YMCA Black Achievers

Black Achievers director gives kids a chance
Clair Carey uses skilled volunteers to help give area youth opportunities
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060822/BUSINESS/608220323/1003

By DWAYNE STEWARD
The News Journal
Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Clair Carey, Black Achievers program director at the
YMCA in Wilmington, says she loves all of the program's
kids as if they were her own.

To those who know her best, 63-year-old Clair Carey is in the business of changing lives.

Carey, of Wilmington, is the Walnut Street YMCA Black Achievers director, providing guidance, education and a grandmother's love to more than 100 of Delaware's at-risk youth.

"They're all my kids and I love them dearly," said Carey.

A retired chemist and director of public relations at Hercules Inc., Carey found herself making the sharp transition from the corporate to the nonprofit world.

"I had been a Black Achiever in the past and really thought the program could be an asset to the community," Carey said.

The Black Achievers program pairs teenagers with black adults in various careers for a year of mentoring and networking. Saturday morning seminars and field trips, workplace visitation, college tours and scholarships are just a few of the programs tangible offerings.

Carey said career exploration is the program's mantra. Teen achievers are taken on weeklong college visits every year on the week after Easter. Last year's participating schools were Virginia State University, Spellman College, Morehouse College, Georgia Tech University, Clark Atlanta University, Emory University and Georgia State University.

The program's only full-time employee, Carey runs everything from recruitment to organizing the annual awards dinner in December, which has featured keynote speakers such as Bill Cosby, Magic Johnson, Sammy Sosa, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. The dinner awards the adult achiever volunteers chosen by participating companies.

Those volunteers say Carey has been an invaluable presence in Wilmington.

"You just can't say no to Miss Claire," said Karen Burton, city of Wilmington administrative assistant and 2004 Adult Black Achiever. "She's such a tender soul. The amount of love, education and passion she shows towards these kids that aren't even hers is absolutely amazing."

Adult achievers commit to the program for one year. But after working with Carey, many can't be torn away, staying on as volunteers.

Former achievers are in the process of creating an Adult Black Achievers Alumni Association, to provide further networking and donations for the program, Burton said.

"We don't want these kids to think that it was something we were required to do," she said. "We care about them and want to see them succeed."

The youth participants range in ages from 13 to 18. Students can remain in the program for up to five years, receiving awards and scholarships for their commitment in the annual "Senior Send Off."

"You're getting kids to see people of their color doing well," said Adriane Davis, executive assistant at Bank of America and a 2005 Adult Black Achiever. "They can do it. That's what we're trying to show them."

The national program started at the Harlem, N.Y., YMCA in 1971. The Walnut Street program started in 1989. It is one of 64 in the country. More than 600 adults have been named Black Achievers at the Delaware branch and more than 2,000 students have gone through the program.

Carey's four-year tenure has put Walnut Street's program in the limelight with higher-profile celebrities and a more rigorous public relations agenda. Major corporations such as Wachovia, Bank of America, AstraZeneca, JP Morgan Chase, and Delmarva Power have bought into her commitment, offering donations and volunteers every year.

"Some programs in different states just have the corporations donate money, the adult achievers don't do community service," she said. "I wanted to change that and keep the program true to its traditional goals."

Crying at work

Office bawl-itics
A good cry may make you feel better, but it'll hurt your career
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060821/BUSINESS/608210303/1003

By DWAYNE STEWARD
The News Journal
Monday, August 21, 2006

Margaret Morford has a simple motto for those times when you might be feeling a little emotional at work: "Die before you cry."

A management consultant and president of The HR Edge, in Nashville, Tenn., Morford said the worst thing anyone can do in the workplace is cry.

"In the short term, you may get what you're looking for. But you're winning the battle and losing the war," she said.

Though crying can be an emotional release, most psychologists say leave the tears at the workplace door.

"You should keep your emotions in check," said Karissa Thacker, an industrial psychologist and president of Strategic Performance Solutions in Rehoboth.

Morford said it's all about perception. The crier may be perceived as weak and not in control, she said.

Advice for bosses

Thacker said crying at work creates problems because people don't know how to help, and co-workers can become too involved in calming the employee, ultimately decreasing productivity.

"It is perfectly OK for an employer to say that these emotions need to be put in check," Thacker said.

Michael Hudson, leadership consultant and owner of Everyday Leader in Lewes, agrees. He said an employer must confront a habitual crier but do so in the most confidential way possible.

"I think you have to protect the person," Hudson said. "But the fact is, a business is in business for a reason." First, he said, "employers have to ask themselves what is the performance impact of this behavior, then why is it happening."

Consultant Michael Hudson of Everyday Leader in Lewes
says habitual workplace criers should seek counseling.

"It's human nature to not want to upset people," Morford said. "So the employer will automatically want to say something that will make them feel better."

