U Magazine September 2014

A magazine for your mind, body, and self

Seeing

is Learning

The Importance of Healthy Vision

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2 | U Magazine | September 2014

U Magazine Table of Contents

Contributors .........................................................................................4

In The Spotlight The Eyes Have It ..................................................................................5 A new push for annual vision exams for kids is making its mark.

Hometown Girl ..................................................................................12 Meet Jourdan Miller, the Bend model who made it big.

The Stories She Tells..........................................................................16 Librarian Heather McNeil wants kids actively reading.

Knowledge & Advice Nonprofit Spotlight: Children’s Vision Foundation ................... 10 What We’re Reading..........................................................................19 The Healthy Side of Potatoes...........................................................20 Caring For Others: Growing Old.....................................................23 Nonprofit Spotlight: After School Buddies ...................................24 Welcome Home: Window Solutions ..............................................27 Mind, Body & Soul at Peach Pilates ...............................................28 Themed Birthday Parties for Kids ..................................................32 Belles of Bend: The Priscillas ..........................................................36 To Your Health: Enlarged Prostate .................................................38 At the Workplace: Learning isn’t Just for Kids ............................39

U Magazine

Editor’s Note When my younger sister was in kindergarten, she began squintBody ingCopy at objects and words both near and far. Family trips to local landmarks and parks were often best experienced through the eyes of her brothers and sisters. Sentences on a chalkboard or words on a page became increasingly difficult for her to interpret and speak. At one point, she simply stopped raising her hand in class.

For a year or so, she said nothing to anyone — thinking it was normal, or at least, a part of growing up.

“I just thought the letters were supposed to be blurry,” she told me years later.

In my family, both immediate and extended, bad eyesight is not just common; it’s a foregone conclusion. So my parents, horrified, immediately brought my sister to an ophthalmologist. It turned out that my sister’s vision was nearly as bad as my mother’s.

One week later, with new glasses, she came home from school ecstatic. She could read what the teacher wrote on the chalkboard.

She became — and still is — a voracious reader, a treasure trove of trivia and an eager participant in conversations and discussions at school and home.

Eye care is a necessary part of preparing kids for school. The local Children’s Vision Foundation as well as a recent state proclamation have turned many eyes (no pun intended) to educating the public about annual comprehensive vision exams for kids. And it’s a good thing, too.

Vision is how we learn, grow and take in information. And that can’t be done if everything is blurry.

— Althea Borck, editor

is a product of The Bulletin’s

Special Projects Division, P.O. Box 6020, Bend, OR 97708.

All content is the property of The Bulletin/Western Communications Inc., and may not be reproduced without written permission. Printed

by Northwest Web Press, www.northwestwebpress.com Story ideas may be submitted to editor Althea Borck for consideration. Contact her at 541-383-0379 or aborck@bendbulletin.com

Staff members for The Bulletin’s special projects division include: Martha Tiller, Special Projects Manager; Althea Borck, Special Projects Editor; Stacie Oberson, Special Projects Coordinator; Kari Mauser, Special Projects Editorial Assistant; Kevin Prieto, Special Projects Image Coordinator.

Cover photo by Kari Mauser / Models: Erin and Tessa Pedersen

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Published: Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014 To subscribe or learn more about all our publications, call 541-385-5800 or visit us at www.bendbulletin.com

U Magazine | September 2014 | 3

U Magazine CON TR IBUTORS

ANNISSA ANDERSON, a freelance writer and public relations consultant, also studied culinary arts and worked as a pastry chef in another life. Though she’s lived in the Northwest for the past 20 years, she spent her childhood living abroad.

A refugee from Silicon Valley, BONNIE BURNS chose to retire in beautiful, eclectic Bend. She volunteers at the Deschutes County Historical Society and Museum where she indulges her passions of history, research, reading and writing. She has recently taken up the challenge of gardening in the High Desert.

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The Bulletin’s Special Projects Editorial Assistant, KARI MAUSER loves to uncover and share the interesting, inspiring and important stories that surround us. She and her husband spend their time rediscovering the magic of the world through the eyes of their two little boys.

GREGG MORRIS is a local freelance writer and musician.

You can find him around town finishing articles at the local tea shop, performing with his band Organic Music Farm or homeschooling his 6-year-old daughter.

LINDA ORCELLETTO is a published writer, event planner and chronic list maker. Orcelletto loves exploring all the best coast has to offer with her husband, Joe, and fur child Colby, an 80-pound, not-so-bright, lump of love golden retriever.

After three decades in Seattle, SUE STAFFORD returned home to Oregon to put down roots in Sisters. The “dry side,” with its beauty, weather and slower pace, affords her the opportunity to pursue her gardening and hiking. Sue’s experiences with motherhood, teaching, fundraising, horticultural and expressive arts therapies, and hospice case management inform her writing.

The

EYES HAVE IT A new push to make annual comprehensive eye exams a must for children puts healthy vision and learning in the spotlight.

by Gregg Morris, for The Bulletin Special Projects photos by Kevin Prieto

U Magazine | September 2014 | 5

O

ne-hundred-and-fifty years ago, Dutch ophthalmologist Hermann Snellen developed a chart to test visual acuity, or clearness, in kids and adults.

The chart of seemingly random letters gradually getting smaller still sits in doctors’ offices and is the go-to procedure testing for “standard” 20/20 vision.

But the Snellen ratio only tests distance, and ophthalmologists and other champions of vision worldwide are beginning to educate the public on the many other types of vision problems.

“Vision is the main way we, as humans, take in information,” said Dr. Gabby Marshall, optometrist and clinical director of the pediatric vision clinic Elemental Eyecare in Bend.

While 85 percent of a child’s learning comes from their vision, last year the Children’s Vision Foundation found that close to 25 percent of students in Bend-LaPine Schools had vision problems. With this strong link between vision and learning, as well as education and juvenile delinquency, its easy to see why proponents are pushing for early testing.

To that end, Gov. John Kitzhaber proclaimed August 2014 as Children’s Vision and Learning Month. The proclamation, along with a new law and the work of nonprofits such as CVF, is working to educate the public on the community benefits of comprehensive vision screenings.

While the 20/20 vision test serves as a way for pediatricians and general practitioners to check for obvious eye problems, such as tumors and cataracts, a comprehensive exam 6 | U Magazine | September 2014

extends the testing to include how well the eyes work together.

A comprehensive eye exam, such as the one offered at Elemental Eyecare, includes the testing of depth perception, color vision, distance acuity, near acuity, near-to-far focus, near alignment, pupil check, eye movement, pursuit eye movement, convergence, Saccadic eye movement, refractive status, visual stress and peripheral vision. (Learn more about these tests in the “Eye Care Glossary,” Page 7.)

While yearly comprehensive eye exams are preferred for all children, there are symptoms for parents to watch out for. Warning signs may include poor coordination, fear of heights, not riding a bike, poor school performance, and non-age appropriate meltdowns caused by a child’s frustration.

The Importance of Eye Exams

Five-year-old Tessa Pedersen was 3½ when her parents began noticing she was walking on her toes. Although Tessa had an eye exam when she was 6 months old, her mother decided to have her checked again.

“I knew that walking on her toes could be a sign of poor depth perception,” explained Erin Pedersen, Tessa’s mom and lead vision therapist at Elemental Eyecare.

Usually, parents won’t be able to suspect poor vision until their child begins to read, but because Erin had studied eye care and works for an optometrist, she knew other important signs to watch for.

As it turned out, Tessa has anisometropia, or a difference in the clarity of her two eyes.

Because they caught it early, it won’t be a problem for Tessa in the future. However, it can turn into lazy eye, or dominance in one eye, or the brain could just shut the bad eye down completely.

After confirming with a second exam, Pedersen and her husband, who both wear

contacts, started Tessa on visual therapy, which trains the eyes to be more efficient and accurate, and had her begin wearing therapeutic eyeglasses.

“Because I knew about it, it wasn’t heartbreaking,” said Pedersen.

The eyeglasses equalize the vision and reduce the competition between the eyes. The prescription changes every three months, as she grows and her eyes begin to correct themselves. Tessa also undergoes red lens therapy, or the use of colored lenses to train the brain to use both eyes equally.

While the glasses bothered Tessa in the beginning, she has grown accustomed to them. It also helps that some of Tessa’s preschool classmates wear glasses, and her parents were sensitive to the change.

“My husband and I wore our glasses for the first week, and we prepared our friends and family for the new glasses,” explained Pedersen. “They were ready to tell her how cute she looks in them.”

As is recommended, Tessa gets re-tested every year.

Vision Care for Kids

When Marshall was 17, her ophthalmologist serendipitously recommended ophthalmology as a career. She trained at Pacific University in Forest Grove before beginning her career working with all aspects of eye care. After nine years, she decided to specialize in children.

“I found I was most passionate about working with kids,” explained Marshall.

Besides the comprehensive exams they offer, Elemental Eyecare also offers a complete line of vision therapy. The therapy, with a focus on full sensory-motor integration, involves one-hour weekly office sessions along with assigned home therapy. A typical program lasts five to eight months as they address

“Vision is the main way we, as humans, take in information.”

— Dr. Gabby Marshall the symptoms and deficiencies noted in the examination and developmental evaluation.

Alongside Kitzhaber’s proclamation, programs and laws to assist with early detection and eye treatments have begun to emerge. InfantSee, an American Optometric Association public health program, connects children ages 6 to 12 months with participating optometrists, including Marshall, for free vision exams. They check kids, such as Tessa, for visual acuity, refractive status, ocular motility, alignment, binocular potential and overall eye health.

