Healthy New Albany Magazine May/June 2020

May/June 2020

MAGAZINE

Above and beyond during the health pandemic

Inside Michael Phelps Jefferson Series Postponed Enjoying Local Parks Safely De-stress With Healthful Foods

COMMUNITY. WHEN PEOPLE COME TOGETHER, G R E AT T H I N G S H A P P E N .

As partners in a master-planned community, New Albany collaborates with our residents and businesses to create a shared vision for the future that brings people together to do more than just live or work. It’s a friendly, inclusive community that makes you feel at home, encourages a healthy, active lifestyle, nurtures the creative spirit, invests in lifelong learning, supports business and protects the environment for future generations. It’s more than a place, it’s a way of life.

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inside

May/June 2020 Vol. 9, No. 4

7 First Glance

Letter from the Executive Editor

8 In & Out What’s happening in and out of New Albany

9 Bookmarks Recommended reads from Healthy New Albany Magazine

10 My Story Dave Wharton

12 Personalities Michael Phelps will speak in 2021 about his mental health journey and breaking the stigma

15 On the Path Community steps up to help New Albany Food Panty during pandemic

34 24 One Rad Mission Working to build a skate park that honors a friend, mentor and son

27 Community Foundation Series Mental Health conversations with the NACF lead to community action

34 Getting Some Fresh Air A refreshing and socially distant stroll through local parks

39 Food

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Foods that de-stress and impress

42 Roaring Good Books New Albany Middle School seventh-grader writes children’s books with grandfather

20 Initiatives Annual report highlights city’s success

44 On the Horizon Digital tattoos are more utility than body art

48 Scene in New Albany

On the Cover Jennifer Wilcoxon, NAFP director, and Regina Valentini, NAFP treasurer and donor stewardship 2

Follow Healthy New Albany on Instagram! @healthynewalbany Share comments/feedback at lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

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Creative Director

Mallory Arnold Rocco Falleti

Associate Editors

Amanda DePerro Josh Poland, Emily Real, Bob Valasek, Dave Wharton Natalie Caswell, Gillian Janicki Brendan Martin, Sarah Robinson Jessica Flowers

Contributing Editor Contributing Writers Editorial Assistants Advertising Sales Office Manager

Healthy New Albany Magazine Advisory Board Healthy New Albany Magazine is the Official Publication of Healthy New Albany, Inc., convened by The New Albany Community Foundation.

Jamie Allen, M.D. Darrin Bright, M.D.

That’s why I’m proud to be here to help life go right – and to support New Albany.

Editor

Gary Hoffman

Paula Harer, Carrie Thimmes

Community means everything.

President/CEO

Michael Sawyers

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center OhioHealth New Albany-Plain Local Schools

™

If there’s anything you need, call me.

Lisa Hinson Benita Jackson, M.D., M.P.H. Craig Mohre David Sabgir, M.D.

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State Farm, Bloomington, IL

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Hinson Ltd. Public Relations Medical Mutual New Albany Community Foundation Mount Carmel Health System Nationwide Children’s Hospital

The Publisher welcomes contributions in the form of manuscripts, drawings, photographs or story ideas to consider for possible publication. Enclose a SASE with each submission or email lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com. Publisher does not assume responsibility for loss or damage.

The appearance of advertising in Healthy New Albany Magazine does not constitute an endorsement of the advertiser’s product or service by the City of New Albany or Healthy New Albany, Inc. Healthy New Albany Magazine is published in January, March, May, July, September and November. Subscriptions are free for households within New Albany-Plain Local Schools. For advertising information or bulk purchases, contact Gianna Barrett at 614-572-1255 or gbarrett@cityscenemediagroup.com.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of the publishers. Healthy New Albany Magazine is a registered trademark of CityScene Media Group. Printed in the U.S.A. ©2020

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Voting Closes May 15! www.CitySceneColumbus.com www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

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first glance

We Need Your Help Dear New Albany Resident: As the Executive Director of Healthy New Albany, I’m writing to you for your support during these uncertain times. Like other nonprofit organizations, Healthy New Albany has endured a significant loss of revenue due to the COVID-19 concerns. We have been set back significantly as we have had to cancel our events, especially our races, which serve as a major source of income.

Healthy New Albany has served the community for 10 years with the last five years housed at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany. We have continued to provide health services and programs that are unparalleled. Among our programs and services are the following.

• Farmers markets and community garden • I Am Thriving, a program for women cancer survivors • New Albany Food Pantry • New Albany Walking Classic • Studio 55+ for the older adult population • Wellness retreats • Healthy New Albany Magazine • Cooking classes for kids and adults • Stress reduction classes for kids and adults • Halloween’s Trick, It’s a Treat • Health fairs • And hundreds more!

During the health pandemic, Healthy New Albany has stepped up its efforts to promote wellness for kids and their parents with the initiation of the virtual New Albany Kids Marathon, a collaborative effort with the City of New Albany, the New AlbanyPlain Local School District and Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Read more about the kids marathon and how to participate on page 16. We have opened our food pantry so that no one in our community should go hungry. Healthy New Albany has been communicating with our older adults to be sure they are safe and that their concerns are addressed as best as possible. And the acts of kindness grow every day.

We want to continue to promote a culture of health in our community and serve you as best we can. You can help support our efforts. Please consider making a donation by visiting www.HealthyNewAlbany.org and clicking Donate on the home page.

Please know your contribution will make a difference.

Stay well,

Phil Heit, Executive Director

www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

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in & out

What's happening in and out of New Albany

The calendar reflects information as of April 15. Events are subject to change due to health concerns.

New Albany Kids Marathon – Virtual Throughout New Albany www.nakidsmarathon.com

POSTPONED, date TBD Originally Friday, May 1

New Albany Food Pantry Lunch & Learn Series #3 The Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany www.newalbanychamber.com

CANCELED Originally Tuesday, May 5

I Am Thriving – An Experience for Cancer Survivors

The Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany www.healthynewalbany.org/i-am-thriving

POSTPONED to 2021, date TBD

Jefferson Series with Michael Phelps

Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts www.mccoycenter.org

Friday, May 8

Beau Schoener Memorial Golf Outing

9 a.m.-8 p.m., New Albany Links Golf Course www.nafirefightersfoundation.org

Saturday, May 9

HeartMath Level 1 & 2 Workshop

9 a.m.-4p.m., InStill Wellness www.integro-restore.com

CANCELED Originally Sunday, May 10

Saturday-Sunday, May 23-24

Red Twig Farms – Peony Fest

8 a.m.-4 p.m., 14401 Jug St. www.redtwigfarms.com

Mother’s Day 5K

Easton Town Center www.momday5k.com

POSTPONED to Sept. 26

Rose Run 5K

Rose Run Park www.runsignup.com

POSTPONED to Sept. 26

2020 New Albany Founders Day Parade Rose Run Park www.newalbanyfoundersday.com

Saturday, May 23

Ohio Honor Ride

Saturday, May 30

Connecting Hearts

10 a.m.-4 p.m., InStill Wellness www.integro-restore.com

8 a.m.-noon, The Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany www.r2r.convio.net

