The Mujeres de HACE at NLU program is specifically designed to meet the needs of today's working Latina in order to help move her into leadership roles in the workplace and in the communities she serves.  In turn, we hope to see these women passing their successes from this program on to other women ultimately improving productivity levels and retention rates for Latinas in the U.S. companies/organizations over the next decade. 

Location:
National-Louis University
Chicago Campus
122 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603
located across from the Art Institute

When:
The program meets from 4:00 - 8:00 pm on the following dates.

Agenda:
Orientation:    Latinas Rule - February 22, 2010
Session I:    Defining Your Strengths and Committing to your Goals - March 9, 2010
Session II:    The wellness Revolution - March 23, 2010
Session III:    Relationships and communication in the Home and at Work - April 6, 2010
Session IV:    Managing your economic assets - April 20, 2010
Session V:    Implementing Plans For Life - May 4, 2010
Graduation:    May 18, 2010
 
START TODAY by following these action steps:
 
1. Contact: Ana Maria Soto, Executive Director, Proyecto Comunidad:
Telephone: 800.443.5522 ext. 3003
Email: anamaria.soto@nl.edu
 
2. Go to the website and register:
Register: www.nl.edu/mujeresdehace

Have trouble closing a sale? Need to harness your stress to achieve positive results? Has planning been pushed to the back burner because you're busy putting out fires?

These are only a few of the challenges confronting business owners that will be addressed at the Sixth Annual Women Entrepreneurs Small Business Boot Camp at the Chaparral Suites Resort in Scottsdale on February 6th from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Registrations for the day-long event are being accepted online at www.womensbusinessbootcamp.com.

Nine workshops will be featured at the conference designed to help attendees understand the dynamics that support business growth and to focus their energy and attention on the things that lead to greater profitability.

Linda Thompson of Life Path Solutions will present "Viral Marketing in the 21st Century", describing how to apply social networking - Linked In, Twitter, You Tube and others -- to your business.

Sue Zepeda of The Next Level Business Solutions will discuss "Practical Organizing for Better Business Efficiency", a primer on strategies to maximize effectiveness at the office and at home.

Patricia L. Brooks of Brooks Goldmann Publishing Company will counsel attendees on self-publishing as a way to establish themselves as credible experts in their chosen field.

Karen Gridley of KMG Enterprises will discuss ways to shatter stress, calling it "the ultimate stimulus package" which transforms stress into increased profits and improved customer satisfaction.

Kandi Lee of One-Eleven Companies will speak on "Selling Your Way to Greatness." Her presentation focuses on communicating value and creating relationships that can close sales and improve profitability.

Cindy Anderson of GreatBiz Plans will show attendees how to create a business plan that provides a workable roadmap for growing a business.

Denise Meredith of Denise Meredith Consultants will offer guidance on "Marketing to an Ethnic Audience." As resources become scarcer and competition increases, businesses that embrace diversity will thrive.

Dee Schiavelli of Results Marketing will discuss the role of relationships in helping businesses survive down periods. Networking goes beyond collecting business cards. It's the relationship that matters.

The day concludes with a reception where, for an additional fee, guests can talk one-on-one with the featured speakers.

Business Matchmaking, has announced an expanded 2010 event schedule designed to encourage more small businesses to pursue government and corporate contracts.

The non-profit program, started by the Small Business Administration and HP six years ago, has enabled over 75,000 free face-to-face meetings between entrepreneurs and buyers representing all government agencies, as well as Fortune 500 corporations. The results have been several billions of dollars in awarded contracts, with a growing percentage going to women, minority and veteran owned growing companies.

In addition to regional face-to-face selling events in Los Angeles (March 16), New York (May 12), Nashville (August 18) and San Antonio (October 13), Business Matchmaking will host training workshops designed to help start-ups become familiar with procurement opportunities and how to team with other companies in sessions in Raleigh, Kansas City and Minneapolis.