In addition, the Children’s Vision Foundation gives comprehensive eye exams to all second- and fourth-graders in Bend-La Pine Schools, as well as in other communities.

The Affordable Care Act included children’s vision in their 10 essential health benefits.

Because pediatric eye exams are included, insurance has to cover it. For additional costs beyond the exams, there are many

foundations, including the Bendbased CVF, that counsel families on the many programs available to help cover the fees.

Taking effect this year is the Oregon Legislature’s HB 3000.

Lobbied for its inception by the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association and supporters such as Julie Bibler, executive director of CVF, the bill recognizes the connection between a child’s vision and success in school. It requires all children have a vision screening or comprehensive eye exam before entering public school.

“In a perfect world, children are getting comprehensive eye exams and screenings on a regular basis because vision can change very quickly,” said Marshall.

Marshall recommends annual vision checkups while stressing the importance of prevention. She said it is also vital to remember reading and computer work are akin to holding a muscle. As a rule of thumb, for every 20 minutes of near-vision work, it’s important to look away for 20 seconds.

“The challenge with young kids is they may not tell you about vision problems because they may not know what normal should be,” reiterated Dr. Robert Mathews of Bend Memorial Clinic’s ophthalmology department. “For adults, the problem is if it’s gradual, they may get used to it.”

Eye Care Glossary Anisometropia: When there is a difference in power between the two eyes.

Astigmatism: The light focuses at two different spots, one in front of the other, causing constant blur both near and far.

Autorefractor: A machine that takes an automated measurement of the refractive power of the eye.

It does not control for over-focusing, which can make the eye read stronger than it really is.

Convergence: The ability of both eyes to team on a near target.

Cataracts: The opacity of the crystalline lens (in the middle of the eye).

Diabetic Eye Disease: A disease of the small blood vessels of the retina of the eye in people with diabetes. The vessels swell and leak liquid into the retina, blurring the vision and sometimes leading to blindness.

Macular Degeneration: An eye disease that progressively destroys the macula, the central portion of the retina, impairing central vision.

Distance Acuity: The Snellen ratio is what we use to determine how clearly one can see at a given distance. Distance acuity is measured by x/20. If you are 20/20 this means you can see at 20 feet what a normal eye can see at 20 feet. If your ratio is 20/100, you can see at 20 feet what a normal

eye can see at 100 feet.

Eye Movements: Extra ocular muscles move the eye around in all fields of gaze. Checking for eye movements assesses muscle function to make sure there are no restrictions or over-actions.

Glaucoma: A group of diseases that damages the eye’s optic nerve and can cause blindness.

Near Acuity: The same as distance acuity but measured typically at 40 cm or whatever the near point working distance is.

Pupil Check: Using light to check how quickly and how much the pupil constricts (makes smaller) to check for eye and brain function.

Pursuit Eye Movement: Smooth eye movements used to closely follow a moving target.

Refractive Status: The measurement of the power of the eye when looking at optical infinity (far away).

Saccadic Eye Movement: A rapid jump of the eye from one target to another. These are the eye movements used in reading.

Visual Stress: When one or more aspects of the visual system are under-performing or not efficient, causing stress on the whole system and forcing adaptations.

— Courtesy Dr. Gabby Marshall and Erin Pedersen, Elemental Eyecare U Magazine | September 2014 | 7

“Vision is so very important.

It’s about helping people and children be a part of the world instead of watching it go by.”

Vision Care for Adults

Elemental Eyecare, which opened in 2008, now offers eye exams to adults as well as children.

But adults face different challenges with vision as they age. Usually beginning in the mid-40s, they may be less able to move the focal point from far to near. Near vision becomes worse as the lens becomes less flexible.

The only remedy is compensation through eyeglasses.

Symptoms for worsening eyesight in adults include redness, pain and loss of vision.

Ophthalmologists recommend adults over the age of 45 get comprehensive exams every two years, providing there is no history or symptoms of problems.

Eye problems are usually placed into one of two categories.

The first, with no eye problems, refer to near-sighted, far-sighted

— Erin Pedersen, mother of Tessa

Photo by Kari Mauser The Bulletin Special Projects

or astigmatism. The second, which requires medical attention, include cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and macular degeneration.

Most vision characteristics are hereditary.

Many of the problems that arise are treatable through therapy or surgery. Cataract surgery uses high frequency sound waves to remove or replace the cataract lens. Lasik, also called PRK, changes the curvature of the cornea to improve nearsightedness, far-sightedness and astigmatism. Amazingly, both procedures are outpatient and only take 15 minutes.

The improved technology, alongside increased vision coverage in insurance and programs aimed at catching eye problems before they get worse, are reason enough to

have annual eye exams. Yearly comprehensive exams as a child, and biyearly exams as an adult allow doctors to correct any potential problems that may arise.

From an early age, when eyes are beginning to develop, to adulthood, when the eye muscles begin to weaken, taking care of vision will ensure visibility in the long run.

“Vision is so very important,” Pedersen said. “It’s about helping people and children be a part of the world instead of watching it go by.”

Elemental Eyecare For more information on Elemental Eyecare, or to schedule an appointment, visit www.elementaleyecare.com.

Bend Memorial Clinic To schedule an appointment with BMC, visit www.bendmemorialclinic.com.

Children’s Vision Foundation To learn more about all that the Children’s Vision Foundation does for kids, turn to Page 10 in this magazine.

8 | U Magazine | September 2014

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U Magazine | September 2014 | 9

A HELPING HAND The Children’s Vision Foundation works diligently to inform the public about the importance of healthy vision in kids.

by Gregg Morris, for The Bulletin Special Projects photo by Kevin Prieto

On July 18, Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber officially recognized the correlation between learning and vision by signing a proclamation declaring August 2014 Children’s Vision and Learning Month.

In it, he stated that “public awareness about learning-related vision problems is necessary to ensure that all young people receive the prompt vision treatment they need to enhance their lives.”

While the connection between vision and learning may seem obvious to some, it was the work of groups such as the nonprofit organization Children’s Vision Foundation that helped push the connection into the public’s eye.

CVF has been offering free vision screenings for students and lobbying the government since 2001. They educate the public about important

statistics including the fact that 85 percent of learning is done through visual clues, roughly 25 percent of school-aged children have vision problems, and at least 70 percent of juvenile delinquents have vision problems.

“Good vision is integral to a child’s academic success,” explained Julie Bibler, executive director of CVF. CVF’s official mission is to “identify children who have potential visual barriers to learning, to encourage families and schools to seek professional eye care for identified children, and to raise awareness about the importance of early detection of vision problems.”

CVF began in the late 1990s as a national nonprofit funded by the Hamilton family, who had a daughter with non-acuity related vision problems. In 2005, the national

For more information on the Children’s Vision Foundation, visit www.childrensvisionfoundation.org.

10 | U Magazine | September 2014

Healthy Beginnings Screening Dates Each year, the local nonprofit Healthy Beginnings offers a 12-point inspection for kids ages 5 and younger. During the screenings, Healthy Beginnings assesses the following: vision, dental, speech, infant & toddler development, concepts, motor, hearing, social skills and behavior, health, nutrition, car seat safety, and emergency preparedness.

Sept. 19 — Madras: Westside Community Center Oct. 3 — La Pine: La Pine Community Health Center Oct. 17 — Sisters: Sisters Elementary School

Oct. 24 — Bend: Nativity Lutheran Nov. 7 — Redmond: High Desert ESD district office Nov. 14 — Prineville: Larson Learning Center Dec. 5 — Bend: Foundry Church

Appointments are from 9 a.m. to noon, with walk-ins accepted 9:30-11 a.m.

For more information, call 541-383-6357 or visit www.myhb.org.

organization was dissolved into local foundations dedicated to continuing their work. Bibler, who was executive director of the national foundation, assumed the lead role of the Bend-based CVF. She is the only full-time, paid employee and sits on the eight-member board as well.

A major component to CVF’s work is providing a seven-step, comprehensive eye exam to all second- and fourth-grade students in Bend-La Pine Schools as well as in many outlying communities. The exams fill in the gaps missed by the traditional Hermann Snellen 20/20 vision test many children have taken. The seven-point screening regimen assesses eye teaming, focusing ability, eye movement control, depth perception, visual perception, visual information processing, and the ability to sustain visual performance to meet the demands of the classroom.

“We recognize the need to check near visual performance abilities,” said Bibler. “The Snellen test is over 150 years old and only refers to distance. Vision is 25 percent distance, 25 percent near,

and the rest is binocularity skills, or both eyes working together.”

To achieve their screening goals, CVF has more than 60 community volunteers trained in the screening process. The volunteers are made up mostly of retired educators and health care practitioners.

There are two important parts to the screenings. The first is to screen as many children as possible. The second is to get the information back to the parents, schools and doctors quickly. CVF checks 15 to 25 students at a time and makes every attempt to get the kids back in their classrooms as fast as possible. They double

check all screenings to limit false referrals.

Optometrist Dr. Gabby Marshall, who worked closely with Bibler to maintain the progress of CVF, said she believes teachers should be responsible for education, not health care.

Last school year, the CVF saw more than 6,100 students in 36 schools in 11 school districts.

The schools districts were located both in and around Central Oregon.

“We really try to get into the schools that don’t have a school nurse or are primarily underserved,” said Bibler.

The other key component --

educating the public -- happens on both a local and state level.

Locally, CVF works with Healthy Beginnings as they provide their child screenings. On the state level, Bibler has been integral in educating lawmakers on the importance of early screening.

