts have made an enormously positive impact on homeowners in need in our area over the last year. These programs are continuing; teams of local community supporters have been professionally trained and have committed themselves to monthly revitalization events to help their neighbors. Dobbins Heights in Richmond county was the first of these Revitalization teams, starting last year, and West Southern Pines has just launched their Revitalization program.
Volunteers for Home Repairs
If you have a heart for helping elderly and disabled community members remain in their home safely and affordably, contact Repair Coordinator, Mark Trudeau. repair@sandhillshabitat.org
Grant Pealer
Construction Volunteer
"I grew up in the finger lakes, Seneca, in New York. I married my wife, Dora, in 1971 and graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a Master's in Electrical Engineering. I worked for a small LED manufacturing company in New York for seven years, and IBM in Vermont for 25 years, retiring in 2005. I enjoyed fishing and duck hunting while growing up. Now I enjoy playing golf, bridge, poker, woodworking, reading and volunteering for Habitat and the Given book store. I first volunteered for Habitat after retiring in 2005."
Josie Bunting
Restore Volunteer Cashier
Mrs. Josie Bunting is a ReStore volunteer cashier with over 900 volunteer hours! Josie grew up in San Franciso and, after getting married, moved to Detriot, where she lived 42 years and raised six children. She also worked 24 years in retail, mostly in Human Resources and 16 years for Pinehurst Resort, part-time in the Gift Shop in the Carolina Hotel. After retiring, Josie volunteered for First Health Hospital in the Emergency Department for seven years and has been with the ReStore as a volunteer for over five years.
Deb Wimberly
"I was born in the north, honored to have lived in the South long enough (50 yrs.) to be able to talk funny. Before volunteering, I managed volunteers and non-profits. Love it on this side of the fence! I have always gravitated to the best, so I volunteer at Habitat. Have no idea when I started, but I will never quit."
Please stop by our ReStores
for additional discounts during these days
Tues-Sat 10% discount to all Military and First Responders
Thursdays - 20% senior discount
Fridays - 20% discount to Students
All discount offers require proper ID
Free Donation Pick Up Service
with new Online Donation Scheduling
You can schedule online in just a few clicks
•	Go to our website www.sandhillshabitat.org
•	Click on the ReStore tab at the top
•	Click on "Donate Items"
•	Scroll down a bit to click on "Click here to schedule"
•	Then follow the steps to schedule
Don't forget to add an email address so that we can email your donation receipt
Need More Guidance?
Press 1 for Donation Scheduling
Our Stuff the Truck calendar is filling fast so please call at least 2 weeks in advance if you would like us to be a part of your community-wide pickups, fundraiser yard sale leftovers and more. Are you cleaning out, on the move and don't want to rent a truck? We can bring the truck to you, you stuff it with your unwanted items then we will pick it up. If interested please call Kim Braddy (910) 295-1934 x2220
From Our Rockingham ReStore
We are blessed and thankful to have so far had Stacy McIver volunteer with us in the RC ReStore for over 8 years and 4000+ hours. Thank him when you see him busy at work in our ReStore
Remembering Ron Sutton
A Tribute to Ron Sutton
(by his long-time friend and fellow
Habitat supporter, Ellen Airs)
Ron Sutton, a good and faithful Habitat for Humanity supporter for over 18 years, died in San Diego, California on August 26, 2020, his home for the last four years. He and his wife Sara had lived in Pinehurst since 1997, retiring here from the DC area, and Ron immediately became active in many Sandhills organizations.
His first love was Habitat, in which he volunteered on the construction site several times a week. Soon after, he was asked to be on the Board for which he remained for at least one term. He was Publicity Committee chair. He took thousands of photos, even before they were digital, while Ellen wrote the accompanying articles for The Pilot and Seven Lakes Times. He continued his weekly construction commitment. He soon realized that the new homeowners needed help with their Punch List, which he implemented and followed through until recent years with Jackie Lina.
Working alongside Ron was infectious. He was a great teacher and communicator with a big heart to help others, which he did while still volunteering with Habitat all those years. Ron became active in the newly-formed Family Promise (formerly known as Sandhills Interfaith Hospitality Network) back in the early 2000's and became a Board member and subsequent Chair of that organization. He loved Weymouth, so was on that board and help rehab and maintain the water gardens there for years before training a successor. He'd say his greatest contribution outside of supporting Habitat's cause was promoting the restoration of the Sunrise Theater and diversifying its programs, including the various genres of film. In later years he found a love for the Golf Capital Chorus by participating and becoming its Secretary. He also served on committees within the Pinehurst Members Club.
He received the Pinehurst Civic Group's Distinguished Service Award and several Governor's Volunteer Service Award for his many contributions to Habitat, Family Promise, Weymouth Center, Arts Council and Sunrise Preservation Group. He was truly a Renaissance Man of volunteer activities, but left his heart with Habitat always. He has been missed!
Reflecting on Ron Sutton
Contributed by Peggy Raney
When I think of Ron I just always think of Habitat for Humanity of Moore Co. From the time he and Sara moved to Pinehurst he was instantly devoted to Habitat. It became his passion.
I like to think of him walking out on the build site and greeting everyone with that big smile that was so infectious. He always had a kind word for everyone and spent his time on site not only working but teaching others how to do certain jobs on site. He especially enjoyed teaching the new homeowners how to build, how to saw, how to repair a mistake. He never lost his temper with them and was always there to help the homeowners and others do a really good job.
As we finished a house it became clear that we needed to somehow teach the new owners how to work the HVAC, well pumps (where necessary), how to repair simple plumbing problems, how to fix little items that need fixing in the house. Ron set up a Punch List which I think is still used today. This list was gone over very carefully by Ron and the new owners. He made sure they understood everything on that list. He loved those home owners and wanted the very best for them. Yes, he is the one who trained Jackie Lina to take over that job when he had trouble walking.
As the years went by, Ron had some hip and knee problems and could not do ladders like he once did. He would appear on site just to encourage workers and homeowners to keep on pushing forward. He always had time to talk to you about the building or maybe your other problems. His love for people was like God smiling down from Heaven on those hot, dusty Habitat sites. I'm thinking that big smile is scattered across the heavens today.
New to Habitat Orientation
November 21st | 10:00 am
Are you new to Habitat? Are you curious about how much it costs to build a Habitat home? Are you interested in volunteering with us in the future? Have you volunteered with us in the past? Here is your chance to find out exactly how everything at Habitat works, and get your questions answered!
Click Here to Receive Request Zoom Invitation
The third Saturday of every month our volunteer coordinator will host a New to Habitat Orientation. Take advantage of this opportunity to attend this orientation from the comfort of your own home via Zoom or we welcome you to our office in Aberdeen.
We strive to make your time a rewarding and beneficial experience at Sandhills Habitat. We value, respect, support,encourage and enjoy exemplary relationships with volunteers.
Everyone Deserves a Safe and Affordable Place to Live
LOCAL HABITAT FAMILIES
IN THE SANDHILLS
Contributions to Sandhills Habitat go directly to building safe, affordable housing in the Sandhills. We partner with future homeowners, volunteers and supporters to build homes that provide a stable environment for hardworking families and future generation.
www.sandhillshabitat.org (910) 295-1934


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