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[MARCH 9, 2001]  Today Logan County seventh graders gathered in Lincoln Christian College’s chapel for a PARTY! Positive Actions Relating To Youth is an annual, full-day prevention program.

No less than 15 years ago, Logan County Health Department began PARTY for the seventh graders of Logan County. At that time, only sixth graders were involved in DARE. The Health Department believed that older students were still vulnerable to being pressured into dangerous habits, so they began a prevention program.

The goal of the program is "to help students gain information, self-confidence, and skills needed for better decision-making towards their lifetime goals." According to director Marcia Dowling, the program is helping. She hesitated to answer, because it is difficult to evaluate the success of prevention; but as a small part of all the prevention programs in Logan County, Dowling believes PARTY is making a difference.

Each year, for PARTY, the Health Department and others coordinate a day full of activities: a keynote speaker, 10 different workshops and lunch. Many groups and individuals helped to plan and execute the program: teachers, high school students, seventh- and eighth-grade students, the Police Department, the U of I Extension, Logan/Mason Mental Health, Chestnut Health Systems, and more. TOUCH (Teaching Others Using Chemicals Hurts) and the Regional Superintendent’s Office funded the program and speaker.

Seventh and eighth graders suggested topics for workshops. Fifty high school students from Lincoln, Mount Pulaski and Hartsburg-Emden helped with or ran the workshops. They also registered the seventh graders, prepared skits and served lunch. All of the sack lunches were prepared by Mount Pulaski’s Future Homemakers Association. Teachers and police officers donated time to help with the day’s activities as well.

This year’s keynote speaker was David Goerlitz, the former "Winston Man"—not to be confused, he says, with the Marlboro man who died five years ago of lung cancer. For seven years, Goerlitz modeled for Winston cigarettes, making a total of 42 advertisements. The fact that he has made more ads than any other model is not something for which he is proud, rather he uses his "inside knowledge" to better discuss tobacco use and addiction. His desire is to be part of the solution in tobacco prevention, since he used to be part of the problem. Goerlitz also hopes to see more tobacco settlement money being used for tobacco use prevention. He believes that Illinois is doing a better job than most states—a lot better than his home state of New Jersey—but there is always room for improvement.

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[This year’s keynote speaker was David Goerlitz, the former “Winston Man.”]

[For seven years, Goerlitz modeled for Winston cigarettes, making a total of 42 advertisements.]

[In his humorous presentation, the former Winston Man reminded Logan County’s seventh graders that they have known smoking was bad since the age of 5.]

David Goerlitz explained that he began smoking a little bit and eventually smoked his way up to three packs of cigarettes a day. During his presentation, Goerlitz emphasized that young people know smoking will kill them when they are older, but they dismiss the fact that they might have health problems earlier in life. He realized this at the young age of 34. While acting as a photo double for Harrison Ford during the making of the movie "Witness," Goerlitz had a slight stroke, which took away the feeling in his left leg.

In his humorous presentation, the former Winston Man reminded Logan County’s seventh graders that they have known smoking was bad since the age of 5. He relayed an Illinois state statistic that quoted 21 percent of Illinois teenagers as smokers. He asked his audience if they believed the number was too low, and most students raised their hands. Throughout the rest of the presentation, Goerlitz labored to explain to students why some choose to ignore what they have learned from kindergarten and slowly kill themselves with "cancer sticks."

After the main session, students picked four of 10 workshops to attend:

• "Days of Our High School Lives" showed seventh graders what to expect in high school.

• "My Friends, Girlfriends, and Boyfriends" discussed the privileges and responsibilities of friendships and dating.

• "WOW! Do I Really Look Like That?" compared how individuals viewed themselves with how others viewed them.

• A Mobile Ropes Challenge Course was provided by the Illinois National Guard.

• "Turning Around from Drugs and Alcohol" portrayed the difficulties of detoxification.

• "Anger—Constructive or Destructive" helped students better understand their emotions.

• "Personal Safety—Don’t Be a Target" gave students tools for safety at school, on the street, at home and on the Internet.

• "Violence in our School" compared violence in school, student’s lives and in entertainment.

• "Obsessing or Stressing??? Is My Body Healthy?" was designed to teach teenagers more about eating habits and exercise.

• "It Takes Two" encouraged students to practice good communication.

Marcia Dowling was excited about PARTY day, and "the kids certainly enjoy the day." Hopefully PARTY, along with Logan County’s other prevention programs, will be successful in guiding students away from dangerous habits toward productive habits.

[Jean Ann Carnley]

[JAN. 30, 2001]  Sneakers, sleeping bags and cancer education? It must be the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life, an overnight event to celebrate survivorship and raise funds for cancer research, education, advocacy and services.

