Black Fox Elementary First Grade teachers, students and parents chose to forego gifts to each other and purchase supplies for PAWS.  The children and teachers visited PAWS to distribute the pet supplies on Tuesday night.

Siegel Elementary and John Pittard Elementary sponsored Trees of Giving.  The hats, scarves and gloves were used to decorate the tree and are being donated to the Family Learning and Resource Center and to Journey Home.

Mitchell Neilson ESP collected items to send overseas to our military and delivered hygiene supplies and food to Greenhouse Ministries.

Discovery School adopted Bellwood pre-schoolers and collected items for the children to give to their parents as gifts as well as served as helpers during their holiday party.

All twelve schools worked together for a Food Drive to benefit the Rutherford County Food Bank and Greenhouse Ministries.  Over 100 milk crates were filled with non-perishable food supplies.

Murfreesboro, TN - As Americans look for more meaningful ways to give this holiday season, the American Red Cross is offering its 2011 Holiday Giving Catalog (redcross.org/gifts), which includes a variety of symbolic gifts that support its humanitarian programs

“With so many people out of work, Americans want to both give and receive things that mean something,” Development Director, Beth Ferguson, said. “The Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog provides consumers with opportunities to make a difference and give with a purpose this holiday season.”

Shoppers can choose from a variety of symbolic gift items including:

• Vaccinating an entire village
• Providing food and shelter to a disaster victim
• Purchasing phone cards and personal supplies for members of the U.S. Armed Forces:
• Bringing comfort items to platelet donors

Greeting cards are included with each tax-deductible catalog purchase to notify loved ones of the gifts you have made in their honor. You may also opt to send an e-card version. Each gift item provides support to the mission of the Red Cross and items are available to fit any budget.

According to a recent Red Cross poll, the majority of Americans plan to donate more or about the same to charity as they did last year, despite the sluggish economy. In fact, the poll found that 68 percent of Americans believe that because of the economy, it’s important to give something to charity, an increase of 10 percent over last year.

American Red Cross launches holiday fundraising campaign to help those in need

Murfreesboro, TN - The holiday season is just around the corner and this year the American Red Cross is urging people to give something that means something by donating to the Red Cross and helping those in need.

The Red Cross has launched a holiday fundraising campaign, asking everyone to visit www.redcross.org/gifts to make a donation in the name of the people on their gift list this year. Their donation can help provide food and shelter to a victim of disaster, help purchase things like phone cards and supplies for a member of the armed forces, or help supply basic necessities to families in desperate need in countries across the world.

Everyone is invited to browse through the Red Cross Holiday Giving Catalog and view symbolic gifts they can “purchase” for, or in honor of, a loved one - things like infant care kits for babies in emergency shelters, comfort kits for wounded warriors, or water containers used when natural disasters disrupt a community’s water supply overseas.

“We are asking people to give a gift that means something in the spirit of the holiday season,” said Greg King, Heart of Tennessee Chapter CEO. “Their donation can help save the day when fire destroys a neighbor’s house, when a patient needs blood, when a member of the military has a family emergency back home.”

Fiscal Year 2011 was a busy year for the Red Cross. Red Cross chapters responded to more than 68,000 disasters across the country, including the launch of major relief operations for wildfires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres; tornadoes that destroyed entire towns; and flooding that left communities under water from the Dakotas to the East Coast.

Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces workers provided assistance to more than 386,000 members of the military and their families, veterans and civilians. Red Cross Blood Services distributed more than nine million blood products for patients in nearly 3,000 hospitals across the United States. The Red Cross enrolled more than 8.2 million people in health and safety training such as first aid and CPR, aquatics and water safety. As part of the global Red Cross network in more than 180 countries around the world, the American Red Cross responded to disasters and public health emergencies in more than 60 countries.

“We ask people to be generous this holiday season in their support of the Red Cross,” King said. “History has proven Americans respond when people are in need. These are difficult times for families and businesses across our nation, but we ask that people support the Red Cross and the help its programs provide during the holidays this year.”

Poison Prevention Tips for Holiday Cooking

The holiday season has finally arrived. Oftentimes, the best part about the holidays is spending time with family … and eating of course!  However, even for an experienced chef, cooking a feast for a large group can be quite daunting.

“The average home chef might consider cooking for two, three or even six people a manageable or even easy task,” said Josephine Darwin, Director of Community Outreach. “But during the holidays – when your guest list can reach 15, 16 or even 20 people – it is important that your guests leave with full stomachs and not food poisoning.”

According to Tennessee Poison Center, food poisoning is generally a mild illness that most commonly results from poor food handling practices. Food poisoning usually occurs two to six hours after eating the contaminated food and can include nausea, fever, vomiting, stomach cramps and diarrhea. Depending on the exact type of food poisoning, how your body reacts to the toxin and the amount of contaminated food that was eaten, symptoms may last from several hours to two or three days. Food poisoning can be serious for people in poor health, for the very young and the elderly.

