Figure 1: http://daysofyear.com/national-stroke-awareness-month/

Stroke happens when a clot or rupture interrupts blood flow to the brain. Without oxygen-rich blood, brain cells die.

Some facts about strokes:

• A stroke happens every 40 seconds.
• Every four minutes someone dies from stroke.
• Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S.
• Up to 80% of strokes can be prevented.
• High blood pressure equals higher risk of stroke.
• Strokes kill more than 133,000 Americans annually.
• Stroke is a leading cause of serious, long-term disability.
• Each year, about as many Americans have a stroke as a heart attack.

Risk Factors for Stroke

• High Blood Pressure
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• Diet high in fat and cholesterol
• Low level of physical activity
• Obesity
• High blood cholesterol
• Carotid artery disease
• Peripheral Artery disease
• Atrial Fibrillation
• Heart Disease
• Sickle cell disease
• Age (higher risk as we age)
• Family history of stroke
• Race (African Americans at higher risk)
• Gender (more women than men)
• Prior stroke, TIA, or heart attack

The National Stroke Awareness Month program places emphasis on making the public aware about Acting FAST.

According to the National Stroke Association, a person experiencing a stroke can be treated if people have acted FAST – 80% of strokes can also be prevented.

FAST is an acronym for things to check in a suspected stroke victim:

• F – Face / Does the face droop on one side when the person smiles?
• A – Arm / After raising both arms, does one of the arms drift downwards?
• S – Speech /After repeating a simple phrase, does the persons speech sound slurred or strange?
• T – Time / If any or all of the above are observed call for 911 and ask for medical assistance.

Additional stroke signs include: sudden severe headache with no known cause; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; or sudden confusion or trouble understanding.

Can Strokes Be Treated?

There are several treatment options for stroke depending on the cause of your stroke. If you are having an ischemic stroke or a stroke that is caused by a blood clot your healthcare professional may recommend drug treatment.

Drug Treatment

There is only one Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is given via intravenous therapy (IV) and works by dissolving the clot and improving blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived of blood flow. tPA should be given within three hours (and up to 4.5 hours in certain eligible patients)of the time symptoms first started.

Mechanical Devices

Some ischemic strokes are treated with small mechanical devices that remove or break up blood clots. If clot-busting drugs are ruled out, another option one of the many FDA approved mechanical devices. A surgeon inserts a small mechanical device into the blocked artery using a thin tube. Once inside, the tool traps the clot, and either breaks it up or the surgeon pulls it out of the brain, reopening the blocked blood vessel in the process.

A hemorrhagic stroke (sometimes called a bleed) occurs if an artery in your brain leaks blood or ruptures (breaks open). The first steps in treating a hemorrhagic stroke are to find the cause of bleeding in the brain and then control it. Some of the options for treatments include surgical clips or coils inserted in aneurisms (weaknesses in the blood vessel wall), controlling high blood pressure, and surgery to remove the bleeding vessel and blood that has spilled into the brain.

Medical advances have greatly improved survival rates and recovery from stroke during the last decade. Your chances of survival and recovery outcomes are even better if the stroke is identified and treated immediately.

---

Resources:

https://www.awarenessdays.com/awareness-days-calendar/make-may-purple-action-on-stroke-month-2018/

http://www.stroke.org/stroke-resources/raise-awareness-stroke/national-stroke-awareness-month

http://www.stroke.org/stroke-resources/raise-awareness-stroke/national-stroke-awareness-month/resources#images

http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/AmericanStrokeMonth/American-Stroke-Month_UCM_459942_SubHomePage.jsp#

http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/AmericanStrokeMonth/American-Stroke-Month-Infographic_UCM_463277_Article.jsp#.WjqqXd-nG1s

http://newsroom.heart.org/news/may-is-american-stroke-month

http://www.whathealth.com/awareness/event/stroke.html

http://www.stroke.org/we-can-help/survivors/just-experienced-stroke/stroke-treatments

http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/LifeAfterStroke/ForFamilyCaregivers/CaringforYourLovedOne/15-Things-Caregivers-Should-Know-After-a-Loved-One-Has-Had-a-Stroke_UCM_310762_Article.jsp#.WjqrKN-nG1s

http://www.strokeassociation.org/STROKEORG/AboutStroke/UnderstandingRisk/Understanding-Stroke-Risk_UCM_308539_SubHomePage.jsp

Today, a majority of consumers are experiencing some sort of financial difficulty causing a significant impact on their everyday lives. In fact, Americans carry more than $2 trillion in consumer debt and 30 percent of consumers report having no extra cash; making it impossible to escape the burden of living paycheck to paycheck.