The Logan County Unit of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life will be at the Lincoln Recreation Center beginning at 8 p.m. Friday, April 20, and concluding around 2 p.m. Saturday, April 21.

The Relay For Life brings together teams from local businesses, schools, churches and families for camaraderie, food, music and entertainment — all while team members take turns walking or running on a track.

Relay For Life begins with students and participating teams from around the county who walk the track overnight as a reminder that cancer never sleeps. Saturday morning activities begin with a Cancer Survivors Walk and reception to celebrate life. Later in the day, a luminaria ceremony honors those who are battling cancer and remembers those who have lost their fight.

"Relay For Life brings communities together," said Kathy Blaum, co-chair of the 2001 relay. "We honor each person who has been touched by this disease, while raising money for much needed cancer research, education, advocacy and service."

"In Logan County, our goal is to raise $57,000 for the American Cancer Society. We’re grateful to the people and the businesses helping us to achieve that goal," said Blaum.

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Major sponsors of the event include Family Medical Center, Wal-Mart, Lincoln Furniture and Floor Covering, Country Companies and Lee’s Home Furnishings.

The Logan County American Cancer Society kicks off its fourth annual relay at 6 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 22, at the Lincoln Park District Recreation Center, 1400 Primm Road in Lincoln. For more information regarding the relay, contact co-chairs Kathy Blaum at 732-9372 or Mary Ellen Martin at 732-3349.

The American Cancer Society is the leading nationwide community-based voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service. For information about Relay For Life or about cancer, call toll-free anytime 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit the American Cancer Society website at www.cancer.org.

[Logan County American Cancer Society
news release]

Click here for a list of Cancer Society programs available to people in Logan County.

Click here to see a research fact sheet from the American Cancer Society.

A program conducted among friends, family, and acquaintances. Trained volunteer callers contact five friends or other women they know to encourage them to get a mammogram. This strategy is called "peer counseling" because the volunteers are contacting other women much like themselves. It is also a strategy that has been tested and shown to work. For more information, call 1-800-252-5302.

Road to Recovery

A program that provides ground transportation for cancer patients to and from local treatment centers. This program is dependent on the availability of local volunteer drivers. Coordinator is Dick Eimer, phone 732-8338.

Reach to Recovery

A program that helps breast cancer patients cope with their diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Reach to Recovery works through carefully selected and trained volunteers who are breast cancer survivors themselves and who have fully adjusted to their own surgery. Local contact is Mary Bruns, phone 732-3761.

Look Good…..Feel Better

This program teaches female cancer patients beauty techniques to help enhance their appearance and self-image during chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Volunteer cosmetologists attend a four-hour certification class to become a Look Good….Feel Better volunteer. Local contact is Judy Worth at Fabulous Hairstyles, 108 S. Chicago in Lincoln, 735-1453.

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Wigs and temporary prostheses

The ACS office at 1-800-252-5302 has an inventory of wigs and temporary prostheses for women who are in need of these items. Call 1-800-252-5302.

Special Friends

Special Friends is a program in which children with cancer are paired with medical students from the SIU School of Medicine. The program focuses mainly on forming friendships between the children, ages 7 to 15, and the students. Picnics, sporting events and even quiet time together reduce the fear and psychological barriers often associated with cancer treatment and visits to the physician’s office. The children’s siblings are also invited to be a part of this program. Call 1-800-252-5302 for more information.

Referral service

Our area office has a list of organizations that provide services in our community to individuals in need. Our ACS national call center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Individuals can call the 1-800-ACS-2345 number and receive answers to their questions about cancer and related topics as well as accessing support services and local resources.

The American Cancer Society national research program began in 1946. Strong accomplishments in the early detection, prevention and treatment of cancers have been made through this research, such as:

• Use of chemotherapy and radiation to cure childhood leukemia
• Development and implementation of the Pap test to detect cervical cancer
• Development of 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a chemotherapy drug for colon and other cancers
• Use of tamoxifen to reduce breast cancer incidence
• Identification of the first human cancer-causing gene
• First successful transplantation of bone marrow
• Development of prostate specific antigen test

• Identification of link between smoking and lung cancer

The program has funded over $2 billion in research nationwide. Thirty society-funded researchers have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

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Cancer facts and figures

• Nearly nine million people alive today have a history of cancer.
• Men have a one-in-two lifetime risk of developing cancer, while women have a one-in-three lifetime risk of developing the disease.
• The five-year survival rate for all cancers combined has increased from 50 percent in 1974 to 60 percent in 2001.
• An estimated 1.3 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed this year; nearly 57,000 will be Illinois residents.
• Nearly 553,400 Americans will die from cancer in 2001; approximately 25,000 will be Illinois residents.

