IT’S PINKTOBER – FEMALE ATHLETES UNITE AGAINST BREAST CANCER

Organizations everywhere are kicking off month long breast cancer awareness programs. At least half of you know someone who has or had breast cancer. Whether a mom,  aunt, grandmother, neighbor, or family friend, breast cancer strikes over 200,000 women a year. Fortunately, with early detection, there are many different treatment options available. And every year new research improves cancer care. If you’re young, you may not think breast cancer will affect you. But your youth and energy makes you an invaluable tool in the fight against the disease. You can help this month and all year by working with various programs in your  community. If you surf or snowboard, check out Boarding  for Breast Cancer. If you’re a runner, jogger or walker, Susan  B. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure events take place all year. Climbers, bicyclists and paddlers can join those who have climbed, biked, and kayaked at Against the Odds events. Beats For Boobs will honor its eighth year of uni [Read More]

published October 10, 2011 at 3:19pm CDT

HAVE AN IDEA TO GREEN YOUR COMMUNITY? FORD AND GREEN FESTIVAL COULD MAKE IT HAPPEN.

If you've been thinking green lately, you're in good company here on the AskPatty Blog, but your thinking could pay off for you to the tune of $5000. Ford and the Green Festival have teamed up to help improve five US cities, and they're asking you for your ideas.  They'll be choosing the most innovative green schemes to receive a $5000 grant to make the plan happen. The Community Green Grant program asks individuals and organization to think ahead, and come up with new and amazing ideas that would improve the environment in their local communities prior to the start of a local Green Festival. Attendees at the Green Festival in each city will vote to select the project proposal that will receive the $5,000 Community Green Grant. Green Festivals are slated to take place in Chicago, Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco this year.  Before each event opening, a panel from Green Festival and Ford will select a group of Community Green Grant finalists from among the pro [Read More]

published May 12, 2011 at 3:25pm CDT

ASKPATTY REVIEWS: AUTOTEX PINK WIPER BLADES

AskPatty has been enjoying a partnership with AutoTex PINK for a while now, so of course when my own wipers began letting me know it was time for them to retire, I went to AutoTex PINK for my replacements.  They arrived recently, and I, your dutiful blogger, installed them, and drove around with them for a bit.  They were certainly put through their paces with the storms in the Southeast recently, I can tell you that.  I can also tell you in all honesty that I am so impressed by the quality of these blades that I'm going back to AutoTex PINK for all my replacements.   The full review is past the jump. First, a little about these blades.  AutoTex PINK is the brainchild of Paula Lombard, president of Wexco Industries, a company that creates private label wiper blades for a wide range of companies.  After losing someone close to her to a battle with cancer, Paula decided she wanted to give back, so she did it in the only way she knew:  "Everybody needs wiper blades," she's fond [Read More]

published May 11, 2011 at 6:46pm CDT

FRESH AIR FUND LOOKING TO BOOK HOST FAMILIES FOR SUMMER 2011

Chances are you’re already looking forward to summer.  You may be going to camp, taking a vacation with your family, or playing in a summer sports league. But not all kids are as lucky. Each summer, the Fresh Fund provides New York City kids a chance to experience the simple pleasures of life away from the inner-city. Learning to swim, riding a bicycle or playing at the beach are activities you may take for granted. The Summer of 2011 is fast approaching fast and the Fresh Air Fund is once again in need of loving host families. In 2010, The Fresh Air Fund’s Volunteer Host Family program  gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. Thanks to host families who open up their homes for a few weeks each summer, children growing up in New York City’s toughest [Read More]

published March 24, 2011 at 1:28pm CDT

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HONORS JOAN BAEZ FOR A LIFETIME OF HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY

Amnesty International turns 50 this year, and closely linked to Amnesty’s legacy of championing human rights is that of folk legend Joan Baez. Baez was an active supporter of Amnesty from the start, stuffing envelopes at their first home office in San Francisco– not coincidentally, where this year’s Annual General Meeting is being held. This Friday, as part of their anniversary AGM, Joan Baez will be honored for a lifetime of human rights solidarity and advocacy. Her receiving the award also marks an exciting beginning, as it will establish the Amnesty International Joan Baez Award for Outstanding, Inspirational Service in the Global Fight for Human Rights. The award will be given to artists – working in music, film, fine arts or other media – who similarly contribute to the advancement of human rights. Baez will be presented with the first award in recognition of her historic, ground-breaking and courageous human rights work with Amnesty International and beyond, and the [Read More]

