Are you aware that today over 66 million people have arthritis or chronic joint pain? On average, that is approximately one in three people that are suffering from arthritis at this moment. That is almost as large as the population of Virginia...times 10!
Do you think the chronic joint pain caused by arthritis is reserved for the elderly? It isn't limited to those that are older. Arthritis affects all ages. There are nearly 300,000 children in America with some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease.
If you happen to be one of the fortunate who is not currently suffering from arthritis, don't think it is not affecting you. Arthritis costs the U.S. economy $86.2 billion annually. That is not a mistake. The cost to our country is in the billions of dollars each year.
I know several people whose lives are impacted by arthritis and related diseases. My wife is one of those. Kim continually experiences joint pain due to arthritis and lupus. She takes medications daily and frequently visits doctors and physical therapists to cope with the hurting. Surgeries have also taken place in the past.
Do you know someone with arthritis? You might be surprised at what he or she has to go through to deal with the hurting. You might also be surprised at the limits it places on daily living.
I decided to make a difference. I became a volunteer for the Arthritis Foundation. They are the only national not-for-profit organization that supports the more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions with advocacy, programs, services and research. They partner with organizations to offer exercise programs and courses specifically for those affected by arthritis. They offer these programs in my own hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Each year the Arthritis Foundation holds walks across the country to raise funds and awareness. My team, the Pain Killers, participated in the Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk this past May. We helped raise more than $33,000.00 in Fredericksburg for the Arthritis Foundation. I now have the honor of being selected as the chairperson for the 2006 Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk.
I encourage you to honor that person you know with arthritis by helping with the Arthritis Walk in your area. Get your friends and coworkers involved as well. There are many ways to get involved. You will make new friends and have fun while working to eliminate the #1 cause of disability.
To learn more about arthritis and to find an Arthritis Walk in your area go to http://www.arthritis.org/ or call 404-872-7100. To join or donate to Team Pain Killers go to http://arthritiswalkfredericksburg.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=12&i=150101&g=1161782. Roger Carr is the founder of Everyday Giving (http://www.everydaygiving.com/) and a volunteer with the Arthritis Foundation, Virginia Chapter.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Don't Ruin Your Summer Fun
I love summer! Summer is my favorite season of the year. I love playing sports outside and walking on the beach. I especially enjoy being at an outdoor barbecue. Maybe you enjoy summer activities as well. Imagine with me for a moment being at an outdoor barbecue. Just a little distance away from you there’s a swimming pool full of kids who are having fun playing, laughing and splashing in the water. In another spot there might be a horseshoe game playing. You can hear the “clank” of the horseshoes hitting the posts as the players are trying to get a ringer. And of course there’s the barbecue grill. On the grill might be hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken or steaks. The only thing better than the smell coming from the grill is the taste of the food when it’s time to eat. Can you just imagine the fun that you will have this summer?
Now fast forward with me a few hours. You are at home and your skin is starting to itch. Just before bedtime you’re taking your shirt or blouse off to get into your bed clothes and just the material rubbing up against your skin is painful. When you do go to bed that evening you toss and turn trying to get into a position that isn’t painful so that you can go to sleep. However, you spend hours awake only thinking about the pain that your body is experiencing instead of the tremendous fun you had that day. What is the reason for this itching and pain? You have probably guessed it. You have a sunburn!
Fortunately you can do something about it before it happens. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has provided us with some steps that we can take to help reduce our chance of having to deal with sun damage. These seven simple action steps are as follows:
1. Limit Time in the Midday Sun - The sun's rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Whenever possible, limit exposure to the sun during these hours.
2. Wear a Hat - A hat with a wide brim offers good sun protection to your eyes, ears, face, and the back of your neck - areas particularly prone to overexposure to the sun.
3. Cover Up - Wearing tightly woven, loose-fitting, and full-length clothing is a good way to protect your skin from the sun's UV rays.
4. Wear Sunglasses that Block 99-100% of UV Radiation -Sunglasses that provide 99-100% UVA and UVB protection will greatly reduce sun exposure that can lead to cataracts and other eye damage. Check the label when buying sunglasses.
5. Always Use Sunscreen - Apply a broad spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 or higher liberally on exposed skin. Reapply every 2 hours, or after working, swimming, playing, or exercising outdoors. Even waterproof sunscreen can come off when you towel off, sweat, or spend extended periods of time in the water.
6. Avoid Sunlamps and Tanning Parlors - The light source from sunbeds and sunlamps damages the skin and unprotected eyes. It's a good idea to avoid artificial sources of UV light.
