Coca-Cola Event Features James Jones

Our friends from Coca-Cola brought a bunch of volunteers over to the west side Clubhouse this afternoon—they played games with Club members and provided pizza for everyone—but without question the ‘special guest’ was a focal point.  James Jones, current Packer receiver and Club alumnus from San Jose (CA) joined the party, and he told the 125+ kids in attendance that success was achievable if they did their best. ‘Always do your school work and stay out of trouble’ Jones advised, and ‘you can be anything you want to be with hard work.’

 Questions from Club members ranged from ‘do you get yelled at if you mess up in football?’ (yes) to ‘what do you do in your spare time?’ (watch movies…especially comedies) and one youngster asked ‘who is your best friend on the team?’ (Greg Jennings) and JJ fielded them all.

 Along with the group PSA there are individual snippets from a number of the celebrity alumni that participated—entertainment industry giants like J-Lo and Cuba Gooding Jr. for example—and the sports world was well represented by Shaq and X-Games legend Shaun White among others. 

 You can watch and listen to the PSA for yourself here—feel free to forward it on to friends.   

 We are making plans for a local version of this PSA concept—identifying people who have been directly impacted by a Club experience—and hearing their stories.  If you are a Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay alumnus—and it doesn’t matter how long ago—please contact Jessica Hopp at 494-7090 ext 1015 or e-mail a jhopp@bgcgb.org if preferred—you can also reach us via Facebook at facebook.com/bgcgb to share the details. 

 Denzel says that ‘many doors open, but these doors transform’ when referring to Clubs in the PSA and perhaps that is the fundamental message.  Club works…it did for all these celebrities…and it does/will for kids in our community as well.  Thanks for your support!

This new ‘College 101’ initiative will feature campus visits and assistance with ACT/SAT tests including fees, plus it will support additional training for Club staff on financial aid and admissions processes so they can advise teens accordingly. 

Look for more details about ‘College 101’ on our Facebook page and on www.bgcgb.org in the future.   

“They didn’t pick me” said the once bright-eyed little boy who was hoping for one of the limited ‘good school’ slots that meant hope for the future.  A grandmother cries as the last lottery ball rolls out—showing a number not matching hers—it equates to an educational death sentence for an ambitious child at her side.  Small children try to manage brave faces and caring adults weep openly—the system has failed them—and in most cases their fate is sealed.     

Gut-wrenching quotes and lump-in-the-throat-producing images are what most people got from the Waiting for ‘Superman’ screening on Wednesday afternoon—a group of Club members and invited adults braved blizzard conditions to watch the controversial documentary—part of our local National Boys & Girls Club Week celebration.  Most adults realize the world isn’t perfect and some kids have a tough climb on the ladder of educational success—but ‘Superman’ suggests many of the rungs are missing—a tragic situation that will ruin our nation if left in disrepair. 

While there are differences of opinion on how to ‘fix’ public education—teaching effectiveness, system leadership, funding, policy, out-of-school-time efforts and more must all be considered—one cannot argue the (further) disastrous results if we don’t figure it out.  Right now there are millions of kids in poverty around this nation who basically have no chance given the system they are in—anybody got a cape?

Teenage Dating/Relationships; Serious and Casual: Most teens would say, “I believe everyone my age ‘is doing it’ — and so long as I use protection, I am being responsible about it.” In today’s reality, teens date, have relationships, and “kick it,” which may include sexual touching, and even lead to sexual intercourse.  Most teenagers will say, “What is wrong with that? I am with my boyfriend or girlfriend.” However, often times the teen couples are in different grades and are different ages. That is where the legal issues become very serious and most teens and their parents are not aware of the potential life changing consequences they could face.

Teenage Hook-Ups:  More common now, teenagers “hook up” at parties, after meeting online in a chat room, or through friends and most of the time they do not even know each other’s age before they have sexual contact or sexual intercourse.   There may or may not be alcohol or drugs involved, or the younger person may or may not be truthful about his or her age (statistically it is girls that are the younger gender involved).  Sometimes younger girls are engaging in these activities without telling the older make teens their ages.  The next thing you know . . . the male teenager finds himself in jail being charged with felony counts.

PUNISHMENT/SENTENCE (Sexual intercourse with a person age 16 or older): Anyone who has sexual intercourse with a person who has not attained the age of 16 years is guilty of a Class A Misdemeanor and will face imprisonment and fine not to exceed 9 months or $10,000 , or both.

EXAMPLE:  A sophomore girl (16 years of age) is dating a junior guy (17 years old) — OR a junior girl (16 years old) is dating a junior guy (17 years old) and is having sexual intercourse.  This may not seem wrong to the teenage couple who are in a committed relationship or even just casually dating BUT this is wrong and illegal under the law!

