Health & Wellness Healthbeat Students' pennies help fight leukemia Students throughout Western North Carolina turn peonies into millions during Olive *? 14th-annual Pasta for Pennies program The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). More than 103,700 students in 170 local ele mentary, middle and high schools collected $197342.49 to support research and provide criti cal services to patients and their families Nationally, a record $5 8 million was raised, the most ever in the program's 14-year history, During a three-week period throughout the 1 year, area students filled collection jars in lassrooms with pocket change. The class col the most money at each school was awarded j party delivered to their classroom by their Olive Garden restaurant. This year, the top fundraising schools in western rth Carolina included: - McKee Road Elementary School in Charlotte with $7,682.13; - Crestdale Middle School in Matthews wi(h $6,978.18; and - Weddington Middle School in Matthews with $5,567.62. Since its inception, Olive Garden's Pasta for inies has contributed more than $42 million to LLS. To learn more about how schools can take part s grassroots effort, call 704-998-5012 or visit schoolandyouth .org/nc . UNCG economist finds risk for kids of affluent working mothers Children of affluent mothers who work more n 20 hours a week are more likely to be over- j weight and to perform poorly on cognitive tests than their peers whose mothers work less, according to a new study conducted by Dr. Christopher Ruhm.j Jefferson m r i i u i Excellence Professor of Economics in the Bryan School of Business and Economics at The University of North Carolina at unco photo Greensboro. Dr. Christopher Ruhm The study, pub lished in the European journal Labour Economics, looked at advantaged and disadvantaged working mothers as defined by variables that include^ educa tion, ethnicity, marital status and income prior to pregnancy. Children of mothers with high socioeco nomic status who work outside the home did less well on vocabulary and math tests and weighed more than less-advantaged counterparts. Conversely, children in low socioeconomic status families showed no cognitive impairment or weight gain when their mothers worked, and may even have benefitted slightly from having working mothers. The study, which focused on children ages 10-1 1, used data from multiple years of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth which is issued by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "High socioeconomic status adolescents often [have access to enriching home environments that may include activities such as music lessons, visits to museums and nutritious meals," observes Ruhm. "When mothers work, their children may spend rime in environments that don't include those enriching activities" I Jeff Furst will keynote annual meeting Furst, Director of Community Hi with The Mental Health Association I Carolina based in Raleigh, will bp st speaker during the annual m presentation for The Mental in Forsyth County (MHA ft Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the Audi' United Methodist Church, 646 t's comments will focus on what is the > Pound Gorilla" in mental health and his topic i that we may he surprised to find out hii honored and delighted that Jeff our invitation to speak at our 1 said Andy Hagler, Executive Health Association in Forsyth will, I am sure . he interesting, informa I based on what he states -surprising! The Mental Health Association's annual will include an awards presentation, during * * . individuals, businesses, and groups for their contributions and health movement and their in Forsyth County. The event members of the organization's ! of directors for their contribute movement as well as for ng oversight and govi i Association in Forsyth to attend is $20. The The Mental Health A at 336- 768-3880 for i or to make a reservation. YWCA will hold health fair eliminating racism empowering women ywca . 1211 CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT The YWCA at 1201 Glade Street will host a Health Resources Fair on Monday, Oct. 13. From 9 a.m. until noon, attendees can take advantage of massages, stroke screenings, herbalogy and other traditional and non-traditional healthcare topics. Although the event is part of th? Y's Member Appreciation Month events, it is open to the general public as well. Special membership deals will also be offered at the fair. including a half price offer Free refreshments will also be provided. "We're looking forward to providing an interesting and informative event to our mem bers and the general public. Plus, it's a great chance for peo ple to visit our facility at Glade Street and learn about all the programs we have to offer," said Sabrina Slade, the vice president at the Glade Street center. For more information, call 336-722-5138, ext. 248. . Back in the Race PRNewsFoto/Medtromc's Global Heroes Legendary marathoner Alberto Salazar finishes his first race - the Medtronic Twin Cities 10 Mile Marathon in Minnesota on Oct. 5 - since collapsing from sudden cardiac arrest last year. Salazar is Honorary Team Captain of Medtronic's Global Heroes - 25 chronically ill runners who remain active with the help of medical technology. Salazar now wears an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) to protect against a dangerously fast heart rate. Kids address obesity crisis, win prizes Audra Nicola with Jeff McPherson. Arroyo Zarate with Mayor Joines. CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT Ten local youngsters have been selected as winners in the American Heart Association's Go Healthy Contest. lhe kids were asked to write an essay addressing the growing childhood obesity crisis. Each laid out the importance of eat ing healthy and being active. More than 100 entries from children in the Triad and the surrounding counties were received. The 10 children selected received a certificate pre sented by Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines and Jeff McPherson, VP of the American Heart Association in the Triad. The kids also won three-month fami ly memberships to their local YMCAs. The winners and their families will also participate in he "By Kids, For Kids Forum" on Oct. 15 from 7-8 p.m. at Best Health in Hanes Mall. The forum, which is open to the public, "will focus on the best ways to get children to reach their healthy goals. The American Heart Association's Alliance for a Healthier Generation pro gram, which is a partnership of the Carleigh Broome Tyler LePere American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation, has the sole focus of ending the trend of childhood obesity. ? The four Forsyth County winners are: Audra Nicola, 8; Hilda Arroyo Zarate, 10; Carleigh Broome, 10; and Tyler LePere, 8. Family stress the cause of many child homicides in North Carolina CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT Last year, 25 children in North Carolina died at the h of their parents or caregivers. The N.C. Child Fatality Prevention Team says tl numbers illustrate the need for communities across th state to continue providing broad-based support for fam ilies in these increasingly stressful times. Of the 25 homicide victims, only one-third showed physical signs of previous abuse or neglect. "We know from research that when families in our communities face greater stress - including our increasingly difficult economic times, military deployments, lack of access to mental and physical health services and fewer community supports - children are at a greater risk of being abused," said Prevent Child Abuse CEO and President Rosie Allen. "Add these stressors to the everyday work of parenting, and children are likely to suffer." High levels of stress in the home affect both chil dren and parents by changing the way that parents interact with their children. The teams says that stress makes parents and caregivers more likely to lash out in frustration. Science is now showing that stress also has a direct impact on children. Research suggests that high levels | of stress - called toxic stress - cause children to have lifelong physical and mental health problems. While some stress is good and helps a child grow and team, toxic levels of stress damage the architec ture of a child's developing brain, leading to prob lems like mental illness, obesity, social and behav ioral problems. Toxic stress can also be caused by abuse and neglect as well as by exposure to condi tions like extreme economic hardship. "Child abuse is absolutely preventable," says Allen "By making sure that our commu nities are equipped to support families ? especially in hard times - we can save chil dren from serious injury and from the life- J long psychological scars of abuse." O For more information, visil j wwwpreventchildabusenc