Sunday, May 31

Saturday, May 23 and June 13

9 a.m., Bevelhymer Park www.racepenguin.com

Sound Bath with Sandra Solano

10-11 a.m., InStill Wellness www.integro-restore.com

Capes & Crowns 5K

Saturday, June 20

New Albany Symphony Orchestra Gala

5 p.m., Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts www.newalbanysymphony.com

Submit Your Event Do you have an event you would like to submit to our calendar? Send details and photos to lfreudenberg@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

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www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Photos courtesy of Plain Township Fire Department and Red Twig Farms

Through May 31

Thursday, June 25

Farmers Market Opening 4-7 p.m., Market Square www.healthynewalbany.org

Thursday, June 25

Nature Roars Back with Bob Poole

7 p.m., Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts www.mccoycenter.com

CANCELED Originally Saturday, June 27

New Albany Kid’s Triathlon

Plain Township Aquatic Center and the Wexner Community Park www.newalbanykidstriathlon.com

bookmarks

S

ince many community events are canceled or postponed, you might have more free time during these spring and summer months. So why not grab a good book and head outside to lounge in the sun? Here are some health-centered reads Healthy New Albany Magazine recommends.

The Body: A Guide for Occupants

The Happiness Curve: Why Life Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Gets Better After 50 Power of Sleep and Dreams

by Jonathan Rauch

by Matthew Walker

This book explores the myriad facts and mysteries of the human body. Following A Short History on Nearly Everything, Bryson does it again by captivating his audience with astonishing facts. After reading this book, you’ll realize how little you knew about yourself.

Say goodbye to that midlife crisis.

While many people believe that life plateaus after reaching middle age, this could not be further from the truth. Utilizing cutting edge research and his own life experiences, Rauch convinces you that life only gets better the older you get.

The University of California, Berkeley’s sleep expert explains the recent scientific discoveries behind the purpose and benefits of sleep.

Once you finish this book, you’ll understand why it’s a New York Times Best Seller and why you need that extra hour to snooze.

Alphabreaths: The ABCs of Mindful Breathing

by Christopher Willard and Daniel Rechtschaffen

How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss

The Vegetarian Silver Spoon: Classic and Contemporary Italian Recipes

Here is the cutest book on mindfulness possibly ever created. Using simple language and adorable cartoon characters, Alphabreaths teaches your young kids how to cope with anxiety. This book demonstrates how to take a deep breather from those pesky bad thoughts all while helping children learn the alphabet.

Trying to lose weight, but nothing seems to work? This book helps you reassess the way you think of dieting altogether. Using the latest scientific breakthroughs, Greger gives a thorough list of why your diets aren’t working and explains ways to permanently lose unwanted fat.

by Bill Bryson

www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

by Michael Greger

by The Silver Spoon Kitchen

The 70-yearold Italian cookbook known as The Silver Spoon in English goes plant-based in this new cookbook, featuring more than 200 vegetarian and vegan recipes. The book notes that “the Italian diet has never centered on meat,” and that its home-style cooking “more often revolves around substantial vegetarian dishes like grains and stews.”

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my story

By Dave Wharton

Editor’s Note: “My Story” is a first-person column by a New Albany community member that centers around health.

Have a story to share? Email lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com. Submissions should be no more than 1,000 words.

Just Keep Swimming How I never let my hard hearing impact my Olympic journey

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www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Photo courtesy of Dave Wharton

A

t the young age of 6, I joined the summer league swim team – mainly because I just wanted to follow my other brothers who were also involved.

The sport suited my brothers and me since we all had some form of moderate to severe hearing loss. We all grew up with hearing aids and a speech therapist.

Thankfully, the sense isn’t crucial to your swimming abilities. When you dive in, your head is in the water, you’re focused on the race and you can’t really change anything at that point. No coach is yelling at you from the sidelines and verbal teammate communication becomes nonexistent.

As for school, we were taught how to communicate efficiently at a very young age. We were encouraged to ask our teachers questions if we missed some- Dave Wharton has coached swimming for New Albany-Plain Local Schools since 1987. thing and to sit in the first row of the classroom. I went through my in the afternoon to practice more. I did I was young though, and I knew bouts in middle school with people that every day, Monday through Friday. my Olympic career wasn’t over. I rewho made fun of me and didn’t un- Finally, the Olympics in Seoul came. turned the following Summer Olymderstand, but I didn’t let it get the best Now, when I broke my record in pics in 1992, but unfortunately, I didn’t of me because they didn’t know what 1987, that record actually got broken perform as well. Obviously, competing I could do in a pool – especially since five days later in Europe and that athlete in the Olympics is still an amazing exI was quickly becoming a pretty good was also attending the 1988 Olympics. perience though; being in the Olympic swimmer.

Our “rivalry” caught the media’s attention Village, forming friendships, getting to By the time high school rolled because I’m hard of hearing and this watching the Olympics after I competaround, thoughts of the Olympics be- other swimmer was blind in one eye. ed, it was all pretty cool. gan swimming through my mind, quite So, yeah, we both have these qualities – Even though I’m not a competitive literally. Before I graduated high school but we proved we could overcome them swimmer anymore, swimming is still a in 1987, I had already competed on a and still be the best in the world. huge part of my life. national team for a couple of years and The beauty with swimming is it’s not I coached at The Ohio State Universiimmediately after high school, I set my like my opponent is reaching over into ty for four years and loved every moment. first world record. When it came time my lane and holding me back. It’s all When you’re coaching, you’re trying to get to compete in the 1988 Olympics, the about your preparation and what you do people to reach their highest potential. So, pressure of swimming on an interna- in your lane. You can’t control anything if you do everything and you listen and tional scale wasn’t too intimidating, but else. It’s a mental game at that point as you’re coachable, you can walk away with training full-time was new. far as your competition is concerned. an experience. You may not walk away I got up, I trained for two hours in the In the end, my “rival” took home with an Olympic medal, but if you reach morning, did some kind of land workout, gold and I the silver. At least we proved your highest potential with what you put in, then took a nap. Then, I would go back that you can overcome any challenges. then you should be proud.

My longtime coaching track resides in New Albany. I started in 1997 and every moment has been amazing. I translate my experiences into telling students that the amount of work they put into their training will dictate their results.

You carry that hard work ethic forward in whatever life stage – whether it’s college or a job or something else. The life lessons I learned along the way is what I try to teach these younger kids.

Dave Wharton is a 1988 Olympic silver medalist for the 400-meter medley. Wharton is the director of New Albany Parks & Recreation and coaches swimming for New AlbanyPlain Local Schools.

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personalities

By Lydia Freudenberg

More than Gold Michael Phelps will speak in 2021 about his mental health journey and breaking the stigma

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See Phelps in 2021 The ticket sale started, the crowds rushed to purchase a voucher and within an hour the seats were sold out. Waiting for the event seemed unbearable, as the New Albany community was ready to hear the athlete’s story. Then came a curveball – COVID-19.