“I’ve worked with state leaders for a decade on vision and learning problems,” said Bibler.

Besides the proclamation, she worked alongside the Oregon Optometric Physicians Association to get HB 3000 approved by the Oregon Legislature. The law states that each child younger than 7 must have their eyes checked before starting school.

CVF receives funding from a variety of sources. Their work would not be possible without the Oregon Community Foundation, Rotary Club, Quota Club, Trust Management Services, Ford Family Foundation and KTVZ, to name a few.

“It’s valuable for governments and other (publicly) funded institutions, like school districts, to be in partnership with private nonprofits, like CVF, to work to help kids be all they can be,” said Marshall.

U Magazine | September 2014 | 11

N W O T E M HO

IG RL

Jourdan Miller, the reigning champion of ‘America’s Next Top Model,’ is so grateful to be where she is.

by John Cal, for The Bulletin Special Projects photos by Kevin Prieto “Jake… are you serious right now?” she exclaims with honest, but flustered laughter.

The furry black bear of a dog cocks his head adorably to one side and raises his left ear in confusion. He doesn’t know that he’s just peed on an exquisite pair of felted Ralph Lauren royal blue ballet flats.

Unaware that she’s in the middle of a photo shoot and an interview, that she’s just returned from Seattle, that soon she’ll be off again to Los Angeles, Jake continues to wag his tail and look up at her with his unchanging, puppy-like eyes.

She looks around for a moment, unsure of what to do, and then heads for the river.

“That’s great,” the photographer exclaims, his camera clicking away as she dangles her legs over the edge of the banked wall. She jumps down and starts to wade in the shallow edges of Mirror

12 | U Magazine | September 2014

“It’s both humbling and strange to have your dreams come true.”

Pond near the Drake Park footbridge, both to wash off the dog pee and also to give the photographer that perfect shot.

She’s just getting settled into this life — a life somewhere between fantasy and reality, between the glamour of Ralph Lauren flats and the duties of cleaning up dog pee — but Jourdan Miller isn’t just a budding new fashion model.

She’s the current reigning winner of “America’s Next Top Model,” joining the ranks of models such as Nicole Linkletter and Saliesha Stowers.

But even more than that, she’s a local girl who grew up right here in Bend.

“My friends and I used to hang out in this park all the time,” said Miller, with a relaxed demeanor. “We’d walk around downtown after school and thought we were so cool,” she continued with a self mocking eye-roll.

And while it’s true that a teenaged Miller was hanging out in the park after her day finished at Mountain View High School, she was already pursuing her dream of becoming a fashion model.

“I’ve always wanted this,” said Miller. “I had subscriptions to Marie Claire and Vogue. I would rip out the pages and plaster them to my wall. … There was this intricate cutout collage.”

They inspired her — the fashion pages, the models — to pursue her dreams.

“It was really hard at that age,” she said. “I’d get stage fright and freeze up.”

At 13, she was already going to callbacks in Seattle. At 15 she was working in New York City, before trying her hand in LA. “It was funny because at home I was being teased for being so tall and having a flat chest and a flat butt, but at castings people loved my height and bone structure.”

Still, even with the accolades she was receiving, the life of an LA model proved for be difficult to navigate for 16-year-old Miller.

“I couldn’t drive in LA, and it was really hard for me to get around to castings,” she said. “I was going to Mountain View off and on and doing some homeschooling, but I just decided to get my GED and come home.”

Miller began attending Central Oregon Community College and wanted to pursue a career as a school teacher or in journalism.

“I love literature. I love writing,” she exclaimed.

Then, because life happens, and no one is immune to its charms and struggles, Miller got married and then divorced at the age of 18.

“It was just not a good situation,” she said, “and I just needed to get out of it.”

While recovering from what she called the biggest mistake of her life, she worked at Victoria’s Secret in the Old Mill District and as a telemarketer at TRG Solutions.

“Being a telemarketer really prepared me for being a model,” said Miller with a laugh. “Both are basically people saying no to you all day.”

Then, just last year, despite her hesitation and self criticism, Miller decided to audition for “Top Model.”

“I was making every excuse not to,” she explained. “But I got home early from work, and my boyfriend convinced me to go, and so I grabbed an app and put on some high heels. … I had 20 minutes to get there, and it was icy and so I ran into a tree on the way there in my heels.”

She made it just before the audition closed. The casting directors told her it would likely be six weeks before she heard anything, but the whirlwind of

Photos courtesy photograph er Mike Monaghan; photo assistant Mandee Rae ; makeup by Katya Gudaeva

U Magazine | September 2014 | 13

“It’s amazing to get to see how big the world is, but I just love coming back. …

It’s just little Bend. It’s cozy. It’s just so friendly, you know?”

her quick decision was soon overtaken with the reality of her stardom.

“I got a call from casting three days later,” Miller said, “and they told me they wanted to do a Skype interview with Tyra.”

But Tyra Banks, the affable host, creator, producer, and a supermodel in her own right, must have liked what she saw because just a few weeks later, Miller found herself in LA in the middle of physicals and psych evaluations.

“They want to make sure you’re healthy and can handle the high amounts of stress and chaos,” she offered.

The season, the show’s 20th, marked a milestone for the long running reality series because it was the first time the show, normally solely dedicated to finding new female model talent, would have both men and women competing together.

“Tyra really wanted a guy to win,” Miller said.

Banks even exclaimed during the finale episode, “I wanted a boy to win so bad.” But enthusiastically also admitted to Miller, 14 | U Magazine | September 2014

“You’re amazing!”

“You killed it on that runway,” Banks continued during the season finale. “And when I was photographing you it was undeniable. You are strong. You are beautiful.

You have a story that so many girls can relate to. … You have it.”

“It’s both humbling and strange to have your dreams come true,” said Miller. “It really was the fans who got me here, and I wanna help be a voice for them, for all those people who feel like they don’t have a voice, who maybe made bad decisions like I did or put themselves in a bad situation.”

Miller is just starting a fashion blog where she hopes to help her fans and aspiring models with makeup, fashion and photography tips.

“I just love being creative, and I wanna inspire other people to express themselves, too,” she said.

And being an inspiration is another goal she’s conquering in strides with 20,000 followers on Facebook, 41,000 followers on Twitter, and an astounding 158,000 followers

on Instagram. Miller is becoming a force to be reckoned with.

“She spends a lot of time on her computer answering emails and connecting with fans,” said Miller’s new husband, Christopher Rzonca, lightheartedly.

Rzonca, a fourth generation Bendite, encouraged Miller to go to the audition from the beginning and was much of her support during casting and filming, and continues to stand behind her now as she transitions into the life of being a top model.

Christopher proposed with his grandmother’s antique ring, and the couple was married in July.

From their first adventures together, when Rzonca took Miller into the woods and taught her how to shoot, he was hooked.

“I love going to the woods. There’s a lot of sublimity and silence you find out there,” he said. “And when I took Jourdan out there with me, she would dance in the rain. …

That’s when I knew.”

“It’s so special to get to live here,” added

Miller, who is hoping to be based out of Seattle and LA in the near future so she can be closer to home. “It’s amazing to get to see how big the world is, but I just love coming back. … It’s just little Bend. It’s cozy. It’s just so friendly, you know? And I know I’m being selfish, but I hope it stays that way.

“I love floating the river in the summer,” she continued.

“I love going to Goodies downtown and getting the marionberry ice cream or a ‘Sunriver Sipper.’ When I’m here, I just like to relax. I could spend hours on the outdoor patios at Parilla or Longboard Louie’s enjoying the sunshine.”

After she won the title of “America’s Next Top Model,” she had to keep her win a secret. She couldn’t tell anyone for months until the show finished airing.

“I just laid low, watched a lot of Netflix, played with the Xbox, took care of my three dogs and my cat,” including Jake, of course.

But there was a moment during her flight back to Redmond — after she won, after she filmed the show, but before the world knew who she was.

“I was just looking down as we were landing, and I was so grateful for everything that was happening. I feel it every time I come back, and as soon as I got off the plane, I kissed the ground because I was so thankful to be home.”

U Magazine | September 2014 | 15

the

STORIES

She Tells

Heather McNeil, librarian extraordinaire, helps nurture children’s love of reading at the Deschutes Public Library.

by Damian Fagan, for The Bulletin Special Projects photos by Kevin Prieto Since the beginning of time, humans have used gestures, sounds and words to communicate.

So it should not be a surprise to see children and parents enjoying stories and songs in the Deschutes Public Library system thanks to Heather McNeil, youth services manager.

McNeil and Todd Dunkelberg were both hired after passage of the 1998 bond initiative creating the Deschutes Public Library District. Dunkelberg started as a Children’s Librarian and is now the director of the district, while McNeil was hired as the youth services manager, the position she still holds today.

“Heather pretty much developed children services in Deschutes County from the ground up,” said Dunkelberg, adding that McNeil was responsible for training children’s librarians, developing the types of storytime programs the library offered, creating summer reading programs and much more.

Dunkelberg and McNeil developed story skits with voices, accents, gestures and even rhymes, and traveled throughout the county performing them.

“I got to learn from Heather and see firsthand her amazing skills,” said Dunkelberg.

Born in Germany, McNeil, who was a librarian for 21 years in Colorado, grew up on U.S. Army bases in Germany, Turkey and all around the United States.

“Looking back, it was the most wonderful opportunity because it introduced me to new cultures, stories from all types of people, and learning acceptance of different kinds of people,” said McNeil. Having to adapt quickly to new situations, then moving every two years, helped her grow and shaped her into the person she is today.