PUNISHMENT/SENTENCE (Sexual intercourse/Sexual Intercourse with a person under the age of 16):  Wisconsin applies a “ZERO TOLERANCE” approach to sexual contact or intercourse with anyone under the age of 16.   At a minimum, the law states any individual who has sexual contact or sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16 is guilty of Second Degree Sexual Assault of a Child, a Class C felony, and may be sentenced to 40 years in prison, pay a maximum fine of $100,000 and be permanently added to the State Sex Offender Registry.   (Most persons found guilty of a sex crime must register as a sex offender, however there is an exception under certain conditions when both individuals are minors and not more than 4 years apart.)

EXAMPLE:  A freshman girl (14-15 years old) is dating a junior guy (17 years old) and they are having sexual relations.  Again this may not seem wrong to the teenage couple who are in a committed relationship or even casually dating BUT this is VERY wrong and illegal under the law.

Your might read this and think:  “Surely these laws can’t apply to me — the sex or sexual contact was consensual — I did not force her!”  Think again.  According to Wisconsin Law, an individual under the age of 16 is a child and a child cannot give consent, therefore consent is not a defense to this CRIME . . . that is right . . . CRIME. In fact, the Courts consider the isue of consent to be “irrelevant” to the case. 

You might say, “Well, I cannot be charged, I did not even know this was a crime.”  Think again.  Wisconsin does not alow for a defense called “ignorance of the law,” you are supposed to know the laws inthe state that you reside in.

You might say, “Well, I cannot be charged, I did not even know how old this girl was — she told me she was 17 years old.”  Think again.  Wisconsin does not allow for a defense because the vistim intentionally misrepresented her age to the defendant. 

PARENTS CAN BE CHARGED WITH A CRIME TOO?  The law, though, doesn’t just apply to teens. In Wisconsin, a parent/guardian is responsible for the welfare of a child who is under the age of 16, and is liable if he/she has knowledge that there is an intention for boyfriend/girlfriend to have sexual contact or intercourse with their teenager and does not prevent it OR that their teenager is having sex or engaging in sexual contact and fails to take action.

PUNISHMENT/SENTENCE:  The penalty is a Class F felony with imprisonment for up to 12 years and six months and a fine of $25,000.

EXAMPLE:  Ben is a 17 year old junior who has dated Christine, a 15 year old sophomore sime they were in middle school.  The two swear that one day they’re going to get married.  Christine tells her mom, Nancy Naive, that Ben told her that he intended on having sex with her on prom night — that it was time and he didn not want to wait any longer.  Nancy Naive makes no attempt to stop her daughter other than to say “use protection.” On that fateful spring evening, the two engage in consensual sex.  Christine’s Dad, Johnny Law, who isn’t a fan of Ben, later finds out and reports the incident to the local police.  Based on these facts, Ben could be charged and convicted of Second Degree Sexual Assault, that carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and Christine’s mom, Nancy Naive, could be convicted on Felony “Failure to Act” charges, where she could get a 12 and a half year prison sentence — an immense price to pay for night of “teenage romance.”

Bottom Line:  Parents and teenagers both need to be fully aware that the consequences of teenage sex extend far beyond pregnancy and disease. Prison time, exorbitant fines, and being branded a sexual predator . . . no matter how “in love” you are, it’s simply just not worth it.

This article is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship and is for informational purposes only.  The information in this article is the author’s own summation based upon WI statutes and her own examples for simplicity.  The author shall make corrections if appropiate.

By:  Stan Kocos, Extended Learning Coordinator for the Green Bay Area Public Schools

The hours that children spend out of school are ripe with opportunity to explore, grow, create and learn in ways that the school day does not allow time and space to accomplish. From the earliest years, children learn by experience. When well implemented afterschool and summer programs provide both the time and space to allow for fruitful exploration and experience. High-quality, multi-faceted programming that supports a range of positive learning outcomes, including academic achievement, are more successful at increasing academic accomplishments than programs that focus their efforts solely on remedial skills.

Peter Gordon of Columbia University asserts that increasing access to supplementary education is a key to closing the achievement gap. According to Gordon, high achieving students have access to additional learning outside of the school day through exposure to the arts, travel, dance, scouting, tutoring, music, summer camp and other activities that contribute to the growth of the child. New findings indicate that students who participated in high-quality after school programs alone or in combination with other activities demonstrate significant gains in standardized math test scores when compared with classmates who were regularly unsupervised after school.  In addition, children who participate in summer enrichment programs to a greater extent avoid the “summer slide.” The most promising long-term outcomes of all out of school time programs are those that show children gaining competency on a broad array of life-skills that are necessary for school success but are not measurable by exam scores.

The relationship between afterschool programs, schools, community organizations and parents form the foundation of a successful program. A number of studies have revealed favorable results in children’s academic achievement when positive relationships exist with the school. Programs with ongoing community partnerships also gain additional resources for programming as well as opportunities for youth to experience community service projects and skill enhancement, ensuring that young people stay engaged.

Ensuring the success of children remains a team effort, in a game that we cannot afford to lose.