7. Watch for the UV Index - The UV Index provides important information to help you plan your outdoor activities in ways that prevent overexposure to the sun. Developed by the National Weather Service (NWS) and EPA, the UV Index is issued daily in selected cities across the United States.
Why am I telling you about these simple action steps that can help protect you from the sun? I want you to have fun this summer. I want you to have fun this summer under the sun.
Now fast forward with me a few hours. You are at home and your skin is starting to itch. Just before bedtime you’re taking your shirt or blouse off to get into your bed clothes and just the material rubbing up against your skin is painful. When you do go to bed that evening you toss and turn trying to get into a position that isn’t painful so that you can go to sleep. However, you spend hours awake only thinking about the pain that your body is experiencing instead of the tremendous fun you had that day. What is the reason for this itching and pain? You have probably guessed it. You have a sunburn!
Fortunately you can do something about it before it happens. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has provided us with some steps that we can take to help reduce our chance of having to deal with sun damage. These seven simple action steps are as follows:
1. Limit Time in the Midday Sun - The sun's rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Whenever possible, limit exposure to the sun during these hours.
2. Wear a Hat - A hat with a wide brim offers good sun protection to your eyes, ears, face, and the back of your neck - areas particularly prone to overexposure to the sun.
3. Cover Up - Wearing tightly woven, loose-fitting, and full-length clothing is a good way to protect your skin from the sun's UV rays.
4. Wear Sunglasses that Block 99-100% of UV Radiation -Sunglasses that provide 99-100% UVA and UVB protection will greatly reduce sun exposure that can lead to cataracts and other eye damage. Check the label when buying sunglasses.
5. Always Use Sunscreen - Apply a broad spectrum sunscreen with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of at least 15 or higher liberally on exposed skin. Reapply every 2 hours, or after working, swimming, playing, or exercising outdoors. Even waterproof sunscreen can come off when you towel off, sweat, or spend extended periods of time in the water.
6. Avoid Sunlamps and Tanning Parlors - The light source from sunbeds and sunlamps damages the skin and unprotected eyes. It's a good idea to avoid artificial sources of UV light.
7. Watch for the UV Index - The UV Index provides important information to help you plan your outdoor activities in ways that prevent overexposure to the sun. Developed by the National Weather Service (NWS) and EPA, the UV Index is issued daily in selected cities across the United States.
Why am I telling you about these simple action steps that can help protect you from the sun? I want you to have fun this summer. I want you to have fun this summer under the sun.
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Little Things Do Make a Difference
Think back over your life. Think about the people that had a positive influence on you. If your past was like mine, many of those that influenced you didn’t even realize the impact that they had on you. The influence was due to them caring about and doing some little thing. What little things have been done for you that changed your life? What little things have you done for someone else that might have changed theirs?
I have been influenced by little things done by others.
I had a boss that asked whether I had the guts to take a job he felt I could do. It was a job I wasn’t even qualified to apply for. That question influenced me to set my career goals at a higher level and faster pace than they were at that time.
When I recently visited a Toastmasters group they made me feel welcome from the first day I set foot in the room. Laurence made it a point to introduce me to several members before the first meeting started. Roz leaned over to me on my second visit, just before my Ice Breaker speech, to let me know what to expect and to let me know I would do great. I am grateful to both of them.
Children can influence us as well. A great example of this happened to me at a Cub Scout summer camp here in Fredericksburg. For those of you who are not familiar with Cub Scouts, the boys range from 1st through 5th grade. I showed up on the morning of the first day of camp just to make sure everything went smooth for our group since I was the leader. We got everyone registered for the week’s events, set up a canopy where the scouts and leaders could get into the shade for lunch and then headed to the flagpole. At the flagpole, all of the camp participants said the Pledge of Allegiance and then started to give instructions. In the middle of the instructions, one of the 1st grade boys tugged on my pant leg. When I looked down at him he had the biggest smile on his face. He said, “Mr. Carr, I’m having a really good time” and he meant it! They hadn’t even started their first camp activity yet. At that moment I knew all of the hours I put in as a scout leader were well worth it.
I have found that we can influence others by doing little things for them.
You can influence others by providing help when it is needed. When I say provide help, I am not just talking about offering to help. Most people will not take you up on an offer even if they desperately need it. I remember taking food to a couple that was sick. This was not anyone I knew. It was a friend of someone that was in my Sunday school class. Two years later they saw me, thanked me and told me how much that meant to them. They even remembered my name after two years! Another way I have helped was to provide advice to coworkers that now refer to me as their mentor. Also, to help families pack up a truck to move. Some of these families are friends of ours today even though they live several states away.