The American Cancer Society provides a wealth of information and resources on cancer that are available 24 hours a day/seven days a week.

• 1-800-ACS-2345, the National Cancer Information Center
• www.cancer.org, the American Cancer Society website

Honors & Awards

[FEB. 27, 2001]  Mary Anderson, RN, BSN recently received an Outstanding Nurse Recognition Award from March of Dimes. Mary has been employed as a public health nurse and communicable disease investigator at Logan County Health Department for the past 11 years. She was nominated by Logan County Health Department. Mary was recognized by March of Dimes for her work in improving the health of infants, children, youth and adults through education about vaccine-preventable disease and immunizations.

Announcements

[FEB. 5, 2001]  The Rural Health Partnership has announced the schedule for its mobile health unit. Effective Feb. 1, 2001, the unit will run as follows:

For more information on the mobile health unit schedule and services, contact Dayle Eldredge at (217) 732-2161, Ext. 409.

This family resource list to save and use is provided by the Healthy Communities Partnership (732-2161, Ext. 409) and the Healthy Families Task Force.         

Resources for Logan County families

Agency	Phone number	Address
911	911 (Emergencies) 732-3911 (Office -- non-emergency)	911 Pekin St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital	732-2161	315 Eighth St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Aging (Department of)	785-3356	421 E. Capitol, #100 Springfield, IL 62701-1789
American Cancer Society	546-7586 (24 hour)	1305 Wabash, Ste. J Springfield, IL 62704
American Red Cross	732-2134 1-800-412-0100	125 S. Kickapoo Lincoln, IL 62656
Catholic Social Services	732-3771	310 S. Logan Lincoln, IL 62656
Chamber of Commerce	735-2385	303 S. Kickapoo St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Community Action (CIEDC)	732-2159	1800 Fifth St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Community Child Care Connection	525-2805 1-800-676-2805	1004 N. Milton Ave. Springfield, IL 62702-443
Crisis Pregnancy Center	735-4838	513 Pulaski St. Lincoln, IL 62656
DCFS (Department of Children & Family Services)	735-4402 1-800-252-2873 (crisis hotline)	1100 Keokuk St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Heartland Community College GED Program	735-1731	620 Broadway St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Hospice Care of Illinois	1-800-342-4862 (24 hour) 732-2161, Ext. 444	720 N. Bond Springfield, IL 62702
Housing Authority	732-7776 732-6312 (24 hour)	1028 N. College St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Illinois Breast & Cervical Cancer Program	735-2317 1-800-269-4019	LCHD - 109 Third St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Illinois Department of Public Health	782-4977	535 W. Jefferson Springfield, IL 62761
Illinois Employment & Training Center (JTPA)	735-5441	812 Lincoln Ave. Lincoln, IL 62656
Legal Assistance Foundation	(217) 753-3300 1-800-252-8629	730 E. Vine St., Ste. 214 Springfield, IL 62703
Library - Atlanta	(217) 648-2112	100 Race St. Atlanta, IL 61723
Library - Elkhart	(217) 947-2313	121 E. Bohan Elkhart, IL 62634
Library - Lincoln	732-8878	725 Pekin St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Library - Mount Pulaski	792-5919	320 N. Washington Mount Pulaski, IL 62548
Lincoln Area YMCA	735-3915	319 W. Kickapoo St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Lincoln/Logan Food Pantry	732-2204	P.O. Box 773 Lincoln, IL 62656
Lincoln Parents’ Center	735-4192	100 S. Maple Lincoln, IL 62656
Lincoln Park District	732-8770	1400 Primm Rd. Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan County Department of Human Services (Public Aid)	735-2306	1550 Fourth St., P.O. Box 310 Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan County Health Department	735-2317	109 Third St., P.O. Box 508 Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan Mason Mental Health	735-2272 1-888-832-3600 (crisis line)	304 Eighth St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Logan-Mason Rehabilitation Center	735-1413	760 S. Postville Dr. Lincoln, IL 62656
Oasis (Senior Citizens of Logan County)	732-6132	501 Pulaski St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Project READ	735-1731	620 Broadway St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Salvation Army	732-7890	1501 N. Kickapoo Lincoln, IL 62656
Senior Services of Central Illinois	732-6213 1-800-252-8966 (crisis line)	109 Third St. Lincoln, IL 62656
Sojourn Shelter & Service Inc.	732-8988 (217) 726-5200 (24-hour hotline)	1800 Westchester Blvd. Springfield, IL 62704
U. of I. Division of Specialized Care for Children	524-2000 1-800-946-8468	421 S. Grand Ave. West, 2nd Floor Springfield, IL 62704
U. of I. Extension Service	732-8289	122 S. McLean St. Lincoln, IL 62656

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