16 | U Magazine | September 2014

Heather McNeil’s Reading Recommendations for Kids “Hattie and the Fox” by Mem Fox Why? For the repetition, which leads to learning to read.

“K Is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo”

by Giles Andreae

“It’s a Tiger!”

by David La Rochelle

Why? To explore the alphabet and the sounds of letters.

Why? To learn about how to tell a story.

A third-generation storyteller, McNeil attributed her early fondness for storytelling to listening to her grandfather’s stories while visiting her grandparents in South Dakota.

“He was a natural storyteller and knew how to take a lie and expand upon it,” she said. “Of course, as kids, we believed every word he said.”

Her grandfather, Merle, had worked as a cowboy, circus barker and taught Shakespeare at an engineering college in South Dakota. He understood that Shakespeare was meant to be spoken and performed, not analyzed through charting and diagramming.

“As a result, I grew up hearing those kinds of quotations and bravado, and it never occurred to me that it wasn’t ordinary,” McNeil said.

The lineage continued with McNeil’s mom and aunt who both became librarians and storytellers. Wanting to follow her own path, McNeil spent two years at Coffey College in Nevada, Mo., studying theater before finishing her undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri. Concerned about employment in the arts, McNeil obtained her Master of Library Science at the University of Denver.

While working in Littleton, Colo., as a librarian, McNeil had a second career as a professional storyteller traveling to events and festivals throughout the country. Living with a childhood obsession for all things African after reading “Born Free, Living Free” and “Forever Free” by Joy Adamson when she was 10, and then telling African stories at festivals and events, she decided to go to the source.

“At one point, I figured I was telling the stories incorrectly, having never experienced the country, so I finally went in the late 1980s,” said McNeil.

She traveled throughout Kenya collecting stories with a member of the Kikuyu people who acted as her translator. From those

“Jump!”

by Scott Fischer

“The Things I Can Do” by Jeff Mack

Why? To learn about rhyming.

Why? To find themselves in books, which leads to wanting more books!

travels, she wrote “Hyena and the Moon: Stories to Tell from Kenya.”

After that book, she wanted to delve deeper into her Scottish heritage, so McNeil traveled to Scotland after being invited to a storytelling festival in Edinburgh. She spent time in the Hebrides learning stories of the “other world” or faerie lore, then wrote “Celtic Breeze: Stories of the Otherworld from Scotland, Ireland and Wales.”

Her most recent book, “Read, Rhyme, and Romp: Early Literacy Skills and Activities for Librarians, Teachers, and Parents,” formed the foundation for an early literacy calendar distributed by the library that includes artwork from various children’s book illustrators as well as tips to have fun with reading.

A self-proclaimed “better-late-than-never parent,” McNeil adopted a daughter, Jamie, in August 1998 with whom she shares her love of books and reading. Though now in high school, daughter and mother continue

“The Feel Good Book”

by Todd Parr Why? To lead to creating their own book.

the family tradition of reading aloud to each other. But in exchange for family time, McNeil cut back on traveling to storytelling festivals and focused more on her passion for early childhood literacy at the library.

In 2005, the Public Library Association and American Library Association teamed up to create “Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library” (ECRR), a program focused on promoting early childhood literacy through storytime at libraries. McNeil became a certified master trainer of ECRR through Portland State University and still travels throughout the state training librarians to use playtime, songs, rhymes and stories to excite young children about books and reading.

“Heather has brought the importance of literacy and early learning to our community in a way that had not existed before she came,” said Holly Remer, executive director of Healthy Beginnings. “Since I’ve been working with Heather in the capacity of early literacy, she’s been an incredible resource not just to our program, but to every early childhood program in the community.”

In addition to training staff and caregivers about early childhood literacy, McNeil performs her Toddlin’ Tales storytime at the downtown library, created a summer reading program and oversees the Library Linx program. This program allows students to go online and request books from the library that are then sent to their schools, where they check them out.

McNeil also served on various committees including the American Library Association’s Newberry Medal Committee, Notable Recordings Committee and the Wilder Committee, selecting the best children’s book of the year, the best recording for children 14 and younger and honoring an author or illustrator for their body of work.

While on the Notable Recordings U Magazine | September 2014 | 17

Committee, she learned to multitask.

“I’d put on my headphones and listen to recordings while staining my deck that summer,” she said.

In April 2014, at the Oregon Library Association’s annual convention, McNeil was presented with the Librarian of the Year award. Attended by several thousand librarians, the award was a complete surprise.

“I was sitting next to her as the Multnomah County librarian was reading the award recipients’ achievements, and at some point, I heard Heather say, ‘Oh, no,’” said Dunkelberg.

Nominated by staff and colleagues from across the state and within Deschutes County, this major award reflects the dedication and passion that McNeil has invested in developing youth programs not only for the Deschutes County Library system but also statewide.

This year, the Deschutes Public Library system, in partnership with numerous child services organizations, received a $50,000 grant from the Oregon Department of Education for an early

18 | U Magazine | September 2014

literacy program called “Read It, Read It” in the tri-county area. The library will serve as the grant’s fiscal agent. The concept is that as children visit different service organizations, they’ll receive a free book, a coupon for another free book at the library, an early literacy toy, and when the parents come to the library, a chance to win $100 in groceries.

“We want them to look forward to coming to the library and making it a regular part of their family experience,” said McNeil.

Over the years, parents who read the same book over and over again to their children often ask McNeil what book to read instead. McNeil’s advice is simple.

“Read it again,” she said. “There is something about that book that just grabbed the child, and one day they’ll be reading along with you. They’ll be so excited and proud of themselves — that’s the start of the whole thing.”

But don’t be surprised if that advice is delivered with a Scottish accent or in rhyme.

What We’re Reading

by Susan Stafford, for The Bulletin Special Projects

Brief reviews of recent selections made by Central Oregon book clubs.

We don’t know where summer has gone, but the calendar has turned to September and the school doors are open. Hopefully everyone had many opportunities to enjoy fun summer reading as much as you enjoyed our beautiful Central Oregon weather.

With the arrival of fall, book groups who took a summer hiatus will resume regular meetings.

The first Author! Author! presentation of the school year by the Deschutes Public Library Foundation will take place at 7 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 25 at Bend High School, featuring Jess Walter, The New York Times best-selling author of “Beautiful Ruins.” Check with your local library for the full schedule or visit www.deschuteslibrary.org/events/authorauthor to purchase tickets.

“The Goldfinch”

by Donna Tartt

“Me Before You”

by Jo Jo Moyes

“Caleb’s Crossing”

by Geraldine Brooks

CRS Book Group

Chapter Chicks

The Library Book Club

The CRS book group eats their way through their discussions, which they conduct over lunch. On the menu at their latest gathering was “The Goldfinch,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning third book by author Donna Tartt. Told through the eyes of Theodore Decker, a young man grappling with the heartbreaking loss of his brilliant, beloved mother, this is a story involving love, memory, art and mystery. Theo struggles with teenage delinquency as he seeks refuge with a less-than-perfect Park Avenue family, a kind antique restorer in Greenwich Village, and with his absentee father and his second wife in Las Vegas.

The 784-page story of tragic loss connects not only with the heart but with the mind as well, with an international mystery about a missing painting to which Theo’s fate is hinged. The women of CRS, who found “The Goldfinch” incredibly well written, “enjoyed a wide-ranging discussion exploring the mixture of good/bad in lives and how nothing is ever all white or all black.”

Jo Jo Moyes’ intimate novel is built on the premise that sometimes love isn’t enough, and all our good intentions can’t alter the final outcome. Larger-thanlife Will Traynor is left a quadriplegic and deeply depressed by an accident that requires 24/7 care. Louisa Clark, content with her bland life in a British village and in need of a job, takes a six-month assignment as Will’s caregiver, despite having no experience. After an uncomfortable start, their relationship becomes one of great caring and closeness. Lou tries to create adventures for Will to give him a reason to live. Exploring morally complex issues, Moyes creates a poignant love story in which providing happiness for a loved one can mean breaking your own heart.

The Chapter Chicks spent much of their discussion on assisted suicide and all its ramifications, including impacts on family and friends. The difficult issues raised in the story provided for meaningful discussion for the Chicks, their conclusion being that “they are grateful to live in a state that honors choices at the end of life.”

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks, who was one of the authors showcased in the Author! Author! literary series last season, has once again impressed the TLBC with “her meticulous research and ability to transmute bits and pieces of information into a world that draws the reader in as participant, not simply an observer.” One member commented, “The archaic language of Bethia’s narrative was authentic and surprisingly easy to read, but we all wished the author had included a glossary.” Set on Martha’s Vineyard in the 1660s, and inspired by a true story, “Caleb’s Crossing” is a fictionalized account of the bond between the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College in 1665 and Bethia, the young quick-minded daughter of a Calvinist minister. Brooks demonstrates the pressures put on individuals who were attempting to bridge cultural and societal gaps. The final verdict on “Caleb’s Crossing” by TLBC — “This was an exceptionally well-written book with a strong, engaging female character and a wealth of discussion points.”

BookMovement.com • An online resource for book groups OK, book clubs, have we got a website for you. BookMovement. com is a comprehensive free website to help your club find great books more easily and manage club activities more efficiently. They

provide lists of the best books for discussion, based on ratings from 35,000 clubs as well as book guides and other online tools to simplify club communications and activities. Happy reading!

