Dad of Divas

One Dad's Quest to Regain Control of his Kingdom

Seven Easy Ways that Every Father Can Matter

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This Father’s Day, Support the International Violence Against Women Act
Father’s Day is this Sunday, June 20.  On that day, leading women’s and violence prevention organizations are asking America’s fathers to honor their daughters – and women and girls all around the world – by helping to end violence and make the world safer for women everywhere. 
The United Nations Development Fund for Women estimates that one of every three women globally will be beaten, raped, or otherwise abused during her lifetime.   A World Health Organization study examining diverse cultural settings in ten countries found that 15 to 71 percent of women reported physical or sexual violence by a husband or partner. 
There are many forms of violence against women, including sexual, physical, or emotional abuse by an intimate partner; physical or sexual abuse by family members or others; sexual harassment and abuse by authority figures (such as teachers, police officers or employers); trafficking for forced labour or sex; and practices such as forced or child marriages, dowryelated violence; and “honor” killings, when women are murdered in the name of family “honor.”  Systematic sexual abuse in conflict situations is another form of violence against women.  
Members of Congress including Senators John Kerry (D-MA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA) Susan Collins (R-ME) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Representatives William Delahunt (D-MA), Ted Poe (R-TX) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the International Violence Against Women Act (H.R. 4594/S. 2982) earlier this year.  It is bi-partisan, groundbreaking legislation that would – for the first time – make stopping violence against women and girls a priority in U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid.
Below is a list of seven easy things fathers can do to support the International Violence Against Women Act and help end violence against women and girls:
2. Spread the word about the International Violence Against Women Act using social media networks.  Tweet or post a message on Facebook about the need to support the bill and help end violence against women and girls around the world. 
3.   Urge your U.S. Representative and Senators to co-sponsor the International Violence Against Women Act.  Send an email to your members of Congress at http://capwiz.com/fvpf/issues/alert/?alertid=14591456 or http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=14375.  If your Member of Congress is already a co-sponsor of the bill, send a thank you note.   
4.  This summer, schedule a meeting with your Member of Congress and ask him or her to support the International Violence Against Women Act and consider becoming a co-sponsor of the bill.
5. Support organizations that work to end violence against women. Amnesty International USA, CARE, Family Violence Prevention Fund, Global AIDS Alliance, International Center for Research on Women, Jewish Women International, Refugees International, Women Thrive Worldwide, are all working to end worldwide violence against women and girls.  Visit the above organizations’ websites to learn more.
6.  Sign the CARE’s Voices Against Violence petition at http://my.care.org/site/Ecard?ecard_id=1461 and lend your name to the effort to end human rights violations that take place every day when women are victimized by domestic violence, sexual abuse, and “honor” killings.  After you sign, you can spread the word to friends and family so they can help end these atrocities.  CARE will gather the signatures and deliver them to our elected officials with the message that more must and can be done to address gender-based violence.
7. Share what you learn with others.  Make a pledge to speak with five people about the status of gender-based violence and help ignite a wave of awareness and action that will ultimately save the lives of women and children everywhere.

Connect Kids To Care Program & Win #CHFClorex

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About Connect Kids to Care:
Many parents can make a quick phone call to the doctor if they have a sick child. However, 1 in 5 children in the U.S. live in poverty and millions of children don’t have access to regular check-ups and timely doctor’s visits when sick. Without access to essential health care, many children go without treatment for common ailments, like asthma or cavities, which can lead to bigger problems if left untreated.

Children’s Health Fund (CHF), a non-profit organization committed to providing health care to the nation’s most medically underserved children and their families, teamed up with Clorox to launch Connect Kids to Care.

As part of Clorox’s commitment to preventive health for families, the company is donating half a million dollars to CHF to help support CHF’s goal of providing half a million health care visits to disadvantaged children across the country, over the next two years.

In addition, Clorox is donating $1.00 for each new ‘fan’ on the Clorox Facebook page, up to $100,000.

To help Clorox spread the word and help CHF provide health care visits to children in need you can:

  1. Connect: Visit the Clorox page on Facebook® (www.Facebook.com/Clorox) to learn more about the program and become a fan. Clorox will donate $1.00 to CHF for each new fan that joins the Clorox Facebook page from April 2010 and April 2012, up to $100,000.
  2. Tweet – join the Twitter storm on Monday, April 19 to help kickoff the program and get as many people as possible Tweeting and re-Tweeting with the hashtag #CHFClorox.
  3. Share: Help spread the word to friends and family by changing your Facebook status (additional details on Facebook.com/Clorox).
  4. Act: Visit the Clorox Facebook page to find out more and learn how a $10 donation can help CHF provide health care to children in need.

By starting conversations online, the Connect Kids to Care program will show people ways to maintain a healthier environment for their families through expert advice, wellness tips and consumer-generated ideas.

