Vietnam Vets at the Fair--Update

It's Not Too Late to March in the Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran's Parade--1000 Veterans Needed!

But the free tickets are all gone.  
Veterans will receive a discounted ticket--$7--if they bring proof of service. 

No need to register for the parade, just show up at Leinie Lodge by 10 AM on Tuesday, the 27th.

Military Appreciation Day at the MN State Fair 
Military Appreciation Day at the State Fair is an opportunity to educate fair visitors about the military community and military support organizations in Minnesota. The day will also pay respect to members of the military and their families with a program thanking Vietnam Veterans featuring country artist Rockie Lynne,  and discounted tickets for all veterans.
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Schedule of the Day

• 8:00-4:00 –Education Alley opens – nearly 70 military displays and educational booths from different branches of service and organizations that support military families on West Dan Patch in front of Heritage Square

• 9:30 –Veterans Memorial Park program recognizing Gold Star families

• 10:25 – Flag raising at Leinie Lodge

• 10:30 – 34th Red Bull Infantry Division Band performs at Leinie Lodge

• 10:30 – 1,000 Vietnam Era Veterans march from Leinie Lodge to Carousel Park

• 10:45 – Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War programin Carousel Park, with a World War II North American T-6 Texan flyover and guest speakers

• 11:15 – Country artist Rockie Lynne performs in Carousel Park

• 11:45 – 34th Red Bull Infantry Division Band performs at Leinie Lodge

• 12:30 – Minnesota Military Radio taping at Twin Cities News Talk AM 1130 in Carousel Park

• 1:45 – Country artist Rockie Lynne performs in Carousel Park

• 2:00 – State Fair parade will feature some military supportive organizations

• 2:00 – Minnesota Military Radio taping at Twin Cities News Talk AM 1130 in Carousel Park

• 4:00 – Education Alley closes
All day – discounted tickets ($7 rate) for military members with documentation.

Vets Helping Vets
Volunteers needed-- The RSVP volunteer program can connect you to volunteer opportunities that benefit veterans and the families of deployed military. Volunteers 55 and over receive special benefits. For more info: Call 952-945-4162 or Email 

Home Repair Assistance Available

Rebuilding Together is  looking for homeowners in need of repair services in and around the Twin Cities. 
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The mission of Rebuilding Together Twin Cities is to bring volunteers and communities together to improve the homes and lives of low-income homeowners. They provide no-cost home repairs for homeowners in need, particularly older adults, individuals living with disabilities and families with children.  This service ensures that these homeowners live independently in homes that are safe, warm and dry.

                                                

-Qualified applicants must own or be current with mortgage payments; be up-to-date with tax payments; reside in the home for which they are applying; and have homeowners insurance. 
And, at least one resident in the home must be an older adult (55+)  an individual living with a disability, a child under the age of 18, or an active or retired member of the armed services.

-The household income must be at or below 50% of area median income.  For a family of four, 50% of the area median income is currently $41,350. 

-Interested homeowners can:
-download an application online at  www.rebuildingtogether-twincities.org
-request an application by email  homeowners@rebuildingtogether-twincities.org
-call 651-776-4273.

Examples of Repairs Include:

• Weatherization & Energy Efficiency Improvements – Installing insulation; caulking; re-glazing or replacing windows; replacing doors; replacing appliances with Energy Star-rated models; installing low-flow water faucets and toilets; and more.
• General Repair & Maintenance – Upgrading or repairing electrical and plumbing; repairing walls; landscaping to divert water from home or prevent erosion; repairing or replacing a roof; addressing issues cited by city or county housing inspections; and additional repairs as needed.