Practicing basic food safety preparation and storage is the best way to protect against food poisoning. Experts at Tennessee Poison Center offer the following recommendations to prevent food poisonings:

• Wash hands with soap and warm running water for at least 15 to 20 seconds before preparing any foods and especially after handling raw meat, poultry, fish or eggs.
• Keep preparation and storage areas clean; this includes countertops, stovetops and refrigerators.
• Wash utensils between each use. Never reuse utensils; this is a source of contamination.
• Do not defrost meat or poultry on the counter at room temperature. Thaw it in the refrigerator or microwave instead.
• Use a meat thermometer to confirm that meat, pork and poultry are properly cooked; visit www.foodsafety.gov for proper temperatures.
• Do not prepare food if you are sick or have any type of nose or eye infection.
• Store raw food below cooked food in the refrigerator so raw food cannot drip into cooked food and contaminate it.
• Use separate cutting boards for meats, poultry and fish.

And to ensure that the leftovers will be just as good the next day, properly seal and store leftovers in the refrigerator as soon as possible. Leaving perishable foods, including meats and dairy products, out longer than two hours significantly increases the risk of food poisoning. Throw food away if you are unsure how long it has been sitting out.

Be sure to keep these tips in mind as you cook and entertain family and friends this holiday season. And if you have questions about food poisoning or any other poison exposure, call Tennessee Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.

By Tennessee Poison Center

It’s that time of year again. Flowers are growing, the sun is shining, and Easter is fast approaching. It’s a time to share with the people you love. It’s a time to remind others how much you care about them, and how much you appreciate having them in your life. With cell phones, email, and text messages people often focus on quick and easy, not the thoughtful. Well, what if you could have the best of both worlds? What if you could create a custom hand delivered message to your loved ones and still save time and money.

That is what Kay Parker and Send Out Cards are all about. As a local distributer for Send Out Cards, Kay Parker helps thousands of people around Middle Tennessee express their love and gratitude to others.

What is Send Out Cards? Send Out Cards is a service that gives you the ability to select and customize your own greeting card, and then have that card delivered anywhere in the United States. Kay Parker offers everything from Easter Greetings to Birthday Wishes, even Graduation Cards.

The greatest part about the service is how customizable each card is. When you create a card with Send Out, you can customize everything from the message, the background, add pictures, and stylize your font to match real handwriting.

The cards are printed at a quality that surpasses a home printer or even store bought cards. And unlike a store bought cards, Send Out Cards are specialized to your exact audience which causes a personal experience that a Hallmark could never achieve.

The Entire process is intuitive, painless, and costs half of what you would spend at a drug store. Just head to Kay’s Store Front and start designing your card today. Once you’ve created the perfect card, choose who you want to send your card to, and it will be delivered the very next day. It won’t be long before your card arrives at its destination and puts a smile on someone’s face.

With Easter just around the corner, now is the perfect time to share love with your friends and family. Send Out Cards takes the ageless act of sending a letter and blends it with the ease of technology. It has never been easier to show someone how much you care.

To get started sending a Card or Gift now visit Kay’s online Store: https://www.sendoutcards.com/storefront/kparker/

If you have more questions, contact Kay Parker directly at 615-971-7617

NASHVILLE, TN - For many of us, more than half of annual weight gain occurs between Thanksgiving and New Year's. Some studies say the average American puts on up to 5 to 7 pounds in these few weeks. And it's no wonder if you count up the cookies, cakes and tasty – but calorie-laden – traditional Southern cooking we just can't say no to at holiday parties. While we're chatting away and filling ourselves with holiday cheer, we're also filling up with calories, one nibble at a time. Those empty calories add up fast. So before your belly starts shaking like a bowl full of jelly, plan ahead and check out these American Heart Association tips on healthy holiday eating:

• At holiday parties where tempting foods are often served, eat something healthy beforehand so you're not likely to overindulge. Interact away from the buffet where it's easy to graze mindlessly. Serve yourself and move to a different part of the room. Fill up on vegetable or fruit dishes at the buffet that are raw or simply prepared without sauces (like raw vegetables with hummus, steamed squash or baked apples).
• Eat breakfast. Studies show that if you skip breakfast, you end up consuming more calories throughout the day than those who start off with a bowl of high-fiber cereal.
• Watch your liquid calories and reach for tall, slender glasses. A Cornell University study showed adults who drank from tall, slender glasses drank about 19 percent less than those who drank from short, wide glasses. Sparkling water helps fill you up and has zero calories. A cup of eggnog, on the other hand, weighs in at a whopping 343 calories.
• Make your holidays more event-based and less food-based. Go for a long walk before or after your meals and see the holiday decorations in the neighborhood. Have the family gather branches, berries and leaves to build a beautiful fall centerpiece for your table. Hold a family Wii Fit Plus competition, or a touch football game in the yard. Physical activity will keep you moving and keep your metabolism up.
• Keep your hands, mind and feet busy. People can often get bored during the holidays and turn to food. Plan on reading a novel, taking photos, playing a game, writing in a journal or participating in a fun run.
• Practice portion control. Bake your favorite cookies or pie, but make the cookies smaller than usual and cut the pie in smaller slices. Take one tiny piece – or just one bite - and WALK AWAY. One slice of pecan pie can be as much as 900 calories.
• Cook smart when making your delicious holiday recipes. Use a heart-healthy spread instead of butter, add dried fruit and reduce the amount of chocolate chips in cookies, cut your sugar amount by half or use a sugar substitute, and grill vegetables instead of baking the usual casserole or deep-frying them.
• Give away leftovers by having festive gift containers for everyone to take home samples of their favorite dishes.