Another way I have found that you can influence others is by saying, “thank you.” I don’t think I ever realized the power of saying thank you until a few months ago. I was at a professional symposium in Northern Virginia. I was one of the symposium leaders. During a lunch break I stayed in the room where one of the classes was being given to watch all of the personal belongings of the students while they were at lunch. During the break, three of the hotel workers came into the room to fill water pitchers and put out clean glasses. One of the workers was obviously a mentally challenged person that was hired to help. His job was to put the clean glasses on the tables. When he serviced the table I was sitting at I said a simple “thank you.” I will never forget the look on his face. I could have told him he won the lottery and he couldn’t have looked any more excited! Even after they left the room to go to the next, I could still hear him shouting as loud as he could about the “nice man.”
Writing notes is a third way you can potentially influence others.
I started writing thank you notes about a year ago. I have been thanked over and over for some of these notes of appreciation and told I didn’t have to do that. I have recently learned and started using at times a new way of writing notes. Purchase some inexpensive, inspirational books that have had a positive impact on you. Write an encouraging note inside the cover of one of those books and give it to the person. You will feel good just doing it.
I can look back over my past and remember several moments in time that God used someone doing a little thing that encouraged me. I have also heard from others that have been influenced by me for doing the same. There are many kinds of little things you can do to encourage others. Some of these involve providing help when there is a need, saying thank you, and writing notes. What are you going to do today for someone that will make a difference in their life?
I have been influenced by little things done by others.
I had a boss that asked whether I had the guts to take a job he felt I could do. It was a job I wasn’t even qualified to apply for. That question influenced me to set my career goals at a higher level and faster pace than they were at that time.
When I recently visited a Toastmasters group they made me feel welcome from the first day I set foot in the room. Laurence made it a point to introduce me to several members before the first meeting started. Roz leaned over to me on my second visit, just before my Ice Breaker speech, to let me know what to expect and to let me know I would do great. I am grateful to both of them.
Children can influence us as well. A great example of this happened to me at a Cub Scout summer camp here in Fredericksburg. For those of you who are not familiar with Cub Scouts, the boys range from 1st through 5th grade. I showed up on the morning of the first day of camp just to make sure everything went smooth for our group since I was the leader. We got everyone registered for the week’s events, set up a canopy where the scouts and leaders could get into the shade for lunch and then headed to the flagpole. At the flagpole, all of the camp participants said the Pledge of Allegiance and then started to give instructions. In the middle of the instructions, one of the 1st grade boys tugged on my pant leg. When I looked down at him he had the biggest smile on his face. He said, “Mr. Carr, I’m having a really good time” and he meant it! They hadn’t even started their first camp activity yet. At that moment I knew all of the hours I put in as a scout leader were well worth it.
I have found that we can influence others by doing little things for them.
You can influence others by providing help when it is needed. When I say provide help, I am not just talking about offering to help. Most people will not take you up on an offer even if they desperately need it. I remember taking food to a couple that was sick. This was not anyone I knew. It was a friend of someone that was in my Sunday school class. Two years later they saw me, thanked me and told me how much that meant to them. They even remembered my name after two years! Another way I have helped was to provide advice to coworkers that now refer to me as their mentor. Also, to help families pack up a truck to move. Some of these families are friends of ours today even though they live several states away.
Another way I have found that you can influence others is by saying, “thank you.” I don’t think I ever realized the power of saying thank you until a few months ago. I was at a professional symposium in Northern Virginia. I was one of the symposium leaders. During a lunch break I stayed in the room where one of the classes was being given to watch all of the personal belongings of the students while they were at lunch. During the break, three of the hotel workers came into the room to fill water pitchers and put out clean glasses. One of the workers was obviously a mentally challenged person that was hired to help. His job was to put the clean glasses on the tables. When he serviced the table I was sitting at I said a simple “thank you.” I will never forget the look on his face. I could have told him he won the lottery and he couldn’t have looked any more excited! Even after they left the room to go to the next, I could still hear him shouting as loud as he could about the “nice man.”
Writing notes is a third way you can potentially influence others.
I started writing thank you notes about a year ago. I have been thanked over and over for some of these notes of appreciation and told I didn’t have to do that. I have recently learned and started using at times a new way of writing notes. Purchase some inexpensive, inspirational books that have had a positive impact on you. Write an encouraging note inside the cover of one of those books and give it to the person. You will feel good just doing it.
I can look back over my past and remember several moments in time that God used someone doing a little thing that encouraged me. I have also heard from others that have been influenced by me for doing the same. There are many kinds of little things you can do to encourage others. Some of these involve providing help when there is a need, saying thank you, and writing notes. What are you going to do today for someone that will make a difference in their life?
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