Morford said this sets up a pattern of the employee using tears to get his or her way.
She suggests employers always have a box of tissues on their desk and give crying employees time to compose themselves.

When heading up an all-female firm in the past, Morford said the saying was: "If only one person has cried by the end of the day, it's been a good day."

Upon hearing this, Morford was horrified.

"I explained to them that crying in the workplace chips away at your credibility," she said. "It just isn't a good avenue."

Hudson suggests habitual criers get counseling.

"An employer needs to take the steps necessary to make sure this can be dealt with when it comes up," he said. "There should be some sort of assistance; you need to focus on helping the person and not saying: 'Get out of here. I can't deal with this.' "

Advice for employees

For those who can't seem to get a hold of their emotions, experts say practice makes perfect.

"You need to discover what makes you upset and then take the proper steps to keep from crying," said Alice Domar, director of the Domar Center for Complementary Health at Harvard Medical School.

Domar suggests keeping a diary for a week or two to determine what immediately preceded each crying incident.

"Its called the cognitive behavior theory," she said. "Once you've discovered what triggers the behavior, you can practice not crying in those situations."

If you're at a point when you may lose control, go someplace private to regain your composure, Thacker said. Even take a day off. "Just do whatever it takes to get yourself together."

"If you know that a meeting is going to be particularly difficult for you, go to the bathroom and take a minute to practice calming yourself down before you go into the office," Domar said. "Picture what [the boss] looks like in silky boxers if you have to, seriously."

"Have I driven off the workplace at lunch and boohooed? Yes, but no one saw it," Morford said. "I don't think you have to be hard. I just don't think you have to be emotional like that. There are other ways to express yourself."

ADVICE FOR EMPLOYEES

• Habitual criers need to determine why they are crying to successfully address the problem.
• If you feel you're going to cry, excuse yourself and take time alone to compose yourself. You may even need take the day off.
• If your crying problem persists, you may want to get counseling.
• Co-workers should be sympathetic. Intervene only if crying is unusual. If it's habitual, any attention may be detrimental.
• Calm yourself before a stressful meeting.
• Any abrupt change in behavior in an adult is grounds for attention. If you begin crying often all of a sudden, see a professional.

ADVICE FOR EMPLOYERS

• Be sensitive yet direct with crying employees. Offer them a tissue. Leave the room for a moment so they can compose themselves. But always continue the difficult conversation.
• Examine your approach. Employees' crying could be a reflection of poor leadership.
• When you can, keep crying incidents confidential.
• When meeting with an employee who has a tendency to cry, reinforce his or her positive contributions in any discussion about substandard performance.

New massage school

New massage school to offer hands-on learning
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060818/BUSINESS/608180331/1003

By DWAYNE STEWARD
The News Journal
08/18/2006

Executive director Amy Cowdright (from left), co-owner Rachel Lewis
and Sharon Gamble are instructors in the 10-month program in massage
therapy that will give students everything they need to pass the state exam.

Tranquility with a touch of style. That's what Alternative Therapy Massage of Wilmington says it will offer students when the massage school opens in October.

Below the five dimly lit, private massage rooms lies a one-room school. Red massage beds line the wall for students to hone their massage skills.

A complete education in a relaxed atmosphere is what co-owner and founder Rachel Lewis said Alternative Therapy's massage school, one of seven in the state, is all about.

"There are a lot of people who work in the corporate world that are stressed and looking for an escape or a second career," said Lewis, 35, an Elkton, Md., resident and licensed masseuse for nine years.

Classes will be run by four licensed therapists, including Sharon Gamble, 63, of Newark, a retired nurse who decided to pick up another career in her 50s.

The school on Milltown Road in Pike Creek will offer day and night classes with each therapist teaching classes in specialized fields. The 10-month program will range in instruction from a full body massage outline and technique to anatomy and physiology.

Amy Cowdright, the school's executive director and lead instructor, who specializes in reflexology, said the school is completely hands-on and includes supervised client workshops where students will actually massage customers at the end of their training.

"They will initially practice on the instructors and one another," said Cowdright, 28, of West Grove, Pa. "They will be able to feel how the muscles move and apply the techniques they've learned."

Day classes will run Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 to 2:30 and on Saturday from 8 to 4, while night classes will be Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 10.

The nearly $7,000 tuition includes textbooks, an adjustable massage table, a two-year CPR certificate, the national certification exam fee, and one year of liability insurance.

"They'll literally be able to walk out the door ready to pass the exam and get a job," Lewis said.
State law requires that all massage therapists be licensed by the state. A written exam, 500 hours of instruction and CPR certification are among the requirements.