U Magazine | September 2014 | 19

a Healthy Side to

Potatoes Potatoes have an energizing supply of nutrients, so don’t knock them off the menu just yet.

by Annissa Anderson, for The Bulletin Special Projects photos by Kari Mauser Fall in Central Oregon brings wonderful things. Much-welcomed cooler evenings, changing colors, and the first harvests of many local varieties of potatoes. These delectable potatoes are versatile storage vegetables that provide an energizing supply of carbohydrates to fuel us through fall and winter.

Potatoes may have been scapegoated as unhealthy foods, but if prepared right and eaten in conjunction with other healthy foods, they are a valuable source of nutrition. Potatoes are low in sodium and a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B-6, potassium, fiber and other nutrients, especially if the skin is left on, nearly doubling the amount of fiber.

The versatility of potatoes makes them an easy addition to a regular diet. They can be cooked with almost any method – whether baked, roasted, pan fried, grilled or boiled – and combined with a wide range of flavor enhancers. The key element to enjoying potatoes on a regular basis is to be mindful of what you are eating along with them.

The American Diabetes Association and Mayo Clinic both include potatoes in their healthy eating plans, using recipes that utilize healthy oils and low- or non-fat dairy products instead of high-fat flavor additions. And while the high-glycemic nature of potatoes can cause spikes in blood sugar levels, this applies only when eaten alone. When combined with a protein source and other vegetables, their effect on blood sugar levels is less dramatic.

As with many foods, potatoes should be eaten as a whole food to obtain the most nutrition. Whole foods are simply foods that are unprocessed and unrefined. In the case of potatoes, it means in the form in which they came from the ground. For optimum health, processed potato products should be avoided; what is left of the potato is mainly the starch, minus the essential vitamins, minerals and fiber.

20 | U Magazine | September 2014

Herbed Potato Gratin (Serves 8) Potato gratin is made creamy – without the cream – by layering very thin slices of potato, steamed in a light, herbed broth in the oven.

Ingredients:

1

1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the cake pan

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 large shallot, minced (about 1 ⁄3 cup) 1½ teaspoons chopped thyme

⁄2 teaspoon chopped rosemary

2 pounds medium red potatoes, very thinly sliced Kosher salt Freshly ground pepper

Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil an 8-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and oil the paper.

2. In a medium saucepan, heat the 1½ tablespoons of olive oil.

Add the shallot and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the thyme and rosemary and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Cook over moderately high heat until reduced to 3⁄4 cup, about 10 minutes.

3. Arrange an overlapping layer of potato slices in the cake pan.

Season lightly with salt and pepper and spoon a small amount of the reduced broth on top. Continue layering with the remaining potatoes and reduced broth, seasoning each layer lightly. Pour any remaining broth on top. Cover the pan with a sheet of oiled parchment paper and then a sheet of foil.

Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes with Fried Shallots (Serves 4) These delectable mashed potatoes can be enjoyed guilt-free, as they contain only healthy fats. A fried shallot garnish adds additional flavor and texture.

Ingredients:

Kosher salt and ground pepper

1½ pounds potatoes (4 medium)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup canola oil

½ cup skim milk

4. Bake the gratin in the center of the oven until the potatoes are very tender, about 1 hour. Remove the foil and paper and bake until the top is dry, about 10 minutes longer.

5. Turn the broiler on. Remove the gratin from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Invert the gratin onto a heatproof serving plate or sheet pan. Carefully remove the parchment round. Broil the gratin 6 inches from the heat until the surface is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced

Method: 1. Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with cold water by 2 inches and add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil; cook until potatoes are very tender and easily pierced with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the canola oil until shimmering. Add the shallots in a single layer and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to paper towels to drain. Once cooled, sprinkle lightly with salt.

3. Drain potatoes; press the potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl, or alternately mash with a fork in a bowl, stirring in olive oil and milk until incorporated, and season with salt and pepper.

4. Transfer the mashed potatoes to a serving bowl and garnish the potatoes with the shallots.

U Magazine | September 2014 | 21

Popular potato varieties include Russet, Red Bliss, Purple Viking, While Rose, Yellow Fingerling, Yellow Finn and Yukon Gold. Some of these, and others, are grown here in Central Oregon and can be found in stores, farm stands and farmer’s markets, labeled “local.” Each type has a slightly different texture and skin quality, making it more suitable for a particular style of preparation (see “A Perfect Match”).

The best potato dishes are ones that remind us of the comfort foods we were brought up on, but many of those favorites are loaded with calories and saturated fats. To remake comforting potato dishes that can be eaten regularly – and in good conscience – it helps to learn a few tricks of the trade.

With foods as naturally delicious as potatoes, healthy side dishes are easily attainable. Try adding olive oil instead of butter for mashed potatoes, chicken stock in place of heavy cream for scalloped potatoes and baking sliced potatoes in place of deep frying in oil. Basic flavor builders such as onions, shallots, garlic and herbs and spices can also increase the satisfaction of most any potato dish, without added fat.

Knowing that most of a potato’s nutrition

A Perfect Match Knowing your potato varieties can help you to determine the perfect way to cook them. Here are a few common potato types, defining characteristics and their best uses.

PURPLE VIKING

smooth, creamy texture

mashing

RED BLISS

moist, thin skinned

roasting, mashing, potato salads

RUSSET

starchy, dry texture

baking, mashing, pan frying

WHITE ROSE

waxy, thin skinned

potato salads

YELLOW FINGERLING

moist, flavorful

roasting, pan frying, mashing

YELLOW FINN

buttery, creamy flavor

boiling, baking

YUKON GOLD

tender, buttery texture

roasting, baking, mashing

is found in its skin, potato dishes that do not require a peeler are preferable. For the best nutritional bang for your buck, try baking a whole potato and eating it skin and all, or make “smashed” potatoes using unpeeled, thin-skinned potatoes such as Red Bliss, Yukon Gold or even Yellow Fingerlings, instead of peeled Russets.

Potatoes can also be combined with other root vegetables with tasty results. Roasting a variety of root vegetables, tossed in olive oil and

chopped garlic or herbs, makes a colorful side dish to accompany roasted meats or poultry.

Incorporating other root vegetables – such as parsnips, celery root or turnips – in mashed potatoes adds earthy flavor, while increasing nutrition.

Store potatoes well – in a cool, dark, wellventilated place – and they will keep for several weeks. If you can resist cooking them that long.

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22 | U Magazine | September 2014

CARING FOR OTHERS

Growing Old: The Best is Yet To Be • Greater self confidence • More time to do things you want to do • Increased appreciation for physical self • Grandchildren

The best is yet to be? Does life get better with age?

Growing older is not a choice that we have in life, but growing old is. Everyone has different thoughts on growing older. Some people are afraid to get older because of the many disadvantages while others anticipate it because of the many advantages.

Those benefits may include: • Greater wisdom and experience

One’s older years can be one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling times of life.

There are more seniors today than ever before. In the early 1900’s, 3.1 million Americans were age 65 and older. Researchers estimate that by 2030, 20 percent of the U.S. population will be senior citizens. Some of the current trends we are seeing today includes: • Longer life expectancy.

People are living longer than in the past. The number of people living until 100 years is

• Greater awareness of priorities and what is truly important in life

short essays categorized into three sections labeled, Hope, Transformation, and Peace. The essays draw on her experience as a social worker working with elders.

Aging can be difficult, but Lustbader reframes the negative aspects to help the • Higher education. More reader view aging in a more seniors have high school diplomas and increasingly positive way. This is a “must read” book about the positive have a bachelor’s degree value of aging. or higher. consistently increasing.

Better economic position.

The number of seniors below the poverty level has decreased from 35 percent in the early 1960’s to approximately 10 percent today.

• Lasting marriages. The majority of seniors younger than 85 years are married. Women tend to live longer than men and, older men are twice as likely to be married as elderly women.

Given these changing trends, our focus should be on the benefits of growing older as we age. Wendy Lustbader’s book, “Life Gets Better”, provides an optimistic viewpoint about the value of aging. The book contains

The later years of life can be filled with purpose, dignity and joy, or they can be riddled with frustration, depression and pain. Much depends upon us, our attitudes, values, family and support systems. Growing older is going to happen whether we prepare for it or not and, growing old is a privilege denied to many.

The best is yet to be if we focus on the positive, unexpected pleasures of growing older.

Nancy Webre, BS, MS CEO/Owner, Geriatric Care Manager

Locally Owned & Operated Since 1982. State Licensed & RN Supervised U Magazine | September 2014 | 23

A HELPING HAND

FULL

CIRCLE After School Buddies encourages, mentors and leads young girls through a challenging world.

by Linda Orcelletto, for The Bulletin Special Projects photos by Kevin Prieto

How to Join After School Buddies is always in search of passionate, dedicated female mentors for the program. Training for teen/college-aged mentors or adult volunteers begins in mid-October.

Donations are gratefully accepted.

Visit www.afterschool buddies.org for more information.

24 | U Magazine | September 2014

Self-doubt and fear of failure are a part of growing up, especially during middle school.

Middle school is the transition time when adolescents are on the brink of adulthood. Kids reevaluate values previously taught by teachers and parents. It’s a time to determine if those same values/lessons make sense in their new, often confusing and challenging world.

“Girls in particular watch women who are older [than they are]. They study their behavior and attempt to be like them,” said Charlene Schulz, director of After School Buddies.

After School Buddies (ASB), a nonprofit organization, provides female teens (Big Buddies) the opportunity to mentor fourththrough eighth-grade girls (Little Buddies ) to help them prepare for the demanding social and academic challenges they might face in middle school. In turn, the same mentors (ninth grade through college), then discover their own talents, personal gifts and purpose by developing and leading lessons for the younger girls. These young women are mentored by adults who offer support at each session.

