?tun by Kev is Wilku
Michael Hall,
far left, and pro
gram volunteer
Lopa Shah, sec
ond from right,
pose with some
of the STRIDES
teens at a recep
tion last week at
the Glade Street
YWCA.
STRIDES
from page A]
skills meetings to improve
their outlooks.
"This program is really
designed to take them from high
school, to graduation and into
going out there on their own,"
said STRIDES Coordinator
Michael Hall, a YWCA employ
ee. "It is really a program to help
them prepare for the real
world " "
Efforts were taken to match
students with jobs - or shadow
ing opportunities - that suit their
particular interest. Body & Soul,
a popular Trade Street boutique,
has agreed to take on a student
who is interested in one day
opening a business of his own.
"Carver High School is such
an important educational institu
tion in this community that we
wanted to do whatever we could
to help out," said Michael
Suggs, who runs Body & Soul
with his wife, Dana.
The teenagers will be paid
weekly stipends, not by the
employers, but through
STRIDES. The extra money
will come in handy, says
Keenan McMahan, who will
work at the Children's Home.
The rising senior plans to save
some of his earnings for the
many costs associated with
graduation, but he says his par
ticipation in STRIDES is about
more than a paycheck.
McMahan wants to pursue a
career in counseling; he hopes
his experience at the Children's
Home gives him some insight
into the profession.
"I want to go there to better
myself, while helping other peo
ple, younger kids." he said.
Keenan's mom, Nadean, has
nudged Keenan and her other
three children to stand on their
own two feet as much as possi
ble. As a single mother, Nadean
McMahan knows that the world
doesn't give anything willingly.
"I want them to leam about
working and banking and sav
ing," she said. "I want them to
know that they can't stay home
with mama forever. They have
to make it on their own."
Hall says that is the goal of
STRIDES - taking teenagers
and making them young men
and young women who can jug
gle challenges in and out of the
STI
from page A6
anyone can get it and pregnant
womeh can pass it to their babies.
Symptoms of gonorrhea are more
common among men, and they
can include:
- burning sensation during
urination;
- white, yellow, or green dis
charge from the penis; and/or
painful or swollen testicles.
Women often have no symp
toms, and symptoms can often be
very similar to a bladder or vagi
nal infection. They include:
- burning sensation during
urination,
- increased vaginal discharge,
or bleeding between periods.
People can also have gonor
rhea infection in the rectum, eyes,
mouth, and throat; symptoms may
include discharge, itching, sore
ness, bleeding, painful bowel
movements, and soreness.
Syphilis
Syphilis is caused by the bac
terium Treponema pallidum, and
is transmitted through direct con
tact with a syphilis sore. As with
Chlamydia and gonorrhea,
syphilis can be passed from preg
nant women to their babies.
Syphilis sores can occur on exter
nal genitals, vagina, anus, rectum,
but they can also arise on the hps
and in the mouth. There are three
stages of syphilis, primary, sec
ondary, and latent. Primary
syphilis is marked by:
- Appearance of a single sore
(also called a chancre) or multiple
sores, which are usually firm,
round, small, and painless.
The chancre usually lasts 3-6
weeks and heals on its own.
Secondary syphilis symptoms
include:
- Skin rash and lesions on
mucus membranes (genitals,
anus, rectum, mouth). The rash
can appear as the chancre is heal
ing or several weeks after it has
healed.
Other symptoms include
fever, swollen lymph glands, sore
throat, patchy hair loss,
headaches, weight loss, muscle
aches
In the latent stage of syphilis,
the primary and secondary symp
toms disappear, and can appear
10-20 years after infection. If
untreated, in this stage the infec
tion can damage the internal
organs, including the brain,
nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels,
liver, bones, and joints.
Symptoms of the latent stage
include: problems with muscle
movements, paralysis, numbness,
gradual blindness, and dementia;
in some cases it can cause death.
Untreated babies with syphilis
may become developmental^
delayed, have seizures, or die.
