Monthly Archives: October 2012
Listening Is One Of Our Greatest Skills
Character Council Honors Greater Cincinnati Heroes Of Character
Samuel Wenger
When it comes to understanding everybody’s basic need for being included, Loveland Middle School student Samuel Wenger has a pretty good grasp. Actually, as a 7th grader, Samuel understands the meaning of friendship, acceptance and belonging better than many adults.
Just ask his close friend. Corey’s impulsiveness and language delays made getting to know others somewhat difficult. That is, until he met one of the most popular students in school. Samuel purposefully sought Corey out to include him at recess, in the lunch room, and in class; and, by mid-year, their classmates also came to realize Corey had gifts to share.
That story of genuine caring is not unique. In Runner’s Club, if a student was struggling to finish or seemed lonely, it was always Samuel who would break apart to join him or her.
However, don’t think for a second that I am writing about a boy who has everything easy. Samuel’s asthma has been the cause of many emergency trips to the nurse’s office, missed classes and missed recess. But he never misses finishing his homework and making the honor roll.
On November 7, 2012, he will be among five students and four adult leaders to be recognized by the Character Council of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky as Heroes of Character.
Adult honorees include Dr. Jane Knudson of Indian Hill Schools, Matthew Long of Green Recycling Works, Dan Hurley of Leadership Cincinnati, and George Vincent of Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP. Other Kids of Character honorees are Ty Battle of St. Vivian School in Cincinnati, Julia Feldmann of Union Elementary in West Chester, Brookln A Davis of Rees E Price Academy in Price Hill, Dillon Held of St. Veronica School in Anderson Township.
Susan Garrett’s Dog Training Tips From APDT Conference
NOTE: I have a new pet behavior blog located at http://www.SoMuchPETential.com/blog. Thanks!
Last weekend, hun
dreds of dog trainers (actually probably upwards of close to 1000) from across the country converged on Covington, Kentucky. It was the very first time that the Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT) has held its large annual conference here and I was fortunate to be among the attendees. I attended three of the five days. Not only did I learn a ton from some of the top and most respected professionals in the business, it was also an opportunity to meet highly skilled trainers who believe as I do in the power of positive reinforcement.
I’ll be writing about and referring to the conference in numerous posts.
Training Tips from Susan Garrett
What an amazing opportunity it was that the very first lecture I attended was a three hour presentation by Canada’s Susan Garrett, owner of Say Yes Dog Training, from whom I had taken an online course, the Five Minute Recall. Susan is one of the most successful dog agility competitors of the last decade. She is also a member of one of the fastest flyball teams in the world.
Susan gave us so much information. She also shared these tips for success:
Be the Keeper of the Joy.
“Training is just building joy for what I do want, while controlling access to reinforcement for what I don’t want. Be sure you build yourself into all reinforcement.”
Take regular reinforcement inventory. Ask yourself – where is the value?
Know where you are and where you would like to go. Develop an ‘it is what it is’ attitude.
“When I look at my dogs, all I see is greatness. It’s up to me to show the world.”
Let average or better be your guide.
Plan for failures and only reward responses that take you closer to your goals.
Use arousal to develop skills that are resistant to distraction.
Don’t train in a sterile environment. Deepen your dogs understanding of your cues and his responses by cranking up the excitement level. A brief game of tug or chase will break things up and keep him excited. Make your dog say to you, ‘don’t wanna don’t have to’ and work through it.
And remember…
The more time you put into your puppy in its first 12 months, the more joy you will get out of him for the next 16 years of life.
About APTDT
The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) is a professional organization of individual trainers who are committed to becoming better trainers through education. The APDT is dedicated to building better trainers through education, promoting dog-friendly methods and encouraging their use. Our membership is composed of trainers from across the spectrum of training philosophies who have an interest in furthering their knowledge of positive training.
United Way of Greater Cincinnati Needs Tax Preparer Volunteers
United Way is seeking volunteers to help provide free tax preparation to low-income families at more than 30 local sites through the Regional Earned Income Tax Credit Collaborative (EITC) initiative. Volunteers are needed to help prepare returns with easy-to-use computer software.