Phelps was scheduled to speak at the New Albany Community Foundation’s Jefferson Series on May 7, but the presentation is postponed to 2021. A new date will be determined. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Photos courtesy of Hinson LTD

M

ichael Phelps has a story to tell, and it’s not about his 23 Olympic gold medals.

A few years ago, Phelps opened up about his struggles with mental health. It was shocking – how could a young, fit and incredibly successful person struggle with his mental health? That’s the problem: there is a stigma associated with mental health. Now officially retired from his swimming career, Phelps is on a mission to change that perspective.

eight events during the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, as he turned around to check the results and cheering in the lane while splashing water, hollering and smiling ear to ear.

But underneath lurked emotions too many of us are familiar with – depression and anxiety.

In a recent Washington Post article, Phelps shared his story in light of a lawsuit against the U.S. Olympic Committee for mishandling mental health issues.

The suit was filed by William Moreau, the former vice president of medicine for the U.S Olympics & Paralympic Committee, who claims he was fired for standing up for athletes.

Journalist Sally Jenkins asked Phelps how Olympic leaders responded when he announced his struggles with depression. He took a long, intentional pause. “That’s what I got from them,” he said: total silence.

The lawsuit is still underway, and Phelps says he hopes it brings light to the grave situation that occurs in sports organizations. Supporting the suit is just a sliver of his efforts, though.

“We believe this is in the best interest of the health and safety of our audience,” says Craig Mohre, president of the NACF. The presentation is now scheduled for the 2020-2021 season and will still occur at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts. For pre-purchased ticket questions and information, visit www.mccoycenter.org.

Phelps appeared in the 2017 documentary Angst in which he opened up about getting bullied at a young age and experiencing mental health problems. He works with Talkspace, an online therapy resource, and created a campaign about getting help. And even though the Michael Phelps Foundation works to “promote healthy, active lives, especially for children,” having a healthy life also means addressing mental health issues, and that’s what Phelps’ postswimming career is all about.

Phelps told NBC’s TODAY in 2018 that, in 2014, he “didn’t want to be alive.” After addressing his problems and working with a therapist, he found hope and now wants to break the stigma – especially for kids and young people. Suicide was the second largest cause of death for people ages 10 to 34 in 2017, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

“I’m now addressing these issues that I have and I’m openly talking about it,” Phelps said in the TODAY interview. “(We’re) really trying to take the stigma away, especially for kids.”

We’re Here To Help You. ( 61 4 ) 8 5 5 - 870 0 TH E R A I N ESG RO U P.CO M

A Mental Health Journey Watching Phelps do the butterfly stroke is like watching a professional ice skater land a triple axel – it’s fascinating, nerve-racking and rewarding to witness someone excel so phenomenally and beat the competition.

Over the course of his 16-year Olympic journey, Phelps was so successful that he currently holds the record of the most gold medals in Olympic history. Many of us can recall the video of Phelps winning his eight of www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

We Are In This Together!

We’ve lived in New Albany since 1998 and have seen our community come together during challenging times throughout the years. We care deeply about the safety and health of our community and we are here to help. Our team is looking forward to the day when this is behind us and we are stronger. Rose Run Park will open this summer and will be a wonderful place to celebrate all that we have overcome!

- Sandy and Ron

Sa n dy R a i n e s • c eo

r o n c a d i e u x • P r i n c i pa l

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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Continuing the Conversation Clearly, the 34 year old is staying busy after his swimming career. He’s still bringing light to a topic that is stigmatized and rarely addressed in businesses, communities or families, which is the exact goal of the Jefferson Series in recent years.

New Albany recognizes the power of Phelps’ voice and ability to resonate with adults, who may also experience mental health problems but are unsure of how to address them, and with young students, who probably watched

...the Michael Phelps Foundation works to “promote healthy, active lives, especially for children,” having a healthy life also means addressing mental health issues, and that’s what Phelps’ post-swimming career is all about. him swim like a superhuman during the Olympics yet still shows vulnerability.

“We believe he’ll connect with everyone, especially the students,” Mohre says. “He has made removing the stig-

Independent and Assisted Living • Memory Care Adult Day Care • Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation

ma around mental health a priority and that’s our objective, so we believe he’s a perfect fit.”

As for the tickets selling out in one hour, Mohre isn’t surprised.

“Clearly he generated a lot of excitement in the community. People want to hear his perspective,” he says. “Most importantly, we believe he will advance the shared vision we have for wellness and well-being in our community.”

To learn more about the Jefferson Series, read It’s Time to Talk on page 27.

Lydia Freudenberg is an editor.

Feedback welcome at lfreudenberg@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

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CONNECT

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on the path

By Lydia Freudenberg

Photos courtesy of the New Albany Food Pantry

Taking a Stand

Community steps up to help New Albany Food Pantry during pandemic

F

ew of us expected COVID-19 to get this close to home, but it did.

With a pandemic comes so much more than monitoring your health and practicing social distancing. Around 500 New Albany-Plain Local School District students who relied on a free or reduced lunch have been forced to find an alternative, and people who lost their jobs due to businesses closing – whether permanently or temporarily – may experience financial insecurities. One effect is disheartening, earth-shattering and invisible: hunger.

The New Albany Food Pantry recognizes these problems, and it’s clear the community does too. Over the course of the pandemic, volunteers, Healthy New Albany employees and organizations have stepped up as more local families need assistance from the NAFP. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

New Albany Food Pantry workers and volunteers are dedicated to the community. (Please note, this photo was taken before the six feet apart order.)

Angela Douglas, NAFP director, says the New Albany Community Foundation, local churches, school partners and nonprofit like the New Albany Women’s Network have pitched in to uplift families suddenly stricken with an urgent and unexpected need.

“We’ve always had a group of wonderful community supporters, but a crisis seems to help people slow down and remember what life is about – how fragile we all are as humans,” Douglas says.

The NACF expedited a $10,000 grant to the NAFP, a tremendous contribution since every dollar donated provides $10 worth of food and many of the upcoming NAFP fundraisers are expected to be canceled. Even though in-person donations have been suspended, hundreds of New Albany residents have

given grocery store gift cards and donations via Amazon Clicklist.

Beyond New Albany

Helping your community is vital during the pandemic, but it’s also important to realize that millions are facing hard times across the country and world. Feeding American is the nation’s largest domestic hungerrelief organization and it’s currently working overtime.

The organization recently launched the COVID-19 Response Fund that will help individuals facing hunger and food banks that provide resources. Visit www.feedingamerica. org to learn more about its efforts and how you can help.

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New Kid on the Block

A new race is in New Albany and it’s practicing social distancing.

The New Albany Kids Marathon is a virtual marathon, 26.2 miles, that will run through May 31. Registration remains open and in its first month, 600 boys and girls signed up to participate in this unique initiative.

Even though it’s called the Kids Marathon, families and relatives who are self-quarantined with the participating children are encouraged to join.