ASB, a Christian-based

organization, operates on the basic premises of acceptance, respect and love. (ASB is not sponsored by an individual denomination or church.) The end goal of ASB is to empower young girls and women to make smart choices that impact their health, family, education and world around them.

“We (Big Buddies) offer encouragement and plan fun activities that have a meaning behind them,” said Lacey Bunting, who joined ASB in fourth grade to gain confidence, and is in her second year as a Big Buddy.

While the majority of the

nearly 90-minute after-school programs for fourth and fifth grades is spent on help with homework, other activities focus on a virtue for the week. Integrity, inner beauty, patience and confidence are encouraged through learning a new dance, speaking in front of others, physical fitness, music and drama.

In middle school, the threehour program on early-release Wednesdays is a change from the elementary programs. This extended version introduces college-aged mentors into the mix and incorporates increased community outreach including projects for and field trips to local senior living facilities such as Grandma’s House and Partners in Care.

Most ASB programs run November through May, but a free weeklong camp in August

on the Schulz property offers the girls recreation while learning. The camp is planned

by Big Buddies. Leadership development focuses on commitment, compassion and connection.

“The cool thing is you are a leader, but you are the Little Buddies’ friend, too,”

said Kaitlyn Mattson, who is completing her first year as a Big Buddy.

Schulz, who developed the program more than a decade ago and works for Bend Park & Recreation District, acknowledges that commitment is important to girls, especially those who are not experiencing

lasting connections at home.

“Their lives can be such a roller coaster,” said Schulz. “Some girls live in households that may not be financially secure. Others have parent(s) with dependency issues or live with incompatible blended families. Yet some girls come from perfectly stable family situations but their school environment offers more challenges than they are equipped to handle. ASB offers a way for girls to experience commitment and stability with female peers and mentors.”

ASB wouldn’t exist without commitment from adult leaders, mentors and community partners. Bend-La Pine Schools hosted the 2013-2014 programs at Elk Meadow, Buckingham and Ensworth elementary schools. The school district also provides free transportation from most Bend middle schools

U Magazine | September 2014 | 25

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to the Christian Life Centerbased middle school group. The district’s Nutrition Services also provides snacks at some locations.

This past year, ASB partnered with Oregon State University Cascades Campus and Central Oregon Community College by having 18 young women participate in service learning opportunities and/or internships.

In-kind donations and financial support also comes from local businesses.

ASB comes full circle by showing compassion to those in the community who are experiencing tough times.

Buddies provided holiday

food baskets and meals for the needy, gifts of personal items for the Bethlehem Inn, bag lunches for Central Oregon Veterans Outreach, Easter eggs for Bend’s Community Center children and more.

Schulz thinks fondly of many girls who, thanks to being a part of ASB, are aspiring to be the best they can be. Over the years, multiple Buddies have received substantial college scholarships, and many are aspiring to be teachers, social workers, counselors or doctors.

“I learn as much from the Little Buddies as they learn from me,” said Schulz.

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Complements Home Interiors 70 Sw Centur y Dr. Suite 145 Bend, OR 97702 541.322.7337 www.complementshome.com U Magazine | September 2014 | 27

Soul

Mind,Body &

by Kari Mauser, The Bulletin Special Projects / photos by Kevin Prieto

Lynn Dalquist of Peach Pilates in Bend uses ‘intelligent movement’ to aid in injury prevention.

When Julia Barberich stuffed her basketball shoes into the back of her closet, she thought she might be walking away from the sport forever. The Bend teen had grown up dribbling and shooting, her spot on Summit High School’s basketball team the culmination of more than 10 years of practicing and playing.

So it was with a heavy heart that she accepted the fact that she simply couldn’t bear the physical pain she suffered while playing 28 | U Magazine | September 2014

any longer.

Two injuries resulting in two herniated discs, which exacerbated the complications of a degenerative disc, meant Barberich had more lower back pain than she could tolerate.

“I just couldn’t play anymore,” she said quietly.

When Barberich began pursuing physical therapy, her therapist suggested she try Pilates. It just so happened that the family’s neighbor was a

Pilates instructor.

Lynn Dalquist was immediately invested in helping her young neighbor recover from her injuries and overcome her pain. Keeping Barberich in the comfort of her own home, Dalquist began working with her on a daily Pilates routine.

“The PT had suggested Pilates because it was about recognizing that something was wrong in the integrity of the muscles,” Dalquist explained. “It was about

fixing it instead of bandaging it.”

Dalquist understood the situation intimately, having first been introduced to Pilates herself after a debilitating injury.

Despite her lack of interest after her first exposure to the practice, Dalquist stuck with Pilates in her own rehabilitation, ultimately discovering a personal passion that eventually lead her to open her own studio — Peach Pilates.

Peach Pilates opened its doors in November 2013, bringing two

“It is the mind itself which builds the body.”

— Joseph Pilates women’s dreams to reality. Three months after the business launched, Dalquist and her associate Julie Watts were overwhelmed by the participation and profound support the new studio had quickly elicited.

Their success undoubtedly relates to a level of passion that’s inspiring and stirs intrigue even in someone who, like Dalquist in the very beginning, might think Pilates as a form of exercise is extremely subtle.

“I walked out of my first class and thought to myself, ‘I will never do that again.’ I was so bored,” Dalquist recalled. But as a teaching and playing tennis pro, she wasn’t ready to put her racket in the closet. “I didn’t want to just fizzle out.”

Dalquist was accustomed to intense physical training and Pilates was simply a departure from that program. But within a couple of sessions, she realized the change to her training regime was extremely positive.

Through Pilates, Dalquist began to understand her body and why it wasn’t working.

“I was completely imbalanced,” she explained. “I had so much isolated strength from playing tennis and I had been getting away it, but I wasn’t going to be able to continue that way.”

Dalquist was soon able to begin coaching tennis again and found that she was taking what she learned in Pilates and introducing it to her students.

“I would tell these young players that if they could incorporate this into their lives now, then they wouldn’t end up injured like I was when they were my age,” she said. “I really wanted to be able to help young athletes play their sport for a long time, to prolong whatever their passion was.”

Through Pilates, Dalquist saw that she could teach more than just how to master a backhand; she could teach her students how their bodies work.

“As a teen you know your body is your body and you know what it can do, that it can throw a pitch at record speeds maybe, but you don’t think about why it can do that,” Dalquist explained. “The first time you question that is when there’s an injury. And maybe you sail

through until you’re 45 before it hits you.”

Dalquist believes incorporating Pilates into a training program can help ensure that type of life-altering injury never happens, and she’s particularly passionate about helping young athletes prevent injuries.

“Pilates is intelligent movement. It’s mindful movement. I believe that with our youth there is an absence of awareness of what our body simply does,” Dalquist said. “Pilates creates and/or increases body awareness and the relationship of it to our mind and thus helps guard against injury. As (a Pilates) instructor I am not going to teach an athlete the mechanics of the game, my job is to teach them efficiency and awareness.”

Pilates is often thought about as building core strength, and while that is at the center of the practice, it’s only part of the picture.

Through a series of exercises from mat work to routines that incorporate equipment such as Pilates rings, stability balls, flex bands and foam rollers, as well as the Reformer, Pilates builds a stable base of support. While the muscles that wrap around the hips and mid-back engage, it strengthens not only those muscles but also the mind-body connection — creating muscle memory so that during activities or sports those muscles fire automatically without having to even think about it. While strengthening, Pilates

also creates flexibility and lengthening of the muscles, which in turn support the body’s joints.

The integrity Pilates builds into the body’s muscles can benefit everyone in everyday movement. It supports posture and mechanical efficiency, and it creates body awareness. In sports it creates balance, countering the overuse of certain muscles which is inherent when the focus is on a single activity, a problem Dalquist sees often in youth.

“There is so much pressure on young athletes because with them it is such a focus on a singular activity,” Dalquist emphasized. “They practice and play all year round — essentially only working and training the muscles that relate to that activity and leaving the rest out to lunch. That lays the groundwork for injury.”

Summit High School student Cole Chrisman credits Pilates with helping him avoid injury.

U Magazine | September 2014 | 29

As a golfer and a soccer player, Chrisman is an active athlete, but it wasn’t until he started classes at Peach Pilates that he began really noticing an increase in his strength and flexibility.

“At first I thought it was a little girly,” he confessed. “But then after just a couple sessions once a week, I noticed I was getting more flexible and stronger in my core.

I’m a small guy so I don’t hit the golf ball very far, but Pilates gave me more strength in hitting.”

Chrisman said he has also noticed how much better running feels with his increased flexibility.

“It has definitely been helpful in preventing me from getting injured because I’m more flexible,” he said. “And it’s a lot of fun, especially because I do it with friends.”

While Pilates is a valuable athletic tool, Dalquist emphasizes that it also has an emotional

element.

Through donating time to teach Pilates classes at area schools, she found herself face-to-face with a young lady who reminded her about that important part of the picture.

“She came up to me and said, ‘I’m not very good at sports, but I can do this!’ … That is the other piece that I just love. Not every young one is going to be an athlete, but they all still want to belong and to feel good about themselves. Pilates integrates selfesteem. It gives these young kids self-confidence.”

For Barberich, it gave her her life back.

“I used to not even be able to stand up for very long without being in major pain,” she said.

“Pilates was totally new to me, but right away I noticed it helping me.”

Within a couple months of working with Dalquist, first in

her home and later at the Peach Pilates studio, Barberich had rebuilt her strength and was able to start practicing and playing basketball again without any pain at all.

