Helping Hearts, Blog of Anne Sanders

I know. I know. I was supposed to write about Volunteer Vacations today like I promised.   I will get to it next month, but I was inspired on Monday to write about something else.   That’s when I was watching Good Morning America and heard the plea from Sam Champion for people to join the Be the Match Registry.   It struck me because I had just joined and gotten my membership card in the mail a couple of weeks ago.   He was asking because Robin Roberts, one of the show’s anchors, has contracted MDS, short for myelodysplastic syndrome, a rare blood disorder that affects the bone marrow.   Roberts is a breast cancer survivor.   I admire her for all she’s been through and she is one of the lucky 30 percent that have a sibling with an appropriate match for bone marrow.   But 70 percent of the time, a sibling’s marrow does not match.   That means thousands of patients with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell and other life-threatening dis...

What’s soft, furry, purry and gives tons of joy to people around the world? Why, cats, of course. I grew up with cats, starting with a Siamese called Cricket to today’s Tiger striped version named Georgia.   We’ve lost two cats in the last five years so it’s with heartfelt memories that I write today’s blog. Animal shelters around the country are putting on special events all month in June to celebrate, you guessed it, Adopt a Cat Month.   It’s one way to help that I wholeheartedly support because all of the pets we’ve owned have been shelter or neighborhood cats who otherwise might have been killed at a shelter. These felines have enriched my life and become part of my family over the years.   My son adopted his own cat and named her Georgia for George Washington a few years ago.   Everyone agrees upon seeing him for five minutes with her that he adores that cat. I think she’s pretty great, too.   She’s a loud one, for sure, waking up in the morning...

Next Wednesday, June 20 th , is The Longest Day fundraiser for the Alzheimer’s Association in celebration of the dedication and strength is takes to live with and care for people with Alzheimer’s every day. In honor of the Alzheimer’s Association and The Longest Day, I am interviewing Volunteer Services Manager Keelea LeJeune of Alzheimer’s Family Services, Inc and Covenant Hospice . If you want to work with older people, you can contact your local hospice or Area Agency on Aging by visiting www.eldercare.gov or calling 1-800-677-1116 to find ongoing opportunities to celebrate and support older Americans.   1. Alzheimer's Family Services, Inc. (AFS) provides support to families coping with Alzheimer's disease. Tell us a little about yourself and what services AFS provides. My name is Keelea LeJeune and I am the Volunteer Services Manager for both Covenant Hospice and Alzheimer’s Family Services in Pensacola, Florida, an agency that provides support to families d...

What is summer really all about?   I think it’s about enjoying the good weather and spending time with those you love.   One way to do that is on summer vacations and I’ll write this month about Volunteer Vacations that you will be excited to try.   But another way to revel in long summer days and clear skies is do some playing around in your local parks. KaBOOM has made doing that even more pleasurable with the chance to win a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C .   But I’m not just writing about KaBOOM because of the contest. KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit that does lots of wonderful things in communities throughout the United States. KaBOOM provides grants for park equipment for playgrounds as well as tools for organization and fundraising for these playgrounds. It also sponsored an initiative to build playgrounds in hurricane ravaged areas affected by Hurricane Katrina and Rita and built over 130 playgrounds on the Gulf Coast. It encourages imaginativ...

The whole month of June is Men’s Health Month so I’m starting the month off talking about men which is a subject most women love.  Like Women’s Health Week and Mother’s Day, Men’s Health Week precedes Father’s Day going from June 11th to 17th and International Men’s Health Week overlaps that a bit going from June 13th to 19 th this year.    What do all these dates mean?  That people around the world know that men need to think more often about their health.  For Women’s Health week and Mental Health Month, I interviewed a women and mental health advocate.  Since I don’t know a men’s health advocate, I decided to take some tips from the well-known and trusted Dr. Mehmet Oz.  He didn’t have a shorter list so here are his top 25 tips for men’s health. 1.  Find a way to laugh, which eases stress, promotes social bonding and lowers blood pressure 2.  Eat breakfast and have some fiber in it, too 3.  Get s even hours of slee...