“The New Albany Kids Marathon was created to provide an opportunity for families to exercise together and not only promote family connectedness but, first and foremost, to get kids moving,” says Dr. Philip Heit, executive director of Healthy New Albany.

Heit and his team understand that social distancing fatigue has set in for many families, so the race is an added incentive so that kids can work toward a goal of accumulating enough miles equivalent to completing a full marathon.

“The importance of keeping boys and girls engaged in physical activity is paramount to promoting a healthy lifestyle, especially during these uncertain times,” Heit says.

For more information, visit www.nakidsmarathon.com.

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Students give their time at the New Albany Food Pantry. (Please note, this photo was taken before the six feet apart order.)

It may seem like a lot, but the pantry isn’t just providing groceries through a drive-up service to eliminate contact. School break boxes, originally designed to help families during spring break, go to families until the summer meal program begins.

“Adding these weekly food boxes in addition to our normal pantry shopping operations has increased our need for food and money to purchase food,” Douglas says.

The NAFP is gaining more than monetary and physical items, it’s also received praise from its clients, proving its efforts are making an impact.

“Thank you all so much for being a light in my (and my son’s) lives. You will never truly know how grateful I am for each of you. Your smiles, graciousness, your time and just your person means so much. You’ve forever blessed our lives,” says an anonymous client.

Another client says the pantry has helped their large family.

“You don’t realize what a difference this food is making,” they say. “I don’t know what I’d be feeding my three children if it weren’t for the pantry.”

The NAFP understands that it’s not the only community experiencing difficult times – especially since food pantries across Ohio are also in high demand, thus items normally provided by the Mid-Ohio Food Collective are scarce. So, it teamed up with Walnut Ridge and other central Ohio areas to provide and share resources. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

A Solid Foundation

The New Albany Community Foundation is a positive force, and its efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic prove its passion for helping not only its community but central Ohio.

“The response to this adversity underscores that our community knows how to come together. We share concern for family, friends and neighbors across central Ohio as well,” the NACF says in a statement.

Including the $10,000 expedited grant to the New Albany Food Pantry, the foundation also provided the following: • $10,000 grant to NAPLS “to provide resources to directly support student learning and individual student needs to protect the safety and welfare of our children during the COVID-19 health crisis.”

• Provided a $20,000 grant to the COVID-19 Fund of The Columbus Foundation, which is supporting a number of initiatives to help central Ohio residents.

Additionally, the Jefferson Series featuring Michael Phelps has been postponed to 2021.

To learn more, read More than Gold on page 12.

For more information about how the NACF is helping during the pandemic, visit www.new albanyfoundation.org.

“The nature of this pandemic, the spreading virus, reminds us that we are all connected, literally and figuratively,” Douglas says.

“The world is much smaller and more interdependent than many realize on a daily basis. Our barriers are, in many respects, imaginary and contrived.”

GET TO KNOW THE UNMATCHED SERVICE & QUALITY OF

Even in these uncertain times, Douglas and her team are positive and appreciate every helping hand – even if they’re six feet away.

“It’s a joy to be able to work alongside caring citizens to care for our neighbors,” Douglas says, “which is exactly what we all should be doing – in the difficult

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days of a crisis and in the happy days of normal life.”

Lydia Freudenberg is an editor.

Feedback welcome at lfreudenberg@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

Powerful Numbers

Between mid-March and the beginning of April, the New Albany Food Pantry compiled an impressive number of items to help students and families in need. And they aren’t slowing down.

• More than 600 boxes of donations via Amazon • At least 726 items, many of which were cases of products • Donations from 213 people/families • The donations weighed nearly 5,500 pounds • 25 activity bags for local students and kids, which were assembled by a single donor • $15,000 from individual donors

Just within the first fews weeks of the pandemic, the NAFP received numerous donations via Amazon thanks to local donors.

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19

initiatives

By Josh Poland

Always Advancing F

rom new amenities in the Village Center to the addition of new businesses at our International Business Park, New Albany witnessed exciting growth in 2019. You received the City of New Albany’s 2019 Annual Report in the mail with this issue of Healthy New Albany Magazine as a joint mailer. As you review it, the City’s accomplishments during the past year include the following.

Rose Run Park

Rose Run Park is now complete after more than 16 months of construction, and we were able to open DublinGranville Road to the public four months ahead of schedule.

Rose Run Park will add even more vibrancy to the heart of town as it connects people to nature, our civic amenities and each other, while preserving green space between Market Square and the school learning campus.

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Planning for the second phase of Rose Run Park (the south side of Dublin-Granville Road near Village Hall and the current Duke & Duchess gas station and convenience store) will begin in earnest this year. This second phase will feature additional green space that includes special recognition of the original New Albany Cemetery, connector bridges, trails and up to 79,000 square feet of additional commercial space in the core of town that will serve as a natural extension to the new park area just completed.

Community Development

This past year was a phenomenal year for development, especially in the New Albany International Business Park.

Google broke ground on its data center across the street from Facebook, which held its own data center grand opening earlier this year. These two businesses are just two parts of more www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Photos courtesy of the City of New Albany

Annual report highlights city’s success

A Google data center is now a part of the New Albany Business Park community.

than $5 billion in private investment represented in our business park. With the recent announcement that healthcare startup hims & hers has chosen the New Albany International Business Park for its

mail-order pharmacy and fulfillment center, it’s looking like 2020 will be another great year for development.

In case you’re wondering why all of this is important, the local income taxes

Mayor Sloan Spalding at Facebook’s grand opening on Feb. 6, 2020.

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The New Albany Police Department earned national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in 2019.

from our companies and their employees constitute 84 percent of the city’s general fund budget for services and infrastructure. Attracting and retaining businesses is vitally important to the community to maintain the level of service and quality of life that we provide for our residents, and to increase revenues for our schools. Since our business park was instituted, New Albany-Plain Local School revenues from development in our business park exceeds $75 million. Â

The City of New Albany is dedicated to maintaining and constantly improving its city.

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www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Last year was an outstanding year for our community, and even though 2020 has seen stressful times, there are sunny days ahead.

City Services

Here are just a few items showcasing our 2019 departmental success: Our police department earned national accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) after three years of work. This accreditation reflects to our residents and business partners how committed the NAPD is to meet a national standard of excellence.

Our public service department completed the final phase one of a three-year project to replace streetlight fixtures with new LED bulbs that last longer and cost less to operate. They also installed signalized (push button) pedestrian crossing signage at three locations on Market Street and completed the section of leisure trail on Dublin-Granville Road from Brooksview Place to Meadway Drive. Our leisure trail network now exceeds 53 miles.

Our finance department received Ohio Auditor of State Award with Distinction for financial reporting and the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for New Albany’s comprehensive annual financial report (CAFR). This certificate from the Government Finance Officers Association is its highest form of governmental accounting recognition.