“I completely owe that to Pilates,” she said.

And although she’s not planning

Moving Forward at Peach Pilates Nine months after Peach Pilates opened its doors in NorthWest Crossing, a frightening accident left owner Lynn Dalquist in shock.

While she was teaching a Reformer class the morning of Aug. 4, a car slammed through the studio’s wall of windows, landing on students, splintering the Reformers below them and spraying shattered glass across the entire space.

“It felt like a war zone in here,” Dalquist described, the emotional impact of the situation evident in her voice.

While the crash was profound, sending three students to St. Charles Bend, the devastation could have been much worse. Those who were injured are healing and expected to make full recoveries. The studio is structurally sound and is 30 | U Magazine | September 2014

to pursue basketball right now, she’s thrilled to just be pain free in all the activities she likes to do.

“I can really do just about anything now, and that’s why I recommend Pilates to everyone — because it can change your life. It completely changed mine.”

being repaired, and the Reformers have been replaced.

“We’ve been somewhat derailed,” Dalquist said. “But we’re like the Phoenix Rising, we’re not going to let it keep us down.”

In fact, classes have resumed in a temporary space within the same building.

“Peach is back and stronger than ever,” Dalquist emphasized. “Our students are remarkable and strong individuals.”

Dalquist said the outpouring of support from the community has been extraordinary. The large banner posted across the studio’s boarded-up windows says it all — a giant peach heart inscribed with messages of strength and perseverance.

Visit Peach Pilates to learn more and sign up for classes or go to www.peachpilates.com or become a fan at www.facebook.com/peachpilates

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U Magazine | July 2014 | 31

Wally Kazam Castle Cake

FUN-TASTIC story and photos by Kari Mauser, The Bulletin Special Projects

BIRTHDAYS!

When it comes to birthdays, take a break from the usual and create a themed party for your kid When it comes to kids and birthdays, it doesn’t take a lot to get them excited. The mere fact that their birthday is approaching somehow etches an anxious smile across every child’s face weeks in advance.

And who can blame them? It’s a day that is quite truly all about them.

As parents, that often translates into a lot of pressure to meet our kiddo’s crazy, creative expectations to make their birthday dreams come true. That overwhelming feeling often leads mom and dad to one of the 32 | U Magazine | September 2014

many birthday party standbys — a swim party at Juniper Swim & Fitness Center, a pizza party at Pappy’s, a bouncy party at Bouncing off the Wall, a skating party at Cascade Indoor Sports. The list of options is impressive, and the parties are undoubtedly always a ton of fun.

But for some of parents, there’s something extremely special about birthdays. Creating a themed backyard birthday party that makes our child feel like the world does indeed revolve around them for an entire

day can etch a proud smile across our faces for weeks afterward.

I will be the first to admit that I am guilty of completely overdoing it when it comes to my boys’ birthday parties. But I admit it with giddy pride. There’s something about coming together as a family to create an extra special event that just might be something your kids end up telling stories about to their own kids and even grandkids one day.

Besides, it’s just plain fun.

Pirate Ship Cake

Mark the X on the Treasure Map

Coal and diamond popcorn balls

Preparation

unable to compete with the online retail world.

So if you have your heart set on Dora the Explorer plates, cups and napkins or a SpiderMan centerpiece and tablecloth, start looking early to avoid hefty shipping charges. But, if you are like me and you do everything last minute, rest assured there is always a way if you are willing to improvise.

Picking a couple of solid colors as a base and working from there is an easy way to start.

Balloons and streamers are cheap and festive and come in every color imaginable. Small helium tanks are also inexpensive and can fill a lot of balloons, which tend to be a highlight for kids of all ages. Stickers are a great way to incorporate a theme, whether it’s as broad as pirates or as specific as Lightning McQueen.

When Logan started talking about skeletons and spiders, breaking out the Halloween decorations meant we could make the entire house fit the pirate theme. Not every theme lends itself to that much ease, however. When Quinn’s third birthday approached, his grand birthday idea was to throw a Scooby Doo Luau (thanks to his obsession with the “Aloha Scooby Doo” movie).

Rather than spending a fortune on the seemingly endless Scooby Doo party supplies online, we hit the local stores for outdoor tiki torches and enough synthetic leis for everyone we were expecting. With balloons and streamers in signature Scooby colors, and a tie-dye tablecloth, it was “totally Scooby Doo,” according to my boys.

See how easy it is to please kids?

decided on a “Minecraft” party. Suddenly Red Vines were TNT, colored popcorn balls were chunks of black coal and shiny blue diamonds, and pretzel sticks topped with licorice became torches. As simple as it was, the snack table was a hit throughout the party, a topic of conversation among all the kiddos. And, of course, so was the cake.

Planning and putting on a themed birthday party for your little one first and foremost should be all about the fun. This is important because if you let it become stressful and succumb to self-induced pressure to get it all perfect, then not only are you not going to have a good time, but your child is likely to sense and mirror your mood.

When it comes to picking a theme the options are endless. Letting your kiddo pick something that they are crazy about adds a personal touch, builds excitement and triggers creativity. Kids delight in thinking up ideas that fit their theme, and brainstorming ideas together is quite truly a big part of the fun.

Invites

Once you have your theme, it’s time to create the invitations. Invites are fun to make and set the stage for the entire party, offering a perfect way to make suggestions to guests such as if you want the kids to come in costume.

My first themed birthday party was when Logan turned 4 and declared he wanted a pirate party. From the moment of that declaration, the ideas just spiraled, starting with the invitations. Of course a 4-year-old’s ideas are fanciful, but it’s easy enough to take little pieces of their fantasy and incorporate them into something doable.

From Logan’s elaborate vision evolved a scroll invitation complete with burnt paper edges, written in pirate lingo and stamped with the traditional skull and crossbones.

Once the last invitation was rolled up and tied, we were inspired and moved right to creating decorations.

Decorations

When it comes to decorations the first thing to realize is that nearly all the party stores in Central Oregon have closed their doors, likely

The Cake

I do not call myself a baker, but with the help of my kids, I am able to call myself a master cake designer. No, the things I do aren’t fancy, but they are fun, and they’re creative. I’m not shooting for the cover of Martha Stewart Magazine, nor am I aiming to excite people on Pinterest. I just want to see my kids’ smiles when our masterpiece is complete.

I had no idea what I could do until that first themed party came along and Logan wanted a pirate ship cake. At first, I tried to think of ways out of having to create any such thing. But then, we just started talking it out and bouncing ideas between ourselves, adding to our grocery list whenever we hit on something great.

Making your own cake keeps costs down, and it’s often the centerpiece of the party -unique and special. It’s also something your

Creative Snacks

Snacks offer another great opportunity for creativity. Kids come up with the craziest ideas to match fun finger foods to party themes, and all it takes is a miniature sign telling people what each item represents.

When Logan turned 8 last year, he U Magazine | September 2014 | 33

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child will be excited to help with and will take pride in creating.

For Logan’s fourth birthday, a pirate ship emerged out of a round cake cut in half, slathered with frosting and detailed with chocolate graham cracker pieces and pirouette cookies. Mini peanut butter cups stuck in the sides with candles sticking out of them became cannons; Whoppers became cannonballs, stacked and ready to fire. The ship was topped with homemade flags and a pirate figurine, and sat on a cookie sheet covered in a blue, shredded coconut ocean with gummy sea creatures “swimming” around.

Homemade cakes can be simple, a ton of fun to create and will make everyone smile at cake time. Whether it’s a brain at a mad-science party, or a castle at a Wally Kazam party, have fun with it, and it’s guaranteed to be a hit with kids and parents alike.

Activities

With all that sugar surging through them, kids need fun activities to keep them busy.

It’s important for your sanity as a parent hosting a kids’ party to realize that a house or yard full of kids can quickly spiral out of control into a massive uncontrolled playdate if you don’t have an agenda. A little free time at the beginning and the end is plenty, with the rest of the time planned out in advance.

Traditional birthday party games can easily be tweaked to fit nearly any theme imaginable.

“Pin the tail on the donkey” becomes “Mark the X on the treasure map” for a pirate theme, or “Tack the bow and arrow to the skeleton” for a “Minecraft” theme. “Hot Potato” might be “Pass the snake” at a reptilethemed party. Musical chairs set to the Scooby Doo theme song will get everyone giggling. The 34 | U Magazine | September 2014

key is to keep it fun, keep it fast and keep it exciting.

Game options abound, but one thing that every kid I’ve ever met absolutely loves is a clue hunt.

These take a little more work on the parents’ part but are well worth the effort. A successful clue hunt keeps kids running and guessing based on theme-oriented clues. Each clue leads to the next clue and ultimately to the goal. I like arranging for the final clue to lead to the goody bags, which the kids then find right as the party is ending. It’s the grand finale.

And of course those goody bags are another great way to have fun with the theme, filling the little sacks with trinkets and candies that will keep the party alive for the kids as they head home and reflect on all the fun they’ve just had.

Just thinking about all the options for a themed backyard birthday party might feel a little overwhelming, but birthdays only come once a year for each child. In my family, birthdays are a celebration, not just of birth but of life — of experiences shared, of trials overcome, of baby steps and milestones. They are a look back on the past year and a look forward to the next. They are a day that is quite truly all about the birthday kid.

U Magazine | September 2014 | 35

Belles of

Bend

The Priscillas mug for the camera in their gym clothes in the early 1900s. From left, Anne Markel, Maude Vandervert, Marion Weist, an unknown club member, Ruth Reid and Dorothy Schoolcraft.