If you have symptoms of any
of these diseases, you should talk
to your doctor, health care
provider, or local clinic as soon as
possible to determine whether
you have a STI. If you are sexual
ly active, it is a good idea to get
tested for STIs, as oftentimes, the
earlier you catch them, the better
your prognosis. Moreover, know
ing your status can help prevent
you from spreading the disease to
others. Stay tuned for next week,
when we will discuss testing rec
ommendations and treatments for
each of these infections.
REMEMBER: The best way
0to protect yourself from these and
other STIs is to avoid risky sexual
behaviors. No matter what your
age, if you are sexually active
(particularly with a new or multi
ple partners), latex condoms offer
the best protection and should be
used consistently and correctly for
ALL sexual encounters: Most
people do not know that STIs can
be spread from one person to
another even if ejaculation does
not occur! Don't risk it - practice
safe sex.
- Contribution by Sarah
Langdon
For further information, ques
tions or comments, call toll-free 1
877-530-1824. Or, for more infor
mation about the Maya Angebu
Research Center on Minority
Health, ' visit
http.i/www.wfubmc .eduJminority
health.
CNN ~
pom page AW
video and audio of news events and their
own commentaries.
"We congratulate Travers on winning the
grand prize for his thoughtful and thought-pro
voking piece," said NABJ President Barbara
Ciara. "He is a talented young journalist with a
promising career in journalism. We also com
mend die other student participants who gave
voice to young African Americans whose per
spectives are seldom seen in today's media
landscape."
Johnson, a native of Quitman. Texas, won a
trip for two to the Essence Music Festival in
New Orleans over the Fourth of July weekend.
"I am very excited, honored and humbled to
win the Campus iReporter Contest," he said.
"It was a great experience to participate in
CNN's Black in America Tour."
CNN.com's special section for the tour is
available at
www.CNN.com/blackinamerica/hbcu and fea
tures images from stops on the tour. Forty years
after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr., CNN launched "Black in America,"
which examines in-depth the often under
reported stories of the African-American expe
rience.
So far, the landmark program features six
hours of documentaries, a weekly series of
reports on CNN/U.S. and CNN International
and a multimedia online effort.
The series continues on Wednesday, July 23,
and Thursday, July 24, with a pair of two-hour
documentaries, "Black Women & Family" and
"Black Men" reported by anchor and special
correspondent Soledad O'Brien. Both pro
grams will premiere at 9 p.m.
Juneteenth
from page All)
Sawtooth Building, there
will be a Juneteenth Benefit
Jazz Concert featuring Joe
Robinson. The event is at 7
p.m. at the Sawtooth
Building, 226 S. Marshall St.
A donation of $25 is being
requested for the jazz show,
which will benefit Juneteenth
events. Call 336-306-5404 or
send an e-mail to joe
jazz@bellsouth.net for more
information about the event.
Cheryl Harry, who found
ed Triad Cultural Arts Inc., in
2007 to help draw attention to
Juneteenth, hopes that the fes
tivals will help teach area res
idents about Juneteenth and
its significance in American
history. "This celebration is
so important because it is a
I * ? 1
Harry
milestone in our history. Even
though it marks a dark
moment in time, it serves as a
springboard to examine where
we are as a society and an
opportunity to make changes
towards lasting improvements
in our country," she said.
Supporters for this year's
events include: Dell, Inc.,
Reynolds American, Rep.
Larry Womble, Coca-Cola
Community Connection, the
Winston-Salem Human
Relations Commission, the
High Point Human Relations
Commission, Greensboro City
Arts Cultural Outreach, the
Winston-Salem Recreation
and Parks Department.
Winston-Salem State
University Center , for
Community Safety and Union
Baptist Church.
The Juneteenth committee
is looking for vendors, per
formers and community
groups who would like to par
ticipate.
For more information call:
336-793-7462 or visit,
www.triadculturalarts org .
classroom.
The teenagers will work
through Aug. 8. Following the
summer shadowing, they will
continue to take part in
STRIDES initiatives throughout
the upcoming school year when
the program will continue the
tutoring and focus on parental
involvement and asset develop
ment.