I encourage you to read about the City’s other achievements from the past year and review our financials in the annual report. Last year was an outstanding year for our community, and even though 2020 has seen stressful times, there are sunny days ahead. You can also find a link to this information and stay up to date on the latest New Albany news by visiting www.newalbanyohio. org and by following us on social media @newalbanyohio.

Josh Poland is a public information officer for the City of New Albany. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

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One Mission Working to build a skate park that honors a friend, mentor and son

By Sarah Robinson

lex Colson was a friend to everyone. He spent time with his friends and was a mentor to younger kids, but above all, he welcomed anyone whose path crossed his.

Last August, he died in a hiking accident at Hocking Hills, leaving an impossible-to-fill hole in many hearts. A few days later, a petition was started to build a skate park in New Albany in Alex’s name. Today that petition has more than 2,000 signatures and a committee of 50-plus members to back it up – proof of how special Alex was, and the impact he’s made on the community.

New Albany residents will sometimes venture to downtown Columbus to skate.

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It all started with the online petition. Colson’s friend and fellow skateboarder, Julius Perez, created it on a Sunday night and

by Monday morning everyone was talking about it. From there, it snowballed into the movement it is today.

From the first meeting of a few friends gathered around a kitchen table to monthly meetings in the community room at New Albany Intermediate School, the committee has been hard at work. Each month or when possible, they meet to go over updates, talk about their efforts and figure out what to do next.

At any given meeting, at least seven adults and twice as many teens are present and contributing passionately to the conversation.

In March, the committee met and talked about how important it is to commemorate their friend.

“Having the skate park in Alex’s name is a symbol of his passion and determination and who he was as a person. This is letting that live on in his community,” says Chloe Delma, a committee member. “He wasn’t just a boy who was skateboarding, he was the kid who was skateboarding.” www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Photos courtesy of Karyn Hasler

The Alex Colson Skate Park Committee

Committee members (left to right) Mitchell Neff, Gavin Williams, Alex Shroyer, Cameron Jones and Evan Monroe.

they compete at their own pace. And, it gets them outside.”

Many young, local skaters wouldn’t have to travel out of town to skate and the new area could be a place to hang out.

“There are more and more people skateboarding,” Yee says. “We’re just trying to do our thing and have a safe place to do it.” n Alex Colso

The day after Colson died, local skateboarders got together to remember their friend. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

“It’s hard to put into words just how impactful Alex was and how much better he made my life,” says Tyler Yee, a committee member. “It would be really cool for people to be like, ‘Wanna go to the Colson later?’”

Alex’s classmate and close friend Cameron Kisiel says it’s about remembering and honoring their friend.

“He was deprived of the rest of his life,” he says. “This is the least we can do to commemorate him.”

The committee isn’t just students, though. Some of the parents are involved and talk about how important it is for New Albany to have a skate park.

“As a parent I think it’s important to have a safer place, a designated place, for the kids to go to skate,” says Melissa Patterson. “It’s an individual sport where

New Albany’s Skaters

Everyone has seen them outside, in the neighborhoods, on the streets and in the parking lots: the skateboarders.

Don’t let stereotypes from the ’90s fool you, though. These kids are nothing like the troublemakers that Hollywood paints them to be.

“If anything, skateboarding is helping people take better care of their mental and physical health,” Yee says. “It’s an outlet to turn all the stress into something more positive.”

New Albany’s skateboarders are a resilient group of dedicated kids who love spending time outside and see skateboarding as both an outlet for stress and as an art form. These athletes get a lot out of the sport: balance, dedication, resilience and goal setting.

“It takes just as much as a musician or a football player,” Perez says.

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How Can You Help?

Donate to the skate park committee by dropping some coins in the donation jars around the city, or visit its Gofundme at www.gofundme.com/f/alex-colsonskate-park.

Give time, resources or expertise by contacting the committee through its social media: Instagram @acskatepark and Facebook at Alex Colson Skate Park.

Check out Alex Colson Skate Park merchandise like custom sweatshirts and wristbands, also on its social media.

And, of course, join the committee!

The local skating community is as diverse as it is welcoming.

“It doesn’t matter; BMX, scooters, skateboarding, everyone’s in it. It’s not just a skateboarder helping a skateboarder, it’s everyone,” says Alex Shroyer, another skater and committee member.

The Alex Colson Skate Park Committee is dedicated to encompassing Colson’s genuine and accepting spirit by making the park accessible to everyone. This means building a park that’s welcome to all ages and skaters, including WCMX, or wheelchair motorcross, skaters.

“There’s no great wheelchairaccessible skate parks in the area,” says Karyn Hasler, a parent and committee member. “We want to be allinclusive, just like Alex was.”

The skateboarders and young adults of New Albany are working on solidifying a location, and quickly. More and more parking lots are putting up strict no skateboarding signs, and some people aren’t happy to see the kids skating in their neighborhood.

“A skate park in New Albany would get us out of their hair a bit,” says Perez.

“There’s a lot of places for younger kids to

go have fun, but a lack of places for teenagers and young adults. If we had a place to go, it would help with the community.”

In the past few years, a number of communities around Columbus have built skate parks and seen great success from them. New Albany strives to be an active and engaged community and a skate park is working to be the next agenda topic.

Sarah Robinson is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

community foundation series

By Bob Valasek

This is the third installment of a six-part series in 2020 highlighting the New Albany Community Foundation as it celebrates 25 years of transformative impact on our community.

It’s Time to Talk

Mental health conversations with the NACF lead to community action

Photo courtesy of James DeCamp

F

or the last 20 years, the New Albany Community Foundation has taken the lead to start conversations about challenges facing New Albany residents.

Around the time of the first Jefferson Series lecture, central Ohio experienced an increase in teen suicides, raising concern among residents, school officials and city leaders who understood New Albany was not immune to the trend. Communities can choose to ignore such issues in order to avoid any perceived negative attention, but New Albany chose to confront the problems head-on. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

“In New Albany, we care about everybody and we wanted to find a way for the community to express this,” says Craig Mohre, president of the NACF. “We looked to start a community discussion that would help remove the stigma associated with mental illness.”

The foundation decided to make mental health a focus by encouraging community dialogue and awareness of resources. During the 2015,16 Jefferson Series season, the NACF took its first public step toward convening a community conversation about eliminating the stigma associated with mental health related topics, but it didn’t hap-

pen overnight. There was significant work done behind the scenes prior to Mariel Hemingway coming to New Albany, and significant progress has been made in the years since.

Hemingway had just written a book chronicling her famous family’s generational battle with mental illnesses. The timely subject matter coupled with her celebrity status was a perfect fit for a Jefferson Series lecture, and the community response was tremendous.

The next day, Rocky Fork Company owner Brian Bailey, who had attended the Hemingway lecture, visited Mohre in his office. Bailey wanted to make a cor27

James DeCamp Lorn Spolter

Elizabeth Vargas meets with New Albany-Plain Local Schools faculty and staff during her 2018 visit.

Lorn Spolter

Patrick Kennedy speaks with local mental health professionals at a session convened by the NACF at the Philip Heit Center for Healthy New Albany during his 2017 Jefferson Series visit.