Volunteers needed--RSVP can connect you to volunteer opportunities at Rebuilding Together. Volunteers 55 and over receive special benefits. 
For more info: Call 952-945-4162 or Email 

The Safe at Home Program
Safe at Home Program provides home safety and accessibility modifications for low-income homeowners who are older adults or are living with a disability.  Often these homeowners are faced with the prospect of losing their independence as the result of needing home safety or accessibility modifications that they are unable to address.  Projects are small in scale and are completed by two to four volunteers in about four hours. A project may include tasks such as installing grab bars, raised toilet seat adapters, handrails, door and window locks, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and more.

Interfaith Event: Break the Ramadan Fast

  Sponsored by RSVP's partner, The St Paul Area Council of Churches:

Have ever been curious about Muslim practice?

You are invited to share in the breaking of the Ramadan fast at either of the these two St. Paul area Muslim facilities:

• -Friday, July 19,  7:30 pm.--Masjid Ihsan--955 West Minnehaha Ave, St. Paul 

• Thursday, July 25, 8:00 pm-- Muslim American Society of Minnesota, 4100 East 66th Street, Inver Grove Heights  

This is part of our Taking Heart program, organized by the Minnesota Council of Churches and the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, designed to bring Muslims and non-Muslims together for conversation and food so that neighbors can get to know neighbors.  We have been doing this Ramadan program for the last three years.  This year we have 15 mosques involved and will greet more than 300 guests at the various open houses.

You are invited to come to the mosque, hear a short presentation on Ramadan, observe prayer and share in the evening meal with the people at the mosque.  There is no charge and you will receive instructions about what to expect at the mosque when you register.   

If you have ever been curious about Muslim practice, or if you are Muslim and want an opportunity to share your practice with your non-Muslim friends, please come and bring others.  We have plenty of room.

Here’s how to register:  http://www.mnchurches.org/respectfulcommunities/interfaithprogramming/takingheart/registration.html

Please forward to others you think may be interested.

Thanks,

Gail Anderson,   Minnesota Council of Churches

MN State Fair Is Calling All Vietnam Veterans!

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March in the Welcome Home Vietnam Veteran's Parade and receive four free State Fair entrance tickets.

When: August 27, 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m Where: Minnesota State Fair About:  Participants must register online by July 31st and will be required to be present for recognition from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.  As the flag rises and the 34th Infantry Division Red Bull band begins to play, a mid-morning parade of Vietnam Era Veterans will march from the base of the flag pole on the east side of the fair grounds to Carousel Park to be recognized in Minnesota's Official Vietnam War Commemoration.   Vietnam Era Veterans must register to be part of the parade to be mailed 4 free state fair entrance tickets. Deadline to register is July 31st. To register, click on the GREEN REGISTER button at the top of this page.   Registered participants will be mailed 4 tickets the first week of August.  Register now Volunteers needed--RSVP can connect you to volunteer opportunities that benefit veterans and the families of deployed military. Volunteers 55 and over receive special benefits.  For more info: Call 952-945-4162 or Email

Free Online Diabetes Classes

                                                                                             

Do you know an older adult with diabetes? 

 NCOA is offering a FREE online diabetes workshop!

Better Choices, Better Health® - Diabetes was developed by 

Stanford University and has been proven to help people with diabetes. 

• Find nutrition and exercise tips                                
• Make informed treatment decisions 
• Better communicate with doctors                                                                                                                                              

Participants log into the workshop from their own computer for just 2 hours a week over 6 weeks.  They receive a FREE workbook plus online resources to help them live healthier.

Seats are limited, so please spread the word about this great opportunity!     

To register

Volunteers Needed: 

Help keep seniors independent 
    

Help seniors age in place by being a friendly visitor, errand driver, grocery shopper, 

and more --flexible schedule! 

RSVP can connect you to these opportunities and more ways to help seniors age in place. 
                                                         

For more info: Call 952-945-4162 or Email 

Volunteers 55 and over receive special RSVP benefits

Got Freedom? Let's Give Thanks...

We give thanks to our RSVP volunteers who have served in the military; to currently deployed soldiers and their families; and to all who have served to provide and protect our independence.