After helping make an impact on the lives of others, families will be encouraged to make sure they are doing all they can to maintain a healthier environment in their own homes. Ensuring that everyone is getting regular check-ups and practicing other healthy habits can impact an entire family and everyone in the surrounding communities. These habits include:

  • Encourage your family to wash their hands well with warm water and soap. This helps prevent the spread of infection.
  • Talk to your kids often about how they’re feeling. Simply asking this question can help you be better informed about any health problems your child may be experiencing.
  • Keep your kids on a regular teeth-brushing schedule. Watch them brush every now and then to make sure they’re using the proper technique.
  • Make sure you are all getting plenty of sleep, eating right, exercising and wearing warm clothes when it’s cold.
  • Disinfect frequently touched surfaces like light switches and counters to help reduce the spread of germs.
  • Keep the whole family up-to-date on important immunizations.

About the Children’s Health Fund
Children’s Health Fund, co-founded in 1987 by singer/songwriter Paul Simon and pediatrician/child advocate Irwin Redlener, MD, is committed to providing health care to the nation’s most medically underserved children through the development and support of innovative primary care medical programs; response to public health crises; and the promotion of guaranteed access to appropriate health care for all children.

The Fund works specifically to:

  • Support a national network of pediatric programs in some of the nation’s most disadvantaged rural and urban communities;
  • Ensure support of its flagship pediatric programs for homeless and other medically underserved children in New York City;
  • Advocate for policies and programs which will ensure access to medical homes that provide comprehensive and continuous health care for all children; and
  • Educate the general public about the needs and barriers to health care experienced by disadvantaged children.

About Clorox

Five investors, some salt ponds, and a very bright idea.

On May 3, 1913, five California entrepreneurs invested $100 apiece to do something that had never been done before: convert the brine available in the nearby salt ponds of San Francisco Bay into bleach using a sophisticated process of electrolysis. They located their offices in Oakland, California—where their headquarters remain today. In 1914, they named their brand Clorox.

An unlikely group of scientists
The investors were not a likely bunch to embark on such an enterprise: only one had any practical knowledge of chemistry. They were educated, though, in their guess that bleach would be a product soon in demand. By the end of the 19th century, after Louis Pasteur had discovered sodium hypochlorite’s potent effectiveness against disease-causing bacteria, bleach became a widely used disinfectant. Still, it wasn’t until Clorox introduced innovative technology that could produce both commercial-grade and household bleach products that bleach would became a proven and popular product.

A worthy experiment
Surviving the early years was a struggle. Directors repeatedly extended personal loans to pay mounting corporate debts. In 1916, an early investor in the business, William C.R. Murray, was named general manager. Mr. Murray’s wife, Annie, took on the responsibility of running their Oakland grocery store.

Mr. Murray ordered plant chemists to develop a less concentrated “household” version of the industrial-strength Clorox bleach formula, and Mrs. Murray decided to give free samples to her customers. Her idea would prove to be a key to the company’s survival.

A household essential
Mrs. Murray’s 5.25-percent sodium hypochlorite household bleach solution, bottled in 15-ounce amber glass “pints,” soon gained huge popularity. Households everywhere quickly recognized the formula as an effective and reliable domestic laundry aid, stain remover, deodorizer, and disinfectant.

Today, an estimated eight out of ten American households use Clorox® brand bleach, and Clorox® brand laundry and home cleaning products are sold in more than 100 countries in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. This cleaning agent, derived almost one hundred years ago from a salt pond, is now a cleaning essential used in homes throughout the world.

My Take on This
I always love seeing companies giving back and this is definitely a great example of it. It will not take much effort from all of you, so I hope that you will join me on Monday and make a different for disadvantaged children!


WIN THIS!

Clorox is going to give one lucky Dad of Divas reader a Clorox Children’s Health Fund gift pack.

To Enter:

Follow me on Twitter and tweet:

Help @Clorox help @chfund provide half a million health care visits to kids in need and win at http://bit.ly/drohwh #CHFClorox

I will choose 1 person who tweets and helps spread the word! Just reply here after you tweet.

Other Bloggers participating:

  • Consumer Queen

  • Plus Size Mommy

  • According To Rachel

  • My DFW Mommy

  • Dad of Divas

  • Mom’s Favorite Stuff

  • My SLC Mommy

  • West Michigan Mommy

  • Inside the Chatter Box

  • Organize With Sandy

  • Coupon Princess

  • Couponing to Disney

  • Superdumb Supervillain



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    New Book – I am Not Weird

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    One of my blogging friends’ daughters has just published her first book (and she is only a first grader). Talk about ambitious. I wanted to let you all know about this new book as it really covers some topics that all of our kids should have an experience in understanding.

    The book idea all started because at the beginning of the school year one of Haley’s classmates called her weird. That event set off a spark and Haley with the help of Raye Lynn decided to write a book about Cerebral Palsy and explain what it is and how she is not weird. The book turned out to be wonderful so we decided to publish it.

    The book is being published as an 8.5×8.5 hard cover color book.