For tips on how to live more heart-healthy, visit www.mylifecheck.org.

The Salvation Army is in need of turkey donations for its annual Thanksgiving meal. Pre-cooked turkeys may be delivered to the Salvation Army at 1137 West Main Street in Murfreesboro through Tuesday, November 23^rd and turkeys that are not cooked may be delivered to the Salvation Army by Sunday, November 21^st. Deliveries made on Saturday or Sunday should be done between 4:30 PM and 9:30 PM to the shelter entrance of the facility. For more information, please contact the Salvation Army at (615) 895-7071.

The Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS® made a substantial donation to the Food Bank at the Rutherford County Emergency Food Bank in Murfreesboro Monday as part of their “From Our Home To Yours” Food Drive Program. REALTORS® from Rutherford County collected canned goods and other non-perishable food items for the drive, which can be distributed to hungry families in our area. This contribution is part of a larger initiative by MTAR, which held similar food drives in 4 other counties across Middle Tennessee.

“It was important to us that the food we raised within our communities stay in our communities,” explained MTAR 2010 President-Elect Janet Nettles of Coffee County Realty & Auction in Manchester. “We wanted to make sure that our friends and neighbors were the ones to benefit from our food drive, which is why are proud to call this project ‘From Our Home To Yours.’ This was our second year hosting such a Food Drive, and we’re thrilled to already see an increased response and participation over last year!” Within Rutherford County, MTAR members from Bob Parks Realty (Smyrna), Clark Maples Realty & Auction, Exit Realty Bob Lamb & Associates, Keller Williams Realty, Priority Partners Realty, and T. Wright Properties contributed to deliver bundles of food to the Food Bank.

“REALTORS® have a responsibility to improve and contribute to the communities in which we live and work,” noted MTAR 2010 Public Relations Chairman Marty Holder of Exit Realty Bob Lamb & Associates in Murfreesboro. “I’m thrilled to see so many of our members get behind an effort to provide food to the needy in our own communities. I’m hoping that, thanks to our efforts, at least a few more families can have a great Thanksgiving this year.”

The Middle Tennessee Association of REALTORS® is a not-for-profit trade association serving over 1,500 real estate professionals across the Middle Tennessee region. The mission of MTAR is to provide its members with state of the art tools, training and support to ensure that all members have the ability to become ethical, professional and successful REALTORS®. MTAR engages in several community service and charity projects each year, including the 4^th Grade Foresters project, National Make-A-Difference Day, Toys for Tots, and multiple charity golf tournaments to raise money for college scholarships, diabetes research, and the Coffee County Readers of Tomorrow program. For more information, visit www.mtar.org or call toll-free 877-893-2242.

MURFREESBORO TN - MTSU jazz faculty and special Nashville guests will jazz up a classic this Christmas season as part of the 2010-11 MTSU Jazz Artist Series, performing “The Jazz Nutcracker” at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2, in Hinton Hall in the university’s Wright Music Building.

Russian composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky originally created “The Nutcracker Suite” for ballet in 1891.

“Performed in the Christmas season, this ballet score has become one of Tchaikovsky’s most popular pieces,” said Jamey Simmons, associate professor of jazz studies and jazz trumpet at MTSU.

“Jazz masters Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn transformed this familiar piece into a nine-movement work for jazz orchestra, and it was recorded and released in 1960 by Columbia Records to critical acclaim.”

Simmons noted that as a creative team, Ellington and Strayhorn were among the most influential jazz composers and arrangers of all time, creating masterpieces like “Take the A Train,” “Lush Life” and “Chelsea Bridge.”

“Because these arrangements were written for the soloists in Duke’s band, it makes it fun to get inside their approach to performing,” Simmons said.
Performing “The Jazz Nutcracker” alongside Simmons on Dec. 2 will be jazz faculty members Don Aliquo on saxophone, Jim Ferguson on bass and Derrek Phillips on drum set. They’ll be joined by three other professional jazz musicians from Nashville: Matt Davich on alto saxophone and clarinet, Roy Agee on trombone and Jim Williamson on trumpet.

During the performance, guest commentator Austin Bealmear, host of the syndicated radio show “Jazz on the Side,” will provide insights into the history behind this jazz version of “The Nutcracker Suite.”

“It will be fun for the audience to hear how familiar melodies such as ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ and ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ were transformed to fit into the unique Ellington sound,” Simmons said.

Tickets for the Dec. 2 show are $15 for the general public. Admission is free for MTSU faculty, staff and students with proper ID. For more information on this and other concerts at the MTSU School of Music, please call 615-898-2493 or visit the “Concert Calendar” link at www.mtsumusic.com.