For these young ladies, the trappings of early Bend society were meant to be tamed.

by Bonnie Burns, for The Bulletin Special Projects / photos courtesy Deschutes County Historical Society The group of young women in party frocks giggled, stifling their laughter as they gathered their coats from the cloak room.

They quietly tiptoed down the stairway and slipped out the back door, thereby evading the young men who waited to escort them home.

It had become a custom during the regular Saturday dance at Lara’s Hall for the men to choose which woman to escort home.

But not that night. If they came alone, they would go home alone.

The group, known as the Priscillas, hoped their message was a not so subtle hint. They were tired of waiting around, hoping to be chosen as if they were commodities. They wanted proper dates — to be escorted to and from the dance.

“They would show the men that pursuing 36 | U Magazine | September 2014

a woman was not as easy as deer hunting,” said Marion Weist, a member of the group, years later.

The next week, there were notes of apology from the abashed gentlemen and invitations to the next dance.

The Priscillas had made their point.

From 1909 to 1913, this club of young women and their activities was a prominent part of early Bend’s social structure. Most of the Priscillas were teachers, but eventually the club included any respectable young woman in the rowdy wild-west town of early Bend.

The young women began to meet as early as 1909 but did not officially form their club with rules and regulations until 1911. One such rule was that men were not allowed to attend the meetings. The mere mention

of a man would result in a fine. So while the ladies met weekly at a member’s home where they chatted, did needlework, played card games, and planned their future events, their events and parties were a source of entertainment and gossip.

Most sources agree that the club’s name was taken from the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Puritan poem, “The Courtship of Miles Standish.” In the poem, a man named John Alden agrees to intercede for Miles Standish in asking Priscilla Mullins for her hand in marriage to Standish.

Priscilla, preferring John, replied, “Speak for yourself.”

Thus set the standard for the independentminded Priscillas.

Among the original Priscillas were the Markel sisters, Ann, Gertrude and Nell, who

came from Illinois to homestead.

Anne became one of the first teachers in Bend. Her sisters were stenographers and soon found jobs in town. The Vandevert sisters, Maude, Mittye and Grace, were from a prominent pioneer family of Bend.

Weist was the daughter of Levi Weist, who planned the canal system for Alexander Drake, a founder of Bend. Weist was also one of the first teachers. She was once reprimanded by her father, who was on the school board, for unladylike conduct when chasing one of her students down the street when he refused to stay for detention. Later, she discovered that her student couldn’t stay because if he didn’t get home in time for chores, his father would beat him. She learned quickly that country ways had to be respected and even so, a lady did not run down the street in full pursuit.

It wasn’t long before the Priscillas parties, trips, dances and eventual weddings were duly noted in The Bulletin’s social columns. Some of their parties were described as “high jinx” and “jollity galore.”

Many of the Priscillas were talented musicians who played instruments or sang at many dances and recitals. At the

party in 1911.

dedication of the new Star Theatre in Bend, the group performed and brought down the house by wearing the little white caps and aprons indicative of that Puritan maid, Priscilla Mullins.

But not all of the Priscillas events were as prim as their name suggests because they were a high-spirited, educated and talented group of women. They camped, organized picnics in the forest. Most were experienced horse riders, and often traveled in horse-drawn hacks.

An article in the Bulletin tells of a 76-mile weekend horseback trail ride to Paulina Lake by Vandevert and the Markel sisters.

The Priscillas proved to be a rough and tumble team off the trails as well when the new sport of basketball became popular.

Seven of the Priscillas, including Anne and Gertrude Markel, Angeline (Angie) Young and Arrie Black, formed the Bend Athletic Association.

The team was quite popular, and their games were well attended.

Anne Markel suggested that the team’s success might have had something to do with the distraction of their scandalous bloomer suits and black stockings, and yet the team

The Priscillas proved to be a rough and tumble team off the trails as well when the new sport of basketball became popular.

Priscilla Spoons. Each member gifted a silver spoon to the bride, engraved with her initials. Nell Markel, who never married, was given a set of spoons anyway.

During their short reign in Bend, the Priscilla Club was a positive influence in the development of Bend. They taught, entertained, married and raised families in a town they helped to tame.

The Priscillas meet for a lunc heon in the early 1900s.

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went on to win all their games in 1912. The team was so popular that upon returning home to Bend from a championship game with Prineville, “in a rattling good game of 12-9,” according to The Bulletin, the team was greeted by a brass band and a large, cheering crowd. And much to their delight, each member of the team was presented with a treat — a big box of chocolates.

Of course men were eventually invited to some of their meetings, and most importantly, they were included in the dinners, dances, picnics and horse rides. The Priscillas flourished, and like their namesake, they eventually did find their John Aldens to marry.

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U Magazine | September 2014 | 37

TO YOUR HEALTH

ENLARGED PROSTATE

What Men Need to Know About This Growing Problem.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is otherwise known as an enlarged prostate. The prostate cells grow and multiply. An estimated 50% of men have evidence of BPH by age 50 years and 75% by age 80 years; in 40–50% of these men, BPH causes bothersome symptoms. As the prostate grows, it can cause partial, or sometimes near-complete, blockage of the urethra, which interferes with the normal flow of urine. It can cause men to struggle to start their urinary stream or to keep it going.

It can cause men to urinate more frequently or urgently or to get up more often to urinate at night.

Some men may be unable to urinate at all and may require placement of a catheter, a tube to drain urine out of the bladder and into a bag. In severe cases, bladder or kidney damage can occur.

BPH can be a progressive disease, especially if left untreated. Many medications are available to treat this condition. Some medications, called alpha blockers, work on the muscular component of the urinary tract causing the prostate to retract

38 | U Magazine | September 2014

and allow urine to flow more freely out of the bladder. Another family of medications, called 5-alpha reductaseinhibitors, can shrink the overall size of the prostate. The medications can be used individually or in combination.

Although medication is often prescribed as the first treatment option, there are some patients who do not achieve success with this line of treatment. Those men may not achieve sustained improvement in symptoms or they may stop taking the medication because of side-effects.[34] There are options for treatment in a urologist’s office before proceeding to surgery. A common type of office-based therapy is microwave ablation of the prostate.

Some patients choose surgical therapy.

In general, TURP is still considered a gold standard of prostate interventions for patients who require a procedure. This involves removing (part of) the prostate through the urethra. Some men refer to this surgery as “The Roto-Rooter.” The prostate can

also be vaporized with a laser to widen the urinary channel and make urinating easier.

Because having an enlarged prostate is a common issue for men, some men assume that they just have to endure their symptoms as part of the aging process. A simple conversation with a doctor can lead to big improvements.

At the Workplace

by Connie Worrell-Druliner, for The Bulletin

Learning isn’t Just for Kids Investing in development opportunities benefits both the company and its employees.

As the first day of school approaches and people’s thoughts turn to fall clothes, school supplies and new things to learn, it’s also a good time for employers to think about learning in their workplace. Study after study has found that supporting and providing development opportunities for employees has major benefits for everyone involved.

The American Psychological Association (APA) reports that “the opportunity to gain new skills and experiences can increase employee motivation and job satisfaction, and help workers more effectively manage job stress.” Development opportunities also benefit companies “by enhancing organizational effectiveness and improving work quality, as well as by helping the organization attract and retain top-quality employees.”

Those are some pretty big payoffs from such a simple investment.

Now, there’s no one-size-fits-all employee development plan. But there are many ways employers can provide personal and professional growth and development opportunities, many of which are as big or as small as the companies themselves. But, there are three basic ways any employer can kick-start their business’s learning plan without investing a lot of time or money.

Establish a Learning Culture

The excitement and drive to learn new things must start at the top. Employees need to see that management, from the company executives to the front-line managers, are passionate about growing their knowledge and skills. Managers should encourage their own employees to continue learning and give them the freedom to acquire new skills through a variety of formats,

don’t have to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to bring in subject experts to speak. Tap into the experts you already have on-hand. Ask various departments or team members to host the lunch events and teach on everything from understanding social media to using the latest software version to the basics of invoicing and accounting.

These luncheons can just be for personal enrichment or to help employees grow their skills in other work areas they might be interested in going into.

Support Professional Organization Involvement

including online videos, webinars or articles.

Growth and development can also be woven into the yearly review and goal setting process.

Each employee should set at least one development goal at the beginning of the year. Then check back around the middle of the year to ensure progress is being made and that the development goal hasn’t been pushed aside for something that seems more important.

Host Internal Lunch and Learns

Schedule regular lunch and learn events where employees can learn something new over their lunch break. Where or not you provide lunch is up to you and your budget, but you

Be supportive of employees’ professional organizations, whether you can cover the annual membership fee on the employees’ behalf or you just allow them time off to attend meetings.

Employees will become even greater experts in their fields as they learn from specialized speakers and network with colleagues at organization events. Many local organizations also provide opportunities for members to attend nationally-recognized conferences and workshops at discounted rates. And, the more employees who are involved in local organizations, the better known your business will be around the community.

Learning isn’t just for kids returning to school.

Everyone needs to continue learning throughout their life to keep from growing placid and out-of-touch, and that includes your employees.

Providing opportunities for growth and development will not only help keep workers motivated and satisfied, their growth will fuel your business to reach its full potential.

Connie Worrell-Druliner is the founder of a locally owned business, Express Employment Professionals,

offering human resource solutions. Express can help your organization, by finding qualified workers, solving your retention needs, and providing knowledge based training to your workforce.

U Magazine | September 2014 | 39