Delaware banks help Habitat for Humanity

Banking rivals help Habitat for Humanity
Dozens of employees volunteer for Community Build Day
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006608100325

By DWAYNE STEWARD
The News Journal
08/10/2006

Dan Walls uses a crane to hoist sheetrock up to Lee Mullins,
both of Marjam Supply Co. of Newark. The men joined other
volunteers to help build homes for Habitat for Humanity.

Nicole Johnson, 28, of Wilmington is raising her two young children in a cramped, two-bedroom apartment, and she never thought she could afford to live anywhere else.

But by the end of this year, with the help of Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County and Delaware-area bank employees, she will own a four-bedroom, $100,000 home without paying a penny of interest or a dollar toward a down payment.

Around 80 employees from Wachovia, Citigroup, Bank of America and the Principal Financial Group volunteered for six-hour shifts Tuesday and Wednesday to help put up siding and drywall and wire electricity in homes in Middletown for the fifth annual Community Build Day. Each bank will also donate $5,000 for the construction of Johnson's home.

Community Build Day is a national event sponsored by the Financial Services Roundtable, a trade organization representing banks and other financial services firms.

"It's a blessing what these volunteers are doing," Johnson said. "When you pay rent, [the apartment] is not something you're ever going to own but with this, it will be mine. I'll be able to afford my home and keep my home."

Forty-two volunteers participated Tuesday, helping to push production ahead of schedule, said construction supervisor Deborah Gestwicki.

"We got tons done today," she said. "There's just only so much you can do with the 10 or 12 that come regularly. Today our workers tripled in number."

Johnson's home is part of a 12-house development by Habitat called Faith Way, eight of which will be ready by the end of the year, said Joanne McGeoch, a Habitat spokeswoman.

"We pay $100,000 to build the homes, which is what the homeowners pay," she said. "There is zero interest and no down payment." Johnson said the settlement should be finalized and she should be moving in by January at the latest.

The volunteers included Middletown residents hoping their helping hand would have an effect on improving the community.

"I live right down the street, and I think it's great," said Lisa Kaufmann, a Bank of America financial analyst. "We are all competitors, yet we're able to do stuff like this. We're coming together for the good of the community."

Lisa Kaufmann from Bank of America (left) and
Wendy Kurtz from Citigroup were among volunteers
from area banks who came to help.

Others, like Tracey Flowers, found fulfillment on a more personal level.

"I have small kids and we always talk about how we have things that many other don't," said Flowers, a Middletown resident and Principal Financial product developer. "I plan to bring them by here and tell them, 'This is what mommy did today,' to teach them to appreciate what they have."

The Financial Services Roundtable has conducted 120 community builds across the nation, surpassing their theme this year of "50 Builds in 50 States."

"There really is no way you can engage with your customers on a personal level if you are not out there doing things like this in your area," said Shannon Finney, a Roundtable spokeswoman.

Heat warning issued in Delaware

Hot, humid and hazardous
Experts urge people to stay indoors; ozone warning issued
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060802/NEWS/608020347

By DWAYNE STEWARD
The News Journal
08/02/2006

"I soak myself with water until I dry off," said Tara Williams, 31, a DELDOT worker. A deadly heat wave that has spread across the country settled in Delaware on Tuesday, prompting officials to ask citizens to remain inside if possible and to stay well hydrated.

Delawareans tried to stay inside Tuesday as a three-day mega-hot spell hunkered down on the state.

At least four people were treated for heatstroke, summer camps changed their plans and Delaware Park canceled its racing card. And it may all happen again today.

If that weren't bad enough, "We've also had an increase in respiratory-related illnesses," said Kim Wilkins, spokeswoman for Kent General in Dover.

Temperatures reached the triple digits with health professionals and weather experts telling residents to stay out of the sun.

"Make sure you're choosing your activities wisely," said Robert Rosenbaum, Emergency Medicine Physician at Christiana Hospital.

And keep drinking water, he said. Before you go out, while you're out and when you head back indoors.

State and regional governments warned that high levels of ozone today will trigger a "Code Red" -- an effort to reduce traffic to lessen smog and keep people with health problems inside.

Residents are urged to use public transit, avoid needless auto travel and minimize activities such as refueling or lawn-mowing that can make the smog worse.

Delaware already has recorded two incidents this summer -- May 30 and July 18 -- when ozone levels violated the federal Clean Air Act.

Ozone forms when gasoline vapors, industrial pollutants, motor-vehicle exhausts and other emissions cook in hot, stagnant air. The result can burn sensitive lung tissues, posing a special risk to the elderly, the very young and those with respiratory problems.

Although hot conditions produce ozone, the highest levels often occur later in the day.

Heat is the leading weather-related killer, claiming an average of 1,500 lives a year, mostly from respiratory failure, heart attacks and strokes, said Laurence S. Kalkstein, a professor at the University of Delaware's Center for Climatic Research.

Children and the elderly are most susceptible to heat exhaustion and should be watched carefully, Rosenbaum said.