By:  Stephanie Walker, nationally accredited and Wisconsin state-certified Registered Dietitian (RD) for Festival Foods

Understanding nutrition and what a “healthy diet” consists of can be overwhelming. This is partly due to the fact that the science of nutrition is ever evolving, but mostly because messages are mixed and impacted more by advertising and marketing strategies than science. I thought I would take this opportunity to share some FREE resources and tools to use to assist in making the most informed choices possible when shopping (although it takes some preparing before you actually go to the store in some cases).

The most notable program we have in place in our stores is NuVal™.  NuVal is a nutritional scoring system helps to cut through the clutter of health claims, pretty packaging, and celebrity testimonials that we are so accustom to.  In case you are unaware of what NuVal is, here are the basics:

• NuVal™ Scores range from 1-100.
• The higher the Score, the better the product’s overall nutrition.   
• NuVal Scores take into account more than 30 different nutrient factors, boiling them down into a single Score that you can find directly on our price tags.
• You will notice the Score in the double-hexagon NuVal logo in the upper, right-hand corner of the shelf tag.
• Click on this link for more information about NuVal http://www.festfoods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3293&Itemid=204

Our website (www.festfoods.com ) is also a great resource. Here you can:

• Browse our weekly ads and coupons
• Find recipes to help you plan your week’s meals
• Browse for nutrition-related information and additional resources on the “Health & Wellness”  portion of the site
  • Here you can find links to my favorite “Kids Nutrition” websites (there are teen and family sections on the websites too!) Follow this link for easy access: http://www.festfoods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3275&Itemid=198
  • Ask me any questions you might have – from questions about nutrition facts information for items sold in our deli to those about following a low sodium diet  – using the “Ask Our Dietitians” feature found here http://www.festfoods.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3274&Itemid=197

Have a healthy day!

Dr. Anthony Marchlewski, Bellin Health Psychiatric Center-Clinical Services

Anger in children can be among the most challenging emotions parents have to address. I often advise parents of methods to help teach children to effectively manage anger.

Anger is a normal, intense feeling of displeasure typically resulting from a perceived wrong. Most adults through the years have developed an internal mechanism through which they are able to properly and constructively process and manage anger. Children, however, having younger, undeveloped minds and lacking the maturity of adults, process and manage anger quite differently.

Children often express anger due to frustrations over things they cannot express or situations they cannot navigate. In fact, tantrums in children age 2 to 4 are actually a normal and part of a child’s development.

Children may also show anger when they need attention, feel powerless or helpless, are embarrassed or made fun of, are not having their physical needs addressed, are being punished, or for a host of other reasons. 

As children grow older, parents can help adolescents and teens calm down and manage anger by engaging in an activity to help release angry energy. Some activities known to help include:

• Playing sports (basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, rollerblading, etc.)
• Riding a bike
• Going for a walk or run
• Working in a garden
• Cutting the grass
• Cleaning a designated part of the house
• Washing the car
• Playing a musical instrument
• Reading a book, novel, magazine, etc.
• Listening to calm music
• Having the child journal about his or her feelings and the situation
• Writing poetry, stories or songs
• Writing a letter to the person with whom you are angry with
• Drawing or paint
• Positive self talk
• Using relaxation techniques like deep breathing, imagery, meditation
• Taking a bubble bath or shower
• Saying a prayer and ask your higher power for help

These are just a few suggestions. Each parent must determine what works best for their child and seek professional guidance should the child’s anger issues seem unusually frequent, intense and extremely out of the ordinary.

Disclaimer: The preceding information is meant only to inform and should never displace professional consultation.

If the Steelers win, they send me a Troy Polumalu wig and a Terrible Towel, both of which I’ll wear/carry/wave an entire business day no matter what meetings/appearances are on the schedule.  (note:  since I am bald, this would be moderately exciting just to have hair for a while, albeit fake and attributable to the enemy) 

If the Packers win, we’ll send a Cheesehead and G-Force flag their way, and they must wear/carry/wave for an entire day.  We are also proposing that they must film a group of Club staff and kids doing ‘The Raji’ dance and send it back to us if our team prevails.  (go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8VnssBOhGc and watch ours on YouTube when you have a minute—it is awesome)

Both franchises in the Super Bowl have meaningful and long-standing relationships with their local Boys & Girls Clubs and we are grateful for their support. 

GO PACKERS!!!

The just announced ‘coke cheers’ promotion is a great way to express your support for our favorite NFL team—and help earn a $25,000 contribution to the Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay in the process—funds would go to our Triple Play program that develops the Body, Mind and Soul of our members.

Cheering is simple—go to www.cokecheers.com and do your thing—only takes a couple of minutes. 

We look forward to getting this wonderful $25,000 contribution from Coke for our Triple Play program—but it would be cool to beat Pittsburgh fans OFF the field as well—so let’s generate more cheers than they do for our team!!!

Remember…you can wipe the sweat/seat off with a Terrible Towel but Cheese can keep you alive indefinitely…really no comparison.  J  Go Pack!!!