Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 12 May 2000 — Page 30

FRIDAY, MAY 12,2000 ■ PAGE C8

From the Desk of

Jodo

Parenting Tips

New Pokemon jelly jars will feature

nine characters (NAPSA) — What do the Flintstones, Howdy Doody and Pokdmon characters all have in conunon? Through the years, these kidpleasing characters have all inspired Welch’s jelly jars. This year, nine Pokdmon characters - including the ever-popular Pikachu, Togepi, Clefairy, Bulbasaur, Meowth, Squirtle, Charmander, Psyduck and Poliwhirl join past favorites in the jelly jar hall of fame. “For the past 25 years, Welch’s jelly jars have provided a wonderful pictorial chronology of the cartoon characters kids love. And these characters are tremendously important to children and adults alike,” said Linda Simensky, vice president of original animation for the Cartoon Network. “By putting popular characters on merchandise, kids can take their ‘friends’ with them to school, have breakfast with them every morning, and ultimately hold onto them forever.” The Poklmon phenomenon started ns a Nintendo Game Boy video game from Japan. To date, more than 13.5 million Pokdmon video games have been sold in the U.S. Pokemon is the No. I-rated children’s show, which airs on the Kids WB! Network, and the first movie was released in November 1999. The first Welch’s grape jelly glass was created in 1953 and featured six scenes from the popular Howdy Doody Show. Other jars have featured the Archies, Disney characters, Winnie-the-Pooh, Tom & Jerry, Dr. Seuss, and the Muppets. Some of the older jars have become collector’s items. Jars, such as the original Howdy Doody or Rintstones, can be worth as much as $75. Prototype jars from a lim-ited-release Howdy Doody collection, can be worth up to $800. “Welch’s jelly jar series have held a special place in America’s kitchen cabinets for almost 50 years,” says Randy Papadellis, senior vice president of marketing at Welch’s. “For the company’s 25th series, we really wanted a character that mirrored what today’s youth is passionate about. Pokdmon was the clear winner” As part of the Pokdmon promotion, Welch’s will also offerComet Cursors at www.welchs.com that turn a computer cursor into a Pokdmon character. Through July 31, children can also enter the Welch’s Pokdmon coloring contest. The 100 contest winners win a Nintendo Game Boy. Details and entry forms are available by logging onto www.welchs.com or www.pokemon.com.

Jelly Jars have held a special place In America's kitchen cabinets and new Poktmon glasses will be no exception.

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Screenings available at 70 locations throughout Central Indiana

Special to The Recorder Each year approximately 500,000 Americans experience a stroke, killing 150,000 and permanently changing the lives of the remaining 350,000 who survive. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. May is designated as National Stroke Awareness Month. To increase awareness about stroke, St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services has partnered with 70 fire stations throughout Central Indiana to provide stroke risk screenings on Saturday, May 13 from noon to 2 p.m. Stroke, also known as a brain attack, cuts off the vital flow of oxygen and blood to brain cells that control everything we do, from speaking to walking and breath-

ing.

Dr. Jeffrey W. Hilbum, chairman of the Neurology Department at St. Vincent, explained that a brain attack occurs when a blood vessel bringing oxygen and nutrients to the brain becomes clogged or bursts, damaging tissue in that part of the brain. “As with an acute heart attack, the first few hours after the stroke are critical to successful treatment,” Dr. Hilbum said. “The amount of time affects the ability of damaged brain cells to recover. Otherwise, the patient may suffer permanent loss of physical and mental functions, including speech, sight, touch and thought processing.” According to the National Stroke Association, “Numerous factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, age, race and lifestyle influence an individual’s risk of stroke.” For example, data shows that previous stroke victims and African Americans are at greater risk. The risk of stroke also doubles for individuals every decade after age 55. “The purpose of the stroke risk assessment is to generate public awareness about the seriousness of this disease,” said Dr. Wes Wong, medical director of neuroscience at St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services. “We want to educate the public on the various warning signs of stroke and provide them with risk assessments to determine an individualfs predisposition to stroke,” Dr. Wong said. St. Vincent physicians along with emergency medical specialists (EMS) and emergency medical technicians (EMT) will be on hand to perform the free stroke