Kennedy meets with students during his visit.

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porate gift to support evidenced-based behavioral health programming. Another anonymous donor decided to establish a fund that would engage the schools in confronting mental illness, and the seeds for the Well-Being Initiative were planted. The Well-Being Initiative is a group of community leaders working in collaboration with school officials to create a best-in-class well-being model focused on New Albany students.

With an enthusiastic endorsement from New Albany-Plain Local School District Superintendent Michael Sawyers, many people were eager to get involved.

“The foundation’s impact is quite real and aligns with our district’s purpose: to create a culture of accountability that achieves the best academic and developmental outcomes for each student,” says Sawyers. “For many years now, the New Albany Community Foundation has realized our school district’s need to support the developmental aspects of educating our students.”

One of the initial supporters of this conversation was Fran Horowitz, chief executive officer of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. “Nothing could be a more timely or relevant topic than mental health,” she says. “Through various causes we support, we understand the severity of mental health issues facing our communities today, and A&F Co. is dedicated to driving awareness and providing funding to local, national and global organizations supporting those in need.”

Another important early contributor to the effort was Rick Bayer. Bayer spent years volunteering with Concord Counseling and knew immediately that he wanted to help with this burgeoning project. As the momentum grew, so did the understanding that the focus needed to be broader than addressing only mental illness; it needed to emphasize total well-being.

“Our ultimate goal is to help each student navigate the inevitable challenges they will experience during this stage in their lives and give them a solid wellbeing foundation they can build upon into adulthood,” Bayer says.

Looking to keep the community energized while building off of Hemingway’s successful appearance, the foundation brought Patrick Kennedy to New Albany as part of the 2016-17 Jefferson Series www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Photos courtesy of Lorn Spolter

Results of the student mental health interaction led by Nationwide Children’s Hospital at the Glenn Close Jefferson Series Student Lecture in 2019. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

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James DeCamp Lorn Spolter

Students throughout central Ohio attend the Jefferson Series lectures, including the 2018 Vargas event.

Lorn Spolter

season. Kennedy’s discussion provided the community with another success story as he recounted anecdotes from his life that demonstrated the power of a substantial support system.

In addition to the Jefferson Series lectures, the foundation gifts students each speaker’s book, and provides the opportunity for them to attend a special student lecture event to ask questions and learn more about the speaker. To date, more than 14,000 students from over 50 area schools and youth organizations have attended Jefferson Series events, including the well-being focused lectures given by Mariel Hemingway, Patrick Kennedy, Elizabeth Vargas, Glenn Close and in the coming season, Michael Phelps.

The Well-Being Initiative’s success depends on an all-hands-on-deck approach to create the type of support system that Kennedy touted. Sarah Underhill led the Parent Education Team and works to involve families in the initiative. Underhill recently launched the Well-Being Connection, aimed at bringing expanded programming to the community so that a culture of well-being grows in New Albany.

“I hope to see parents become empowered to help their children as mental health issues arise,” Underhill says, “and for them to become a part of a larger

(Middle) Mariel Hemingway in conversation with central Ohio mental health leaders at the Heit Center. (Above) Hemingway with New Albany High School students during her 2015 visit.

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www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

community that values sharing and learning about how to help our community improve everyone’s well-being.”

The support from the foundation’s donors and sponsors makes the Jefferson Series speakers available to the community and has helped to power the Well-Being Initiative in the schools, and now the Well-Being Connection. One of these partners is the Berend family. Cindy and Keith Berend have made a multiyear commitment to support behavioral health programs.

“Cindy and I believe that if New Albany is to become the healthiest community in America, we cannot leave mental health out of the picture,” says Keith Berend. “We are simply honored to be able to help.”

These partnerships enable the foundation to generate resources for transformational investments in education, health, the arts and environment, and to keep community conversations about important issues such as mental health and well-being at the forefront today and for years to come.

Photos courtesy of Lorn Spolter

Bob Valasek is a contributing writer.

Feedback welcome at feedback@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

(Top right) Close speaks to a packed house at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, as students from central Ohio schools attend the Jefferson Series Student Lecture in 2019. (Above left) School officials and students from New Albany High School meet with Close following her lecture.

(Above right) Close interviewed by 10TV’s Tracy Townsend during her 2019 visit on mental health. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

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As your community foundation, we never shy away from a challenge.

As our donors and neighbors voiced concern about the growing mental health challenges faced by every community, we not only took notice, we brought the issue to the surface for all to see. To begin, we brought leading mental health advocates to New Albany, including Mariel Hemingway, Patrick Kennedy, Elizabeth Vargas and Glenn Close. They each shared their perspective, as well as their personal stories, in a series of meetings, forums and lectures. Students, community members and mental health advocates all participated.

The impact was powerful and lasting. Now, mental health issues are where they should be.

Out in the open, where they can be addressed.

When you donate through the Foundation, gifts of any size, large and small, generate impact in so many ways. Grants have been made in support of worthy efforts that touch lives throughout our community. Including the Jefferson Series student lectures, the E3 Learning Lab, the Homework Help Center at the Branch Library, Safety Town and many more. The Foundation has been at the center of these efforts that bring us together.

If you’ve given, we thank you. And if you are yet to make a gift, we invite you to join us.

220 Market Street, New Albany, Ohio 43054

•

614.939.8150

•

newalbanyfoundation.org

Getting Some Fresh Air  A refreshing and socially distant stroll through local parks

By Lydia Freudenberg

S

ocial distancing. No more than five people in a gathering. Restaurants closed. Retail closed.

Shows suspended.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the world to shut down and people to self-quarantine. The orders

34

are necessary to help stop the spread of the virus and to not put others at risk, especially seniors and those with preexisting health conditions.

Although the restrictions are tough, social distancing allows for a breath of fresh air. Getting outside is encouraged during this dark time and suddenly we began to appreciate nature paths, met-

ro parks and local green spaces more than ever before.

Here are some amazing outdoor spaces in New Albany that provide hours of entertainment for the whole family. Next time you’re inside and not sure what to do, remember that parks can be fun rain or shine.

www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Rose Run Park You read about Rose Run Park and its successful construction on page 20, now it’s time to enjoy this central park.

From a beautiful bridge connecting several aspects of the city to winding paths along the now blooming trees, this new park is a must visit. Just make sure to practice social distancing as it’s bound to be popular this spring.

www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

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Photos courtesy of the City of New Albany

Rocky Fork Metro Park If you haven’t been to this local metro park, you’re missing out.

The area includes more than 1,200 acres and features more than three miles of walking trails, 2.5 miles of horse trails, off-leash trails for pups, a dog park and more. The dog park was the first of its kind in the community and was the result of a collaboration between New Albany City Council and Metro Parks.

While wandering and winding through the wooded areas and open fields, it’s easy to see how the park is beautiful year-round and perfect for any nature enthusiast.