Additionally, Business Matchmaking has partnered with the California Small Business Development Centers and the Small Business Advocate in the Governor's Office to host 15 workshops focusing on new opportunities triggered by federal stimulus funding for California's projects.

Based on its success in small business regional events, Business Matchmaking has again been selected to produce the procurement portion of the national conference hosted by the Office of Small & Disadvantaged Business Utilization for all federal agencies on April 21 in Washington, DC.

American Express OPEN and American Airlines have joined HP in sponsoring Business Matchmaking events by providing funding, technology and volunteers throughout the country. Business Matchmaking, a 501 (c3) foundation, also manages businessmatchmaking.com which enables small businesses to secure online training and leads between events.

For more information contact Margaret Shaw, 310-432-6357

margaret@businessmatchmaking.com 

The March of Dimes has made a grant to UNICEF of $100,000 will help Haitian women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and babies who are in dire need of proper nutrition, safe water, and safe ways to prepare infant formula, as well as supplies such as diapers and clothing.

In addition, the March of Dimes says, mothers and babies in affected areas in Haiti have long-term needs that must be addressed over the coming months. These include:

   --  prenatal and newborn care for pregnant women and babies;
  --  specialized care and equipment for an expected rise in the number of
      babies born prematurely;
  --  multivitamins with folic acid for women of childbearing age and
      pregnant women to reduce the risk of neural tube birth defects;
  --  immunization and other measures to prevent infectious disease in
      mothers and babies;
  --  updated information for pregnant women and families on available
      services as the situation in Haiti changes.

The March of Dimes is the leading organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier March for Babies event, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit www.marchofdimes.com or www.nacersano.org.

Teach For America is a non-profit organization whose goal is to eradicate inequality in education through the recruitment and training of professionals and outstanding recent college graduates from all backgrounds and professional areas. The organization offers them an excellent opportunity to help their communities while at the same time allowing them to obtain a full-time job with a competitive salary, health benefits, financial support and training in different areas to ensure their success as educators and offer them the tools to become leaders and highly qualified professionals inside or outside the field of education. Additionally, becoming a member of Teach For America carries great prestige. BusinessWeek's 2009 ranking of "Best Places to Launch a Career" Teach For America came in at #7 and for the third year in a row was the top ranked non-profit organization.

Teach For America seeks individuals from all origins who have demonstrated leadership skills, high achievement in academic and extracurricular activities as well as in their work and family responsibilities. They will dedicate themselves to teaching in public schools, both in urban and rural areas, for a period of two years, offering the students in these low income communities, such as Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Chicago and Dallas, the opportunity to receive a high standard of education that is comparable to that found in schools in higher-income communities.

This 2009-2010 school year, Teach For America placed more than 4,000 new teachers in public schools in low-income communities across the country, representing the largest incoming corps in its history. They are now teaching in 35 urban and rural regions in over 100 school districts in 27 states and the District of Columbia. Some 7.3% identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino, which represents an increase of over 1.3% compared with the previous school year.

Amy, the story's main character, leaves her father's house and embarks on her adventure to attend school in Los Angeles. Like many college students, Amy works to support herself and attend class full-time. Encountering obstacles along the way, she never gives up on her dreams and is determined to prove to her father that she can make it on her own.

Named the most successful in her graduating class, Amy leaves to complete her internship requirement in a clinic headed by Dr. Brett Zuk. She is instantly taken back by his good looks and charming personality. The chemistry between each of them is evident as she and others notice his eyes always looking her way. Amy is confident that she has met the man of her dreams.

Amy's feelings and budding relationship with Dr. Zuk begin to cause a rift between her and her best friend, Lana. Jealous of Amy's new-found love, Lana begins lashing out at Amy and devises a plan in hopes of destroying her friend's romance. As the plot thickens, Amy begins to question Dr. Zuk's motives. She is left with feelings of doubt about their relationship, his love for her and wonders if she is a pawn in his game.