No previous experience is necessary. Volunteers will receive free IRS tax training and certification, allowing them to learn a skill that may be beneficial in their personal and professional lives. Their assistance will help families avoid preparation fees and high interest rate refund anticipation loans.
Work schedules are flexible and volunteers can also participate as screeners/greeters or as translators instead of tax preparers. There are over 30 different tax prep sites in Southwestern Ohio, Northern Kentucky, and Eastern Indiana with hours available during the day, at night or on weekends during tax season, January 31 to April 15, 2013.
EITC is the nation’s largest anti-poverty program, benefitting families. Last year, more than 17,500 tax returns were filed locally, generating more than $20.2 million in refunds. Orientations are brief, lasting about one hour. Volunteers are welcome to attend orientation without registering, but for those interested in registering visit makeworkplay.com
Volunteer orientations are scheduled for:
Southwest Ohio:
- October 30, 5:30-7:30 p.m., United Way of Greater Cincinnati, 2400 Reading Rd, Cincinnati OH 45202
- November 15, 7-8 p.m., Elder High School Schaeper Center, 4005 Glenway Ave, Cincinnati OH 45202
- November 20, 6-7:30 p.m., Workforce One of Butler County, 4631 Dixie Highway, Fairfield OH 45014
- December 4, 6-7:30 p.m., Workforce One of Butler County, 4631 Dixie Highway, Fairfield OH 45014
Northern Kentucky
- October 30, 6-7:30 p.m., Center for Great Neighborhoods, 1650 Russell Street, Covington KY 41011
- November 8, 6-7:30 p.m., Center for Great Neighborhoods, 1650 Russell Street, Covington KY 41011
To volunteer or learn more about the Regional Earned Income Tax Credit Collaborative, visit www.makeworkpay.com/volunteer
The Story Of Butterflies
(special thanks to Tanya Bricking Leach from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for sharing this.)
Molly and Zoey Briesacher were to be the first grandchildren on both sides of the family.
The doctor labeled them right there on the ultrasound pictures: “The first grandbaby,” she wrote on one picture. “The second grandbaby,” she wrote on another.
That was the way Kelly and Andrew Briesacher told their parents they were expecting. It brought everyone a lot of joy. But there were worries, as well.
“We were told that having identical twins comes with a set of risks,” Kelly said, “including something called twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome.” The rare condition can happen when identical twins share a placenta and one gets more blood and nutrients than the other. The doctor said she would keep a close watch as the pregnancy progressed.
By week 19, an ultrasound showed that one twin measured much smaller than the other. And neither the ultrasound technicians nor the doctors 
could find the smaller twin’s bladder.
The family’s doctors in St. Louis referred them to the Fetal Care Center of Cincinnati. The Briesachers threw their clothes in a suitcase and took off for the scariest trip of their lives.
They arrived in Cincinnati for a whirlwind of tests and meetings with doctors and social workers on the Fetal Care team. Sadly, one twin, Molly, was already showing evidence of brain injury from the disease. Her heart was already slowing because of the small fraction she had of the shared placenta.
But there was a chance of saving Zoey, the other twin, if surgeons acted quickly. That is no doubt the most difficult decision any parent would ever have to make. Hope, excitement, sadness and anger overcame them as they prepared. And when it was over, only one twin would survive.
A nurse suggested a visit to Cincinnati’s Krohn Conservatory and when they walked into the butterfly exhibit, Kelly felt a strong connect
ion with the daughter they lost. “I thought, ‘Every time I see a butterfly from here on out, I’m going to think of my precious baby Molly.”
Zoey Elizabeth Briesacher was born on Aug. 30, 2011, weighing in at 3 pounds, 10 ounces. Her parents credit doctors at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for saving her life. At 1 year old, she is reaching every milestone. When the time comes, Kelly will tell Zoey the story of her sister — and the butterflies.