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www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Lambton Park (also featured on page 32) Located in the Lambton Park subdivision, this space is a classic neighborhood park with all the amenities – leisure trails, a large pond for fishing, grassy fields and more. Enjoy the picturesque setting year-round as the beautiful homes surrounding the park are also a sight to see.

Swickard Woods Nature Preserve Even though this nature preserve is directly north of New Albany High School, the space is mostly hidden, and once you experience the sun radiating off the pond and the dense beech-maple forest, your stress will melt away.

For bird watchers, eBird, an online resource for the birding community, says the grounds include various wildlife such as horned owls and red-tailed hawks – don’t forget your binoculars! www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Feeling Sad? Get Outside This fact seems like a nobrainer, but sometimes you forget to take care of yourself when depression, anxiety or stress become regular emotions. An article by Harvard Health says the growing scientific field of ecotherapy shows that mood disorders can be alleviated by spending more time outdoors.

The article quotes a 2015 study that compared brain activity of healthy people after they walked for 90 minutes in either a natural or urban setting. Researchers found that those who walked in nature had lower activity in the prefrontal cortex, “a brain region that is active during rumination – defined as repetitive thoughts that are found in negative emotions.”

If you can’t make it outside, the same article says there’s still hope. Listening to nature sounds can have similar effects, according to a report published by Scientific Reports in 2017. Tuning into nature sounds caused “the listeners’ brain connectivity to reflect an outward-directed focus of attention, a process that occurs during wakeful rest periods like daydreaming.”

Proud Statistics For many New Albany residents, this stat is a conversation starter: The community features more than 2,000 acres of green space and 53 miles of leisure trails, and that’s ever-expanding. So, next time the kids say they’re bored, try hitting the trails.

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Bevelhymer Park This 145-acre park is the hub for New Albany Parks and Recreation.

Toss a baseball or master the art of dribbling a soccer ball, as the park features 32 fields for baseball, softball, soccer, football and lacrosse.

It doesn’t stop there; grab a racket and your favorite neon ball, the park also features two tennis courts.

If sports aren’t your game, enjoy the seemingly endless walking paths or playgrounds with the family. When hungry bellies start rumbling, stay on the grounds and enjoy a picnic in the sun.

Science + Park Visits Playing a sport or walking trails at parks is always soothing, but don’t forget that nature includes endless science-based educational lessons.

Here are a few ways to integrate STEM into your kids’ next park excursion.

Grab a magnifying glass and start looking. Some devices can enhance the view as large as 30 times, making

the smallest of leaves and bugs look larger than life. From there, note color variations, structural differences and more while charting your progress like a real scientist.

Geocaching is a global outdoor recreational activity where participants use navigating methods to hide and find containers, called geocaches or caches, at specific locations.

Download the Geocaching app and start exploring.

Many are familiar with kids’ fascinations for rock collections, but who wants to haul a heavy load home? Grab a paint brush and clean rocks off in their natural setting using water. Through books or apps, learn about the rocks you discover and then leave them there for future explorers.

Lydia Freudenberg is an editor. Feedback welcome at lfreudenberg@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

food

By Mallory Arnold

Shaking this Stress Foods that de-stress and impress

F

orty million people in the U.S. struggle with a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depressive disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. And while most prescription medications are oftentimes necessary, the most surprising medicines are right in your kitchen.

A Harvard Medical School study found that a diet emphasizing lean meat, fish, and fresh fruits and vegetables mitigates depressive symptoms in young adults within three weeks.

Thankfully, New Albany features a handful of healthful options such as Freshii and the shake-orientated store New Life Nutrition – both are offering carry out and delivery during the pandemic.

Skip Scott, owner of New Life Nutrition, firmly believes healthful foods can positively impact mental health. In fact, it’s the reason he opened his store.

“You have to take care of all aspects of your body because they are all important in working together,” Scott says. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

The health enthusiast insists that specific amino acids, vitamins and minerals can help with mental fatigue and clarity.

“Healthy energy boosts increase endorphins in the brain,” he says, “and helps fight hunger and depression. Also, people lose weight, which (may) make them feel better about themselves, thus reducing anxiety and creating a positive outlook on life.”

Speaking of anxiety, local business owners like Scott have felt stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These are very stressful times that most people haven’t experienced in their lifetime,” Scott says. “We are deemed essential and are authorized to deliver products so that people can make their own healthy meals at home. We even provide recipes and instructions.”

Stress Relieving Green Smoothie Recipe from Taste Love and Nourish Ingredients 2 cups fresh spinach 1 ⁄2 cup full-fat Greek yogurt 1 ⁄2 avocado 1 frozen banana 3 ⁄4 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 ⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 ⁄8 tsp. ground turmeric 1 ⁄8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Instructions Place all ingredients into a blender.

Blend on high speed for about 45 seconds or until smooth and creamy.

For a sweeter taste, add honey.

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Here are some foods to include in your diet to ease anxiety and help with symptoms of depression during these trying times.

• Chamomile contains antioxidants that reduce inflammation and can help decrease anxiety.

• Turmeric is full of a special compound called curcumin, which promotes brain health and eases anxiety disorders.

• Dark chocolate has flavonols, which benefit brain function and are believed to allow you to adapt better to stressful situations. In one study from Healthline, 74 percent of individuals who consumed dark chocolate twice daily for two weeks reported improved levels of stress hormones associated with anxiety.

• Turkey is a plentiful source of amino acid tryptophan, which converts to serotonin and therefore promotes relaxation and anxiety relief.

“Now more than ever, people need to eat healthy to be healthier in a time when immune support is huge,” Scott says.

As for Scott’s favorite way to ease his mind? His very own salted caramel peanut butter shake.

Mallory Arnold is an associate editor.

Feedback welcome at marnold@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

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www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

Photos courtesy of Skip Scott

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Coffee is excellent in moderation, but high levels of caffeine may increase nervousness and decrease the “feel-good” chemical called serotonin, which may lead to mood swings.

Aged and fermented foods contain food proteins that when broken down, create something called histamine. This is a neurotransmitter that aggravates hormones and the nervous system, so people who are already susceptible to anxious behavior may be more affected.

We all know that added sugar can be harmful for you, but we probably don’t think about it in foods like ketchup, salad dressings, white bread and pasta. Sugar may cause a rollercoaster of highs and lows, which can eventually leads to a crash possibly clouded with anxiety and depression.

Alcohol may be an avenue people turn to when they’re stressed, but in reality, it may make anxiety much worse. Because of the enormous impact alcohol has on dehydration and sleep, it’s believed to be one of the worst substances for stress. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

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student spotlight

By Brendan Martin

Roaring Good Books New Albany Middle School seventh-grader writes children’s books with grandfather

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Photos courtesy of Brendan Martin and Steve Doherty

O

livia Dybik, a pupil of taekwondo, Olivia Dybik and Steve Doherty author the can hold her own in a fight. But Little Tiger series. The duo plan on writing eight more books to teach children valuable don’t worry; she’s not flinging fellife lessons. low students across campus. Instead, she strikes at the heart of bullying.