    If you are interested in pre-ordering your copy the cost is $19.95. This is $5.00 off the cover price. We will be donating 10% of the proceeds of the sales of the book to the ALC. The (ALC) Adaptive Learning Center was instrumental in helping Haley achieve her current abilities and confidence and we love the program.

    The Back of the book reads:
    Haley, a first grader, never thought of herself as different because she has cerebral palsy. When a new classmate told her she was weird because she wore braces and walked funny, Haley was upset. She did not know what to do or what to say as a response. With help from her parents and grandmother Haley decided to write a book explaining that she was not weird-cerebral palsy is not weird. Haley tells what cerebral palsy means and tells all that she does, just like everyone else. Haley brought her book to school and it was read to the class to help the children understand. Haley is proud of herself and hopes her book will help others to understand about cerebral palsy

    Haley is an incredible girl who’s just like anyone else except she walks differently. Haley’s writing guide is RayeRaye, her grandmother, the director of a pre-school where she helped to facilitate a model inclusionary pre-school in Atlanta. Haley lives in Marietta, Georgia with her parents and sister and brother.

    To order the book go to http://www.myspellingsucks.com/weird. You will be able to order your copy of the book via Pay Pal. If you live in the Atlanta area and we can hand deliver the books to you choose the local pay pal button. If you are not local, do not know us, and we will have to ship the books to you please choose the pay pal button labeled “With Shipping.” The shipping charges are $2.99 and we will send the book via USPS media mail.

    The current price of $19.95 is for a limited time only. The price will raise back up to the cover price of $24.95 soon.


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    The Hershey Company Honors Not Only Fathers, But Great Men Who Make a Difference

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    Being a father to a child means so much more than DNA. It transcends the technicalities of genetics and reaches the point of doing whatever it takes to give that child the best chance at success. Unfortunately, not all children come from homes where success is achievable or have fathers with the means to give them what they need. Too many children feel the burden of poverty and the helplessness of watching their parents struggle to get by every single day. Luckily, because of a man named Milton Hershey, you can help give these children a brighter future, and it’s as easy as eating chocolate!

    100 years ago, Milton Hershey, founder of The Hershey Company, and his wife Kitty, were unable to have children of their own. Instead of giving up on his dream of becoming a father, Mr. Hershey donated his entire fortune to help give opportunity to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. He set up a trust to ensure that every time you enjoy one of his confections, you are helping transform the lives of children in need through the work of Milton Hershey School. MHS is the nation’s largest, cost-free, private, co-educational home and school for children from families of low income, limited resources and social need. Any father who brings his child to MHS must cope with the pain of leaving his child at the School, for the reward of knowing that he is giving his child an even greater gift.

    This Father’s Day, not only should we honor our fathers, but we should celebrate great men like Milton S. Hershey. Although he wasn’t able to give a child his genetics, he did give generations of children opportunities that they never thought possible. Each and every student of MHS for the past 100 years carries with them Milton Hershey’s legacy. In turn, Mr. Hershey is like a father to them all.

    Share a Hershey’s treat with your child so that they too can be a part of Mr. Hershey’s legacy to help give opportunity to children in need.

    To learn more, visit http://www.thehersheylegacy.com/.

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    Shedding of the Flannel Sheets

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    Do you have milestones in your lives between you and your wife? For me (not necessarily for my wife) it is when we shed the flannel sheets in the spring. All winter long we have our flannel sheets (which my wife loves). You see, for those of you who are newer readers, you may not understand that I have truly come to find that my wife and I have completely different temperature that we live under.

    When the temperature and inside goes on and the heater gets turned on for the long winter, the flannel sheets go on and I, who loves the cool light sheets of the summer, many times tends to sleep without covers for at least some of the winter.

    In thinking about this, I started to wonder what other things are significant in other relationships. Whether it is an annual trip, activity, etc, I tend to think that I am not alone in annual occurrences.

    With my children I would say that the first bike ride of the year or the first time we can play out on our swing set are important instances. I simply love the times when we can get outside of the house without snow (which is a luxury in the frigid north country).

    So My Question For The Day?

    • What Milestones are a Part of Your Relationship With Your Spouse?
    • What Milestones are a Part of Your Relationship With Your Children?


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    Philosophical Musings

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    Have you ever looked at others and tried to live through others accomplishments? I find myself not exactly doing this, but instead, I find myself reading with fondness the accomplishments/awards/lives of others. This is not to say that I am in any way unhappy with my own life, but instead, I look at these accomplishments and smile, seeing these people realizing their potential and dreams.

    I sometimes think of the paths that we all choose and how with a small tweak, or a different decision our current lives could have easily been very different than they are today. Have any of you ever thought of this as well?

    I also was just reading something this week about chaos theory, an interesting idea…that partially the small things that you and I do make large impacts on very small things. What are called butterfly effects… or rather, what the theory states is that the flapping of a butterfly wing in let’s say china can effect the weather in New York City… like I said it is a bit out there, but an interesting concept. This is only part of the theory, but it may be something that you may want to look into when you have the chance.

    Happy musings to you all!


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