Page 8
The INDEPENDENT, July 6, 2006
New CASA volunteers sworn in
Health Notes
Ten reasons TOPS (Take Off
Pounds Sensibly) is Terrific:
1) TOPS recognizes indi-
vidual needs. Who wants to
be dictated to? Each chapter
reflects the individuality of its
unique members.
2) Who said it has to cost a
lot of money to lose weight?
For only a few dollars a year,
TOPS members share goals
and inspiration, successes
and stumbles, riding out the
highs and lows among their
peers, learning what it takes
to live a healthy life.
3) Competition and recogni-
tion help make incorporating
lifestyle change fun! TOPS
members can earn local, state
and international awards dur-
ing their weight-loss journey
and beyond.
4.) TOPS members learn
about eating sensibly. They
learn what foods to choose,
how to prepare them, menu
planning, and more.
5) The TOPS organization
practices what it preaches.
TOPS provides financial sup-
port to the TOPS Center for
Obesity and Metabolic Re-
search at the Medical College
of Wisconsin. Since 1996,
TOPS has donated more than
$6 million for research.
6) TOPS offers accountabil-
ity. Private weigh-ins record
progress, and members are
there for each other to cele-
brate the highs, lows, starts
and stops. Changing a
lifestyle takes time. Members
work together and support
each other collectively and in-
dividually.
7) Sensible food planning is
the first step to lifestyle
change. TOPS members are
invited to follow the Food Ex-
change System described in
TOPS’ handy lifestyle guide-
book, The Choice Is Mine .
8) Support is key to long-
term change. Psychologists
say recognizing negative pat-
terns (both physical and emo-
tional) and working on them
over time with others is the
way to make the change last.
9) Viva la difference! No
two people are the same, and
TOPS members follow their
own paths. Members are en-
couraged to follow a weight-
loss plan resulting from a con-
sultation with their own health
care professional.
10) TOPS has helped hun-
dreds and thousands of peo-
ple lose weight and is the orig-
inal weight-loss support or-
ganization, founded in 1948
by a Milwaukee housewife.
TOPS focuses on people, not
products. It is non-profit and
noncommercial!
If TOPS sounds like what
your mind and body have
Banks
Pharmacy
New Ownership
Come meet M ar k S argeant, RP H
Full-service pharmacy
with hometown service!
10 am to 6 pm Monday - Friday
10 am to 2 pm Saturday
Most major insurance plans accepted
Located at Oak Village Center
in Jim’s Thriftway
503-324-5780
503-324-5410 (fax)
bankspharmacy@yahoo.com
040506
been looking for, call Louise
Green
at
503-755-2328.
TOPS Chapter OR1074, Mist,
meets each Monday evening
at 6:00 p.m. at the Mist-
Birkenfeld
RFPD.
Men,
women and children over the
age of 10 are welcome to at-
tend a meeting with no charge
or obligation. Come check it
out!
To find a local chapter in
other areas, call 1-800-932-
8677.
Children of Columbia Coun-
ty gained five more ‘voices’ on
June 13, in the courthouse in
St. Helens, when Columbia
County Juvenile Court Judge
Ted E. Grove swore in new
CASA volunteers Suzanne
Nadeau, Tara Freeman and
Betty Gatten of St. Helens, and
Shirley Goodman of Vernonia.
These volunteers have com-
mitted themselves to working
toward the best interests of the
children they serve while work-
ing as Court Appointed Special
Advocates (CASA) in the coun-
ty. A CASA’s role differs from
that of a judge, attorney or so-
cial worker. A CASA’s sole pur-
pose is to ensure that the chil-
dren they serve do not have
their needs overlooked while
involved in the court system,
and that eventually they find a
permanent home.
Anyone interested in more
information about CASA is en-
couraged to call the program at
503-397-0028, ext. 233.
“Human Origami” is for people in transition
Just what is “Human Origa-
mi” anyway? Especially for
people in transition — divorce,
separation, widowhood, gradu-
ation, menopause, new job,
new town, new relationship —
this workshop aims to help par-
ticipants look at which parts of
their lives are working well,
which are not. Using tech-
niques ranging from visioning
through Psychosynthesis, and
both graphic and verbal
stream-of-consciousness, as
well as group interaction and
support, they will learn to un-
cover and actualize hidden po-
tential, and consciously engi-
neer the next stage of their
lives.
Workshop leader Carol Saw-
yer has been teaching adults
since 1970, in India, Spain,
France and the U.S. She calls
herself an expert on change.
She has been studying psy-
chology since the ‘60s, has
several counseling certificates,
and is a Ph.D. candidate in
Consciousness and Transfor-
mation at CIIS in San Francis-
co. Sawyer is also a published
poet, including an Honorable
Mention at the ‘99 Maui Writers’
conference, and she is both
Oregon and National Senior
Spelling Bee champion for
2003.
This second workshop will
be held Friday, July 14, from
7:00 to 9:00 p.m. and from 9:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday,
July 15, at the Head Start build-
ing on California Avenue in Ver-
nonia. Later workshops will in-
clude several day in Ibiza,
Spain in February, 2009. Bring
an open heart and mind, a
notebook and pen, and if possi-
ble, a piece of cardboard, like
the side of a box. Fees are slid-
ing scale from $50 to $75 and
those who took the first work-
shop in March can take the
Saturday session free of
charge.
Call 503-429-4748 for more
information or to register.
Life jackets save lives when boating
When the weather heats up,
people flock to our state’s wa-
terways, where it’s cool and
comfortable. The Oregon State
Marine Board wants to remind
boaters and swimmers to be
especially careful when recre-
ating around water.
“Drowning is the second
leading cause of child fatalities,
and we’ve already lost several
children and adults this year,”
says Ashley Massey, public af-
fairs specialist for the Marine
Board. “Don’t let a fun weekend
escape turn into a tragedy. If
you’re going on the water to
cool off, go prepared. Wear a
life jacket. Children 12 and un-
der are required to wear a life
jacket when in a boat, but it’s
equally important to have them
wearing one if they are wading
near the shore of our rivers and
lakes. Kids can find themselves
in deep, cold water in the blink
of an eye.”
Massey offers other re-
minders when in or around the
water:
• If you see someone in trou-
ble in the water, do not go after
them. Many times the rescuer
becomes the drowning victim.
Throw something to the person
that floats, like an empty cooler
or float cushion and call for
help.
• When swimming in cold
water, short-term swim failure
can occur anywhere from 3-30
minutes and can lead to drown-
ing. Muscles and nerves in the
arms and legs cool quickly.
Manual dexterity, hand grip
strength, and speed of move-
ment can all drop by 60-80 per-
cent. Even normally strong
people can lose the strength
necessary to pull themselves
out of the water or even to keep
their head above water.
• Keep the alcohol at home
and away from the water. Alco-
hol impairs judgment and
awareness, so you may take
risks you normally wouldn’t or
you may be unaware if some-
one in your party is missing. Al-
cohol is involved in one-third of
all boating accidents in Oregon,
which includes boat operators
and passengers.
Even one fatality is too
many. It’s an easy choice: Wear
a life jacket, boat sober and
make this summer the safest
on record.