risk assessments, which will include a blood pressure check and a pulse check for an abnormal heart beat. Information about risk factors will also be provided during the screening. Warning signs for a stroke include sudden numbness, weakness of the face, arm or leg, difficulty in speaking or understanding simple statements, rapid onset of blurred or decreased vision, particularly in one eye and temporary dizziness, loss of balance or an unexplained fall. “If an individual has any of these symptoms it is recommended that they seek emergency medical assistance immediately,” said Dr. Wong. Unlike many diseases, there are risk factors associated with stroke that are controllable, “If you find out that you are at risk, there are measures that can be taken to lower the risk for stroke, such as lowering cholesterol and blood pressure and eliminating such habits as smoking and alcohol consumption,” said Dr. Wong. St. Vincent is classified as a stroke center associated with the National Stroke Association. “This means the facility has specially

trained doctors, nurses and therapists equipped to offer a full continuum of care for patients, who have suffered from a stroke,” said Paula Bennett, director of 5 West Neuroscience Medicine at St. Vincent Hospital. The stroke screenings will take place at designated fire stations throughout Central Indiana. To find the nearest stroke risk assessment site, call (317) 338-CARE. If the public is unable to attend a site on May 13th , they can request that a stroke risk self-assessment kit be mailed to them. St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services includes six hospitals in Indiana: St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital, St. Vincent Carmel Hospital, St. Vincent Mercy Hospital in Elwood, St. Vincent Williamsport Hospital, St. Vincent Jennings Hospital in North Vernon and St. Vincent Frankfort Hospital, formerly Clinton County Hospital. Along with St. Joseph’s Hospital in Kokomo, St. Vincent is a founding member of the Central Indiana Health System, a values-based alliance of local health care providers.

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Follow your owr\ family model; forget about the Joneses By DARYL and ESTRALETTA GREEN Shirley gets a Mercedes. You buy one too. Shirley hires a maid. You get one too. Shirley announces she’s going to have twins. You run to your husband. He shakes his head in disbelief. Do you have a roadmap for your family? Our world is on a technological rollercoaster. Society continues to change quickly. It is tougher now for individuals to cling to meaningful family traditibns. Many parents and children do not see examples of good family role models. Many people are just content to be like everyone else. American children are heavily influenced by a media-driven culture that teaches we need it now! Children pick their examples of good behavior from watching mil-lion-dollar super stars. Are adults any different? Do you have model for your family? The right family model can help move a family toward a desired endpoint. Families need to have some direction. God should always play a central part of family living. The Bama Research for the Tyndale House sjiowed that 80 percent of people feel the Bible is the most influential book in history. The Bible, society has seen no other book that contains such insight and depth relating to life. In the book of Genesis, mail is created in both the image and likeness of God. God’s ideal plan linked one man and woman for a lifetime. “For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shqll cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.” Although this may seem controversial to some, it contains the most consistent definition for the family. Individuals can use this concept as the foundation for assisting them with their family goals. The traditional family is very relevant. It will continue to serve as an anchor as America moves into the next millennium. Today ’ s families face huge challenges. Many people do not want to accept the responsibility of parenting — they want to live a carefree life with no accountability. The bitter taste of failed previous marriages has prompted many people to condemn the institution of marriage. The high percentage of divorce in society has left children feeling insecure. Although the Bible uses a traditional two-parent model for families, being a single parent or having some other nontraditional arrangement, such as adoptive parents, doesn’t mean an individual doesn’t have a family. Members of a family share com : mon experiences, and this is criti : cal to family stability. Here are questions to ask: (1) Are you happy with your family? (2) Do you have a family model? (3) Are you competing with other families? (4) Do you have a vision for your family? (5) Are you willing to make your family vision a reality? _ Many people fail to see the importance of having a model to follow. Trying to implement any model without understanding the basis could leave a family with unrealistic expectations. Families are not mechanical. . If there is no solid foundation, the house will fall. What model .are most people using in America? Decide today if you have the best model for your family. It’s not too late. i