Author, Norma Madrigal spent her childhood years in Michoacan, Mexico, where she realized her passion for writing. Her love for drafting short stories, songs and poems earned her The International Library of Poetry's "Editor's Choice Award" in 2008. The author has plans to continue writing and publishing novels, with the goal of catching Hollywood's attention and seeing her novels acted out on the big screen. Madrigal resides in Oxnard, California where she works as a medical assistant and certified phlebotomist technician.
 

The conference will feature nearly two dozen sessions on a wide range of topics covering everything from how to generate coverage with the top Hispanic bloggers to best practices in Hispanic youth marketing to how to effectively manage corporate partnerships with Hispanic organizations. All of the professional development programs are being defined by a senior executive advisory board consisting of some of the most seasoned Hispanic PR pros in the corporate communications, agency, media and non-profit worlds.

The conference advisory board consists of: Cristina Alfaro (McDonald's); Jorge Diaz de Villegas (Fleishman); Aymee Zubizarreta (State Farm); Armando Azarloza (The Axis Agency); Alfredo Padilla (Comerica Bank), Ivette Zurita and Lourdes Rodriguez (Hispanic Public Relations Association); Stephen Chavez (Ketchum); Lorenzo Lopez (Walmart); John Echeveste (VPE Public Relations), Romina Bongiovanni (Edelman); Audrey Ponzio (Edelman); Rosa Alonso (My Latino Voice); Mario Flores (Sportivo/RL Public Relations) and Deborah Vallejo (Bromley).

In addition to quality professional development programs and networking opportunities, the conference will feature an exhibition area to connect Hispanic marketers with industry communications providers as well as key Hispanic organization exhibitors. Parallel to the main exhibition hall will be a first of its kind Hispanic Market Career Fair for companies, organizations and government agencies seeking talented Latinos in PR and advertising.

The full, detailed conference agenda/speakers will be released in early January but sponsorships and early bird registration are already available at the conference web site, www.HispanicPRConference.com or by contacting show director Ray Bianchi at 708-620-9738 or by emailing hispanicprblog@gmail.com. The conference will be held at the Sheraton Dallas.

To sign up for conference-related Twitter headlines subscribe at www.Twitter.com/HispanicPR.

Web Site: http://www.hpra-usa.org/

Pre-planning is important for overall success, and keeping some important tips in mind - and practicing those - can be the difference between a good experience during the holidays and a disaster. Here are some tips from Dr. Kim Dennis and the staff at Timberline Knolls for family members dealing with a loved one with an eating disorder:

Talk it Out

It's important for family members to be able to have open, honest and loving communications with their loved one. Family members need to be able to address what they are seeing and be able to state how they are feeling, as long as it's in a loving and supportive manner.

"If a family member, who has a loved one in recovery from bulimia or binge eating, wakes up and two leftover pumpkin pies are gone, it's important to address it, but address it in a loving manner. That's not always easy to do," said Dr. Dennis. "Yet, not saying anything is one of the worst things to do in the situation. The 'don't talk rule' is a big part of the disease and family members can help their loved ones recover with open, honest and loving dialog."

Join in Support

Support your loved ones by becoming involved in their support group and going to recovery meetings and family therapy sessions.

"It's important to stay in touch with your loved one's support environment, especially during the holidays because the disease doesn't take a holiday," added Dr. Dennis.

Ask Questions

Ask your loved one what would be helpful in their recovery, especially around the holidays.

"Are there certain foods that are triggers for their disease? If so, it's important, especially with loved ones in recovery from binge eating or bulimia, to get those foods that act as triggers out of the house," said Dr. Dennis.

Take Care of Yourself

While it's important for the person in recovery to continue to get support from support groups, sponsors, etc., it's just as important for family members to get their own support. By attending Family Anonymous or Al-Anon meetings, family members not only get the help needed to lovingly support someone in recovery, but also set an example to the person in recovery of the importance of support in the recovery process.