Dybik attends taekwondo class twice a week with her grandfather, Steve Doherty, at New Albany’s Oriental Martial Arts College. While taekwondo does teach combat skills, it’s more about inner strength and self-control.

“Taekwondo is a workout of the mind and body of the life principles,” she says. “Some kids, when they joined, didn’t know the life principles. And our job as instructors and taekwondo students is to help them learn respect, discipline, selfcontrol, patience and many more (values).”

It is these principles that inspired Doherty to start creating the Little Tiger books. Doherty had previously written four historical fiction novels, but this was his first time writing for children. One day, he asked his granddaughter to come over and take a look at his draft.

“She turns to me and goes ‘Papa Steve, you can’t write to a first-grader like you do to a high school student,’” says Doherty, “and I go ‘Oh, did I do that?’ And so, I said, ‘Can you fix it?’… When she was through, I sat through and read it all and said, ‘You’re my co-author,’ because she just totally re-wrote them. She made them so simple and instead of four or five lines of sentences she brought it down to a sentence.”

They plan to release a total of 10 Little Tiger books. The pages are filled with bright colors and friendly cartoons to capture the eyes of children. Their first book, Little Tiger – Respect, was published on Dybik’s birthday in 2019 and teaches the meaning of, you guessed it, respect. The idea was born after a real-life situation when Dybik dealt with a rowdy student who didn’t understand the concept.

Little Tiger - Guardian of Peace was published in December. With two down and eight to go, the duo already feels that the overall goal of minimizing bullies and showing kids different skills, such as peacefulness to stop them in their tracks, is already making an impact.

“What it means to be a guardian of peace is to never start a fight,” says Dybik. “When you are a guardian of peace,

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you want to try to stop a fight between two people.”

Dybik used to be bullied at school.

Even though she is a skilled taekwondo student, she has never lifted so much as a finger toward another student. With the Little Tiger books, Dybik wants to show that you never have to resort to violence.

“For me, being a leader means you have confidence and you have a plan of what you are going to do,” she says.

“If a student were to come up to me saying that they were getting bullied, I would figure out a plan to stop (it), help them figure it out on their own or try to talk to another person if I’m not sure of the answer.”

The first two editions are available at www.littletigerbooks.org and on Amazon. Keep your eyes peeled for future books, because this little tiger is on the move and ready to stop bullies without using violence, just like Dybik.

Brendan Martin is an editorial assistant.

Feedback welcome at feedback@ cityscenemediagroup.com. www.healthynewalbanymagazine.com

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on the horizon

By Emily Real

Smart Skin

Digital tattoos are more utility than body art Tattoos as Real-Time Health Monitors

T

attoos have always been about artistic expression, but what if they could provide utility, too? What if inking your skin could actually perform functions in the real world like storing passwords, opening doors and more?

It might sound far fetched, but the concept of digital tattoos is becoming a hot topic, especially in the world of medicine. Many health care professionals believe this technology could store health data, provide real time updates regarding abnormalities in blood pressure, give body temperature and more.

What Are They?

Digital tattoos are temporary tattoos outfitted with electronics. Rather than ink etched into the skin, they consist of a small graphic image that covers a microchip that’s placed on the wearer’s skin. This chip contains memory that can be accessed through smartphones and sent to different sources.

Currently, these tattoos can last up to a week and cost as little as a standard temporary tattoo with the chip included, which is anywhere to a few cents to $20.

The development of digital tattoos coincides with the development of 3-D printing and circuit printing technologies.

The first mainstream use of these digital tattoos was in 2014, when Motorola sold digital tattoos to Moto X users in the U.S. The tattoos came in the form of stickers that were worn on the skin and unlocked users’ phones.

From there, researchers started to investigate other uses for digital tattoo technology that might solve everyday inconveniences. In the following years, researchers expanded their reach into larger issues, namely related to health care.

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Accurate Health Data Storage

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company MC10 developed a waterproof, band-aid-sized patch called BioStampRC. This patch sticks to the skin and provides real-time access to a person’s vital signs and activity.

While it’s still in the research stages, MC10’s researchers hope that eventually BioStampRC will be able to collect accurate data for its users and health care providers via the Bluetooth radio built into the product.

Photos courtesy of MC10 Inc. and UC San Diego News Center

Digital tattoos designed by nanoengineers at the Center for Wearable Senors.

Dermal Abyss, a project developed by researchers at Harvard and MIT, has created bio-sensitive ink for smart tattoos that change color as changes in your body occur.

This color changing ink can measure the concentration of glucose and sodium in the skin’s interstitial fluid, consider the benefits this might have for people who need to monitor their blood sugar levels or cardiac activity.

“Once the bugs are worked out, the applications for biologically sensitive ink are fairly broad,” reports Harvard Medical School postdoctoral fellows Nan Jiang and Ali Yetisen in an article published by The Harvard Gazette. “(This) ink could be incorporated into long-lasting tattoos for chronic conditions or into temporary designs for shorterduration monitoring.”

Down the road, this bio-sensitive ink could become a more reliable way for patients with chronic illness to monitor biological markers. Unlike many of the available ways to monitor biological characteristics now, this kind of ink wouldn’t rely on electricity, so users needn’t worry about having batteries or a charger on hand.

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“The ability to capture, with researchlevel precision, tailored data outside of a clinic, ... that’s the holy grail,” Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, associate dean of Harvard Medical School, says in an article by USA Today.

Technology like BioStampRC means doctors could monitor patients’ health even more closely since physical appointments aren’t necessary for vital check-ups. This means fewer ER visits, fewer trips to the doctor, and an increased chance of detecting illnesses or conditions before they become severe.

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Nanoengineers in the Center for Wearable Sensors at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC, San Diego have developed a digital tattoo that can both extract and measure the levels of glucose in diabetic patients.

Since it’s still in the research stage, this tattoo doesn’t provide the kind of numerical data that’s needed for patients to fully monitor their own glucose, but thanks to researchers at the Center for Wearable Sensors, this idea could become a reality.

“The readout instrument will eventually have Bluetooth capabilities,” says Amay Bandodkar, a graduate student who works in the Center for Wearable Sensors, in an article by UC San Diego. “(This makes it possible to) send information directly to the patient’s doctor in real time, or to store the data in the cloud.”

Instead of needles, this device sends mild electrical currents to the wearer’s skin for 10 minutes. In this time, the electric currents are measured to determine a person’s overall glucose levels without having to access the person’s blood.

Although digital tattoo technology isn’t ready to be used in the medical world quite yet, even the strictest antitattoo people among us may reconsider their stance on tattoos. That is, of course, if it can help monitor their health.

Emily Real is a contributing writer.

Feedback welcome at feedback@ cityscenemediagroup.com.

Additional support from: The Sol Morton and Dorothy Isaac, Rebecca J. Wickersham and Lewis K. Osborne funds at The Columbus Foundation.

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Scene

in New Albany

Photo by Angela Douglas

We always knew that this community was special.

Now we know that ‘special’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. To everyone doing your part to keep our community united and safe,

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