Upcoming Community Events for Veterans:

Veterans Play Project When: July 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2013 Where: Mixed Blood Theatre, Minneapolis About: Inviting all veterans to attend one of several workshops to help make a new play about Minnesota veteran's experiences. Veterans will help with every step of the process, from writing the play to performing in it, leading up to the final performances at Fort Snelling from Nov. 15 to 24, 2013. More Info: Contact Leah Cooper at 612-227-2046, or by email at leah@footprintscollective.org Drop-In Legal Clinic for Veterans

When: July 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Where: VA Medical Center, Minneapolis About: Attorneys, MACV staff, County Veteran Service Officers and child support officers will be available to assist veterans with questions, legal forms and counsel.

Living and Learning Series for Women Veterans

When: July 9, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Where: 207 S. 9th St., Minneapolis About: The third meeting, "Inner Healing," of a four-part series focusing on topics important to women who have served in the military.

For Active Duty Military: 

Independence Day Celebration at the St. Paul Saints

When: July 6, 7:05 p.m.

Where: Midway Stadium, St. Paul

About: Download and print the voucher to receive up to six complimentary tickets. Come early to see a ceremony recognizing a group of heroes, stay late for the fireworks!

More Info: Voucher     Valid Military ID Required

Volunteers needed--RSVP can connect you to volunteer opportunities that benefit veterans and the families of deployed military. Volunteers 55 and over receive special benefits. 
For more info: Call 952-945-4162 or Email 

Researcher finds new memory trick!

How to find your car in the parking lot:

As you park your car--clench your right hand.

When you are ready to find your car--clench your left hand.

Clenching your fists creates a stronger memory
By Meghan Holohan

Need to remember some important facts for that big presentation at work? Clench your right hand while preparing to remember. When giving that talk, ball up your left hand and you’ll call to mind those details, no problem.

That’s the finding from a new study authored by Ruth Propper, an associate professor and director of the cerebral lateralization laboratory at Montclair State University. Propper has long been intrigued by how body movements impact how the brain works. While most people realize that the brain influences the body (the brain tells your arm there is an itch, and you feel it), less is understood about how the body sways the brain.
Past research suggests that clenching our hands can evoke emotions. When people ball up their right hands, for example, the left sides of their brains become more active, causing what’s known as “approach emotions,” feelings such as happiness or excitement. By squeezing the left hand, people engage the right side of the brain, which controls “withdrawal emotions” such as introversion, fear, or anxiety. (It probably seems like these might be less useful, but they come in handy in dangerous situations.)

Propper theorized that if clenching hands impacted feelings, these gestures might influence the brain in other ways.
To learn how hand clenching influenced memory and recall, she asked 51 right- handed subjects to memorize 72 words and randomly assigned each person to one of five hand-clenching groups or a control group that did nothing. Only righties were included because lefties exhibit better episodic memory overall so they’d have an unfair advantage. She found the perfect combination for better memory and recall occurs when a subject clenches his right hand while memorizing and balls up his left hand while trying to recall the memory.
“It is interesting to compare to not clenching at all. It’s almost 15 percent better [to clench right then left] than sitting there,” she says.
While a 15 percent improvement is on the edge of being statistically significant, Propper notes 15 percent can be the difference between an A and a C on test.

Propper admits that more research needs to be conducted on how bodily movements enhance brain function, but she recommends that people try squeezing their hands to aid with memory.

“I would say that it would be worth trying,” Propper says. Take parking your car in the parking lot.  “As you park you can clench your right hand and when you are trying to find it, clench your left hand.”

Volunteers Needed: 

Help keep seniors independent 
    

Help seniors age in place by being a friendly visitor, errand driver, grocery shopper, and more --flexible schedule! 

RSVP can connect you to these opportunities and more ways to help seniors age in place. 
                                                         

For more info: Call 952-945-4162 or Email 

Volunteers 55 and over receive special RSVP benefits