Brittany Downs, 7, of Wilmington dangles
on a swing and gets her hair wet Tuesday in
the Brandywine at Woodlawn Wildlife Preserve.

"Signs of dehydration can vary by age," Rosenbaum said. "Children may appear more tired and sluggish then usual, while the elderly my show signs of confusion or inability to walk."

If someone is showing signs of heatstroke -- their temperature is rising but they are not sweating -- they should be taken to the hospital, Rosenbaum said.

Area nursing homes and children summer camps are taking extra precautions during the heat emergency.

"We have increased the amount of water play activities and changed some of the field trips," said David Halley, camp director at the Bear/Glasgow YMCA.

Instead of outdoor activities the children are going to the movies, bowling and roller skating, Halley said.

"There are some kids who suffer from asthma that may flare up but we have their medications on site," he added.

Groups look after the elderly

Many nursing homes have put maintenance staffers on call in case air conditioners break down.

Some activities have been rescheduled at Kentmere Nursing Care Center in Wilmington.

"If it's over 90 degrees we usually don't have our outdoor activities, so when it's 100 we're definitely not heading outside," said Eileen Mahler, executive director.

Meals-on-Wheels volunteers are monitoring the elderly who live alone.

"In these situations the agency makes an effort to brief their volunteers on what to look for because many meal delivery volunteers are their only point of contact," said spokeswoman Barbara Carins. She said the volunteers are asked to make certain the homes of shut-ins are cool enough and they have enough water.

Pet cremation

Pet crematories offer a proper departure
Demand for NCCo business in relatively new industry is steady
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060801/BUSINESS/608010331/1003

By DWAYNE STEWARD
The News Journal
08/01/2006

Earl Nichols Jr. and his wife, Kathy, are the owners
of Royal Pet Cremation in Christiana Hundred,
which meets the needs of bereaved pet owners.

Last week, Charles and Rochelle Ryan experienced a death in the family.

But they found closure the next day.

After Riley, their 14-year-old silver toy poodle, died unexpectedly on the night of July 24, the devastated Chesapeake City, Md., couple immediately called Royal Pet Cremation in Christiana Hundred.

Earl Nichols Jr., of Wilmington, who owns the business with his wife, Kathy, had the ashes placed in a boxed urn for the couple by the next evening.

"For us, it was very traumatic. Riley had been in our family for 9 years, and he was with us every day. We took him everywhere," Rochelle Ryan said. "Earl and Kathy were extremely comforting and sympathetic. It was a relief to have everything taken care of so quickly."

Earl Nichols, 51, who also owns Classic Auto Body in Christiana Hundred, said Royal Pet Cremation is in its first year of business and, according to customers, it's providing an invaluable service to the community.

"Most people think they can only get their pet cremated through their vet. We wanted to provide a more personal service that focuses on the individual," Earl Nichols said. "We want people to know that they have options once your pet passes away."

With the rise of national companies such as PetSmart and Petco, pet owners are taking animal care more seriously, even in the afterlife.

"Pets are not just service animals anymore. They've become part of the family, and when they pass, pet owners want them to be treated as such," said Brenda Down, executive secretary of the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories.

According to the association, there are between 750 and 800 pet cemeteries in the nation, 90 percent of which offer cremations. There are eight pet crematories in Delaware that are inspected by Delaware Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

"The industry is definitely moving more toward cremations," Down said. "More people are deciding to cremate their pets because burial isn't really an option for most anymore."

Cremations usually start at $75, but prices vary depending on the arrangements.

"We basically treat it like a funeral home would," Kathy Nichols said. A typical individual cremation is $275, including cremation, urn and possibly keepsake jewelry.

Containers for ashes come in many different styles.

"Some people like to keep their pet's ashes with them everywhere they go, which is why we offer keepsake jewelry," said Earl Nichols, a licensed funeral director who worked in his family's funeral home.

A hollowed-out emblem that contains ashes is usually attached to a necklace or other jewelry. Prices range from $35 to $500.

Vessels to hold a pet's ashes come in a variety of styles,
including wearable pendants and traditional urns.

Royal Pet Cremation also sells personalized urns and memorial stones.

"In many states it's considered illegal to bury your pet in your backyard," Earl said. "We provide memorial stones that have urns attached underneath that can go in the ground."

Earl Nichols considers Ron Fox's Delaware Pet Cremations in Wilmington to be his main competition.

"Any time you mention Ron's name in Delaware, you always hear that he's a nice guy," Earl Nichols said. "I've only got great things to say about him."

Fox, who runs Delaware Pet Cremations with his wife, Kathy, said he does regular rounds at 90 percent of the area veterinarian offices and 45 percent of his business includes disposals.

"We're providing a service that didn't exist 10 years ago," Fox said. "Neither of us should have a problem -- there's plenty of business to go around."