Programming Link Up - February 2011

The National Program Team is pleased to present the first Programming Link Up. This new program update will be delivered to your inbox each month, keeping you informed and engaged regarding all national programming activities of The Links, Incorporated. Together we will solidify our place as the nonprofit powerhouse of programming!

National Trends and Services Career advancement and new responsibilities have required Link Lynne Rogers to step down from the position of Director, National Trends and Services. We wish Link Lynne well and thank her for her hard work in structuring our National Trends and Services initiatives. We welcome Link Wendy Thomas as the new Director, National Trends and Services. Link Wendy served as assistant director and brings a wealth of experience to this facet committee.

2009-2011 Area Program Reports Congratulations to the chapters for completing program reports for another year of productive programming! We applaud you for living up to your commitment of serving your community and your chapter. A group of peer reviewers is volunteering their time to review each report this month. As a reminder, please be sure to print and save a copy of your reports for your chapter's records. If you have not already done so, you may log back into your program report account and print a copy. When printing, be sure to select the "Printer Friendly" link next to the report name. Please note that at the end of this reporting period, April 30, your reports will no longer be accessible through your account. For more information, please contact: Jennifer Hudnell Program Specialist jennifer.hudnell@linksinc.org

RED ALERT: Heart Disease Doesn't Care What You Wear — It’s the #1 Killer of Women! Chances are you have been hearing a lot of information lately about women and heart disease. That is because chapters of The Links, Incorporated, along with other major organizations, are working with The Heart Truth® campaign* to spread the word that heart disease is a major women's health concern. This campaign is sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. During the month of February, American Heart Month, members are asked to plan a Wear Red Day for chapter meetings and other chapter-sponsored events, to give women an urgent wakeup call about their risk of heart disease, their #1 health threat. If you need more time, plan a Wear Red Day for March—winter is heart attack season! *The Red Dress is the national symbol of the Heart Truth National Awareness Campaign. To learn more about the Red Dress Initiative, visit www.linksinc.org/heartlinks. Information is located in the HeartLinks Toolkit under National Trends and Services.

Childhood Obesity Webinar On December 2, 2010, the Southern Area of The Links, Incorporated and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity presented a special webinar: “Childhood Obesity: Raising Awareness in our Communities and Reversing the Epidemic.” The Links, Incorporated places priority on the health and well being of children in the communities we serve. In 2007, the Southern Area named Childhood Obesity Prevention as its major initiative and later established The Southern Area of The Links, Incorporated Commission on Childhood Obesity Prevention. The Links, Incorporated Executive Council voted on and approved the establishment of the National Childhood Obesity Initiative on November 12, 2010. This webinar, developed expressly for members of The Links, Incorporated, provided a broad overview of the childhood obesity epidemic—specifically highlighting the high levels of childhood obesity and the health disparities among African-American children. The session included a discussion of concerns that are unique to the African-American population, and made the case for policy and environmental change strategies. Click here to view the webinar. A link to the Childhood Obesity webinar is also available on the homepage of The Links, Incorporated website. Please log-in to the Members Only section of the website to access the All about Me! Children’s Coloring and Activity Book, COP Policy Brief and Childhood Obesity Manual.

Donor Sunday Feedback The Linkages to Life: Organ, Tissue and Bone Marrow Awareness Signature Program continues to flourish while educating thousands on the importance of “donating life” in the African-American community. Thank you to all chapters that sponsored a Donor Sunday event on November 14, 2010, an observance declared by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Our collective efforts will bring much needed attention to this worthy cause. To date, tens of thousands of potential donors have been reached directly through the Donor Sunday program. If your chapter held donor drives or other programs in conjunction with Donor Sunday we want to hear from you. Please email the following information along with any photos that were taken to programs@linksinc.org: Chapter Name The number of Chapter Members who participated in a Donor Sunday event. The number of community members who attended the Donor Sunday event. Did an organ, tissue or bone marrow recipient/donor speak at the event? Did a health care professional speak at the event? Will you participate in Donor Sunday this coming November?

The Southern Area of The Links Advances Involvement in Public Policy The Southern Area has put in place strategies to educate, mobilize and advance its members’ involvement in public policy. The overarching goals are to make childhood obesity a public issue in each state and effectuate sustained change. Workshops and a webinar series have been offered to educate members on becoming involved in public policy at the state and local levels, and to increase knowledge on childhood obesity among African-American children. Additionally, Links Day at The Capitol (LDAC), an existing Area initiative, has become the primary vehicle for mobilizing and advocating policy changes in a cohesive, informed and purposeful manner. The 2011 LDAC Committees, in the seven Southern Area states and the Bahamas, are advocating for state-level legislation which addresses childhood obesity prevention and/or children’s health and well-being. These efforts will be supported and informed by the policy agenda, including the priorities established to meet the needs of African-American children, by The Southern Area of The Links, Incorporated Commission on Childhood Obesity Prevention. With grant funds, selected LDAC activities will feature presentations and testimonies by Commissioners and other area program experts. Another news note… The Southern Area issued an RFP and selected seven chapters to receive funding to implement the childhood obesity prevention curriculum, increase awareness of the issues and to engage local communities in policy change. They are: Greater Miami (FL) Chapter: All About Me-Healthy, Happy & Fit Dogwood City (GA) Chapter: Keep It Moving: Childhood Obesity Prevention in the African-American Community New Orleans (LA) Cluster Chapters: Program STOP: Successful Tools for Obesity Prevention Columbia (SC) Chapter: Links to a Healthy Lifestyle. Fort Valley (GA): In partnership with The Boys and Girls Club - Fort Valley Unit Azalea City (GA) Chapter: Multigenerational Approach to Childhood Obesity Tampa (FL) Chapter: Fitness Blazers For more information, please contact: Jennifer Hudnell Program Specialist jennifer.hudnell@linksinc.org