published March 15, 2011 at 2:04pm CDT

NYC HIGH SCHOOL SPRINTING STAR IN DESPERATE NEED OF BONE MARROW DONOR

I started my running "career" as a sprinter, way back in the day. and#40;Actually, my first running was from the batter's box to first base, but that's a story for another day.and#41;Today, when I write feature articles about runners, one of the questions I often ask is what their favorite "discipline" is within the sport: cross county, roads, track or trail. My very unscientific study has found that often the first discipline introduced is the favorite. For example, I have many friends who love cross country. When I ask why that is, they'll often recount how it was the first sport they tried out for in high school.For me that sport was track and it's what I always answer as my first love and#40;followed closely by road racing.and#41; And within track, although I went on to run middle distance in college and dabbled in distance racing post-collegiate, I always think first of my sprinting days.My decades-long interest in sprinting and#40;and sprintersand#41; is why this NYDailyNews.com story about [Read More]

published December 7, 2010 at 8:15pm CST

NATIONAL WOMEN’S LAW CENTER’S BLOG TO RALLY FOR GIRLS’ SPORTS DAY

Are you a female athlete? Do you have a blog, Facebook or Twitter account? Do you have a great story about how sports positively impacts your life? For the first time, the National Women’s Law Center and#40;NWLCand#41; is hosting Blog to Rally for Girls’ Sports Day on December 8th, celebrating the importance of girls in sports and the far-reaching benefits of athletics participation for girls nationwide. On December 8th, NWLC invites you and your friends to blog and raise awareness about the benefits and advantages for girls who participate in their school sports programs to Rally for Girls’ Sports. The idea behind our Blog to Rally for Girls’ Sports Day is simple: “What did you win by playing sports?” You can use this theme to begin discussing what the chance to participate in athletics programs meant to you and/or your daughter and how it has impacted your lives. Some things to keep in mind as you’re writing: Research has repeatedly shown that participati [Read More]

published December 3, 2010 at 3:36pm CST

GIRL UP PEP RALLY

More than 400 girls and and#40;and some boysand#41; from all over LA joined gathered at the Marlborough School in Hancock Park a few weeks ago to support the United Nations Girl Up campaign and learn about the lives of girls in Malawi, Liberia, Guatemala, and Ethiopia. No matter where they live in the world, girls are bright, talented, and full of dreams. But too many girls growing up in developing countries aren't able to fulfill those dreams because their chances to go to school, stay healthy, and live free from violence are out of reach. The Girl Up is a campaign for girls, by girls. Her Majesty Queen Rania al Abdullah of Jordan joined the Girl Up pep rally providing truly inspirational remarks highlighting the difficulties girls around the world face. Queen Rania praised the energy and compassion of American girls to draw attention to the adversity their counterparts face and she empowered all the attendees to bring about global change. Queen Rania is seriously the coolest! A [Read More]

published November 24, 2010 at 6:34pm CST

HOT TO (TURKEY) TROT

It’s that time of the year again when turkey lovers who love to run gather for an appetite-inducing morning of good-natured competition.  So, what exactly is a Turkey Trot? On Thanksgiving Day, or very near it, runners across the nation lace up their shoes for some version of the trot. And if you anticipate indulging in a huge Thanksgiving feast, you may want to participate in this fun footrace to burn off a few calories and eat guilt-free. So, before the big games, the second helpings, the parades and the pie why not get in a little exercise with a few thousand of your friends and neighbors. Better to pound the pavement before you pound the pumpkin pie. The oldest continually-held Turkey Trot race in the US is held in Buffalo, New York but similar races can be found all across the country. This year’s race in Buffalo will mark the 115th consecutive start. If you’re on the other coast, you can join  about 11,000 people for the beautiful Dana Point Turkey Trot. The [Read More]

published November 24, 2010 at 5:56pm CST

RUN FOR CONGO WOMEN

This is pretty good. A few weeks ago, the New York Times Magazine highlighted a number of individuals as part of a series about grassroots work being done worldwide to help others in need. One of the women profiled, along with her mission, caught our attention. Lisa Shannon’s life changed in 2006 while watching an episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,”  on which Women for Women International founder and CEO Zainab Salbi was explaining the crisis facing women in the Democratic Republic of Congo and#40;DRCand#41;. “I learned about Congo, widely called the worst place on earth to be a woman,” Lisa said. “Awakened to the atrocities—millions dead, women being raped and tortured, children starving and dying in shocking numbers—I had to do something.” Moved by DRC survivors’ stories, Lisa took action, sponsoring two women in the DRC and starting a program called Run for Congo Women. Lisa began running alone, raising nearly $28,000 on her first run. The movement ha [Read More]

published November 3, 2010 at 4:22pm CDT