The state grant that funds
STRIDES is only for a year, but
Hall says the goal is to continue
the program and take it to other
schools.
Sitters
from page A I
ny up and running.
"I knew no matter what. I
couldn't do it alone," she said
"Lisa was hands down my
first choice ."
Even early on, the women
say they knew they had stum
bled upon something great.
"The best thing for me is
knowing that the people we
send out are quality people,"
Jenkins remarked. "I couldn't
sleep at night if 1 didn't know
the sitters we send are good
ones."
Managing the company
allowed Henry, mother of
four, and Jenkins, mother of
two, the flexibility both say
they craved for their families.
Henry, a former recruiter
for Wake Forest Medical
School, says the grueling
schedule she kept wasn't con
ducive to the quickly-growing
family she nurtured at home.
For Jenkins, a longtime
homemaker, Salem Sitters
offered a fresh start in the
business world without
demanding that she relinquish
the freedom she had become
so accustomed to in the
decade she had spent raising
her children.
"I was a stay-at-home
mom and after being at home
for eight to 10 years, 1 was
looking for something to do,"
she explained. "1 was praying
for something I could do at
home. This was a business 1
could believe in."
The service offers the sit
ters, who are independent
contractors not employees of
the company, the same luxu
ries, Jenkins says.
"The beauty of being a sit
ter is you work around your
schedule," she remarked.
It offers the families that
use it peace of mind, she
added.
As parents themselves, the
women say they are well
versed on the anxiety that may
come with leaving a child in
the care of a stranger. Henry
takes it upon herself to test
potential sitters.
"1 use my kids as guinea
pigs." she revealed. "I'm not
going to send anybody I
wouldn't use myself."
In the early days, Jenkins
and Henry say they did much
of the legwork themselves,
filling in as substitutes for
daycare teachers, Staffing
nurseries and providing trans
portation and companionship
for elderly customers.
Today, their work is large
ly managerial, but both
women say they will quickly
fill in in a pinch.
As for the company, the
sky's the limit; Henry says it
has already exceeded her
expectations.
"To me. it's just a miracle,
God's miracle, just to see it
from start to finish," she said.
"It has grown tremendously
... it just amazes me every
day."
Heat
from page A6
age group, check on them at
least twice a day.
If you must be outdoors, try
to limit your outdoor activity to
morning and evening hours.
When working in the heat, have
plenty of water available and
monitor the condition of your
co-workers and have someone
do the same for you. Heat
induced illness can cause a per
son to become confused or lose
consciousness.
For more specific tips about
how t(T avoid heat-related
injuries, visit the Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention's web site at
www.bt .cdc .gov/ disasters/ extre
me heat/ heat _guide .asp .
Shots
from page A 6
they must be obtained or
in the process of obtaining
them within the same 30-day
period. At the end of the 30
calendar-day period, any child
'without a Certificate of
Immunization showing that
the child has received the
required vaccines shall be
suspended from school until
he/she provides a Certificate
of Immunization as required
by law or shows that he/she
has begun the immunization
process.
"These rule changes
were designed to help reduce
the incidence of whooping
cough and mumps disease
among North Carolinians,"
said Beth Rowe-West, RN,
BSN, and head of the Health
Department's Immunization
Branch. "This rule aflows us
to reduce the impact of this
deadly disease and better pro
tect our children by boosting
their immune systems."
Whooping cough is a
highly contagious respiratory
infection. Most children are
fully protected against it prior
to entering kindergarten, but
immunity to whooping cough
wanes after about 10 years.
EXPLORE
the historic 1917 home of
tobacco baron R.J. Reynolds
DISCOVER
masterpieces of American art
EXPERIENCE
the shops and gardens
of the Reynolda Mile
SUMMER SPECIAL
Bring this ad to receive
one free adult admission
to the Museum with one
paid adult general admission
through August 31. 2008.
children under 18 always free
REYNOLDA HOUSE MUSEUM of AMERICAN ART
Open Tuesday Sunday | 2250 Reynolda Road, Winston Salem | X88. 663.1 1 I1)
rev nolda house.org
O
A