"Be in close contact with your sponsor or others in recovery before or after social and family gatherings," added Dr. Dennis. "Bringing along a support person, someone who knows what you are going through, is also a good idea."

As many as 10 million females and one million males are fighting a life and death battle with anorexia or bulimia and another 25 million are fighting a binge eating disorder, according to the National Eating Disorders Association. Eating disorders are usually shrouded in secrecy, but those who are suffering should realize that reaching out for assistance is the first step to getting back on track.

Located just outside Chicago, Timberline Knolls is an innovative residential treatment center designed exclusively for women. The center specializes in helping women aged 12 and older, offering treatment for eating disorders, substance abuse, co-occurring disorders and mood disorders.

Web Site: http://www.timberlineknolls.com/

1. Find out which plastics are accepted for recycling in your community and where they can be taken.  Though recycling options vary, most community curbside programs collect plastic bottles and many grocery and retail chains now offer bins to collect used plastic bags and wraps for recycling.  An increasing number of communities are also collecting rigid containers like yogurt and butter tubs.
 
2. Know what to recycle with your bottles.  A "bottle" is any container with a neck or opening that's smaller than its base and includes milk jugs; beverage containers; bottles from salad dressing, oil and other; food jars for items like peanut butter and mayonnaise; and bottles from shampoo, toiletries, laundry detergent and household cleaners.
 
3. Know what to recycle with your bags at grocery stores.  When you recycle your bags, include all plastic bags from grocery, retail and dry cleaning stores, plastic bags that cover newspapers, and product wraps from paper towels, napkins, bathroom tissue and diapers.
 
4. Clean and empty.  Before tossing them in the recycle bin, make sure bottles are appropriately rinsed and that caps are removed.
 
5. Bring bottles back to the bin.  When bottles are emptied away from home, store them in a backpack or briefcase, or simply leave them in the car until arriving home to place in a recycle bin.
 
6. Store bags in a bag. Storing plastic bags and wraps in a plastic bag offers neat, convenient storage. Simply knot the handles when you're ready to drop them off at your local grocer or retailer.
 
7. Reuse those bags! From trash can liners to pet pick-up, plastic bags can be used dozens of ways.
 
 8. Pitch in beyond the kitchen. While many recyclable bottles and bags come from the kitchen, don't forget to check the bathrooms and laundry room for shampoo and detergent bottles and reuse your plastic bags as trash can liners throughout the house.
 
9. When in doubt, leave it out. Be careful not to contaminate your recyclables with garbage or items that aren't recycled in your area.
 
10. Bridge the second generation gap.  It's important to remember that recycled plastics go on to become second generation products like carpet, fleece jackets and new bottles and bags.
 

Sponsored by Verizon Wireless, the national Hope Campaign puts the work of ending domestic violence in the hands of individuals and communities. A new, interactive Web site - www.casadeesperanza.org/hope-campaign - offers tools, tips and ideas for people to get involved in the Hope Campaign, including taking the Pledge of Hope - a personal commitment to ground relationships in love, respect and understanding.

In addition to taking the Pledge of Hope, the Campaign provides:
  --  Access to resources and information about domestic violence and ways
      to promote healthy relationships.
  --  Ideas to support domestic violence prevention through fundraising
      events with the Hope Campaign or by donating no-longer-used cell
      phones to HopeLine®, Verizon Wireless's phone recycling program.

  --  Tools for shelter or agency workers to help explain domestic violence
      to children and other community members.

A key element of the Hope Campaign is new audio and video public service announcements, available in both English and Spanish, that remind us of the positive impact we all can make through our words and actions. To preview or order the PSAs, visit www.casadeesperanza.org/hope-campaign.

The Hope Campaign was created from the belief that no one is born violent - violence is a learned behavior. We all have the opportunity and responsibility to take small, but important, action in our daily lives and to promote hope, not fear and peace, not violence.