April has been declared National Financial Literacy Month; and for good reason. Too many Americans are insufficiently educated about their personal finances.

The first and most important step in developing and following a financial plan is to examine your attitudes about money. Are you ready to accept responsibility for changing your financial situation? Do you believe that you can and will change the way you make financial decisions? Can you identify at least one benefit you hope to gain by changing your money management behavior? (http://www.financialliteracymonth.com/)

How to Keep a Budget
As soon as you start spending your own money, it’s time to start tracking your spending so that you can create and follow a personal budget. Keeping track of expenses, while sometimes tedious, is the best way to find out exactly where your money is going.

The simplest way to keep track of your finances, especially your cash, is the low-tech way, with a notebook and a pen. By carrying around the notebook with you, you can track exactly where every dollar is going–from a small coffee on your way to work to a spending splurge at the mall. If you’d prefer, on a daily or weekly basis, you can transfer your handwritten notes to a computer spreadsheet.

Once you have collected information for about a month, you’ll have a good baseline of information to use to create your personal budget. Some major categories that you’ll want to include are housing, utilities, insurance, food (groceries and dining out), gasoline, clothing, entertainment, and “other”. Using a spreadsheet program (such as Excel), online service, or other personal finance program, add up the expenses that you’ve been tracking, and then calculate what you’d like to budget for each category. Keep in mind that you’ll need to budget for some items, like gifts and automobile repairs, which will be necessary but won’t occur every month. You can either create a budget for each individual month, with variances for irregular expenses (e.g., heating expenses which will be higher in winter months, or car repairs and gifts), or a standard monthly budget where you include an average amount for expenses such as car repairs, heating, and gifts.

Your budget should also contain some personal savings amounts for retirement savings, college savings, an emergency fund, long-term savings, and any other savings goals you may have. Don’t wait until the end of the month to see what’s left – budget for your savings first.

Creating a personal budget is a good first step, but the most important thing is to follow the budget. Make time weekly or monthly to track your spending, and start to see if you are actually keeping to your budget. Using a personal finance program or an online service is probably the easiest way to do this on an ongoing basis, but make sure you continue to track where your cash is going. You may be surprised to find out how the frequent small amounts you spend actually add up to big money.

After tracking your personal budget, you may notice some areas where you’ll have to make changes. Don’t just increase your budget without considering alternatives. While you may have no choice, if prices or expenses go up, shop for better deals before giving in to the extra expenses.

Resources:

https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/index.html
https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/young.html
https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/olderadult.html
https://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/business.html
https://www.moneymanagement.org/Budgeting-Tools/Credit-Articles/Money-and-Budgeting/Make-a-Personal-Budget-and-Keep-Track-of-Spending.aspx
https://www.moneymanagement.org/Community/Blogs/Blogging-for-Change/2009/April/FLM-Step-2-Gerri-Detweiler-discusses-the-importance-of-assessing-your-financial-situation.aspx?RCTAG=FLM
https://www.moneymanagement.org/Budgeting-Tools/Credit-Articles/Money-and-Budgeting/Five-Things-You-Need-to-Know-About-Money-and-Personal-Budgeting.aspx

Make your plans to join in Federally Employed Women’s (FEW) Social Media week, April 2-7, 2018, as we will be trending to the world of social media using the hashtag #FEWNTP2018. Whether you’re on Blogger, Facebook, Flickr, Gallop, Google+, Gov-Loop, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter, YouTube, or Vine, join us using your social media accounts from April 2 through April 7, and let’s start trending about FEW and the 2018 National Training Program (NTP).

Below are just a few of the messages that you can use for the social media week to post or tweet on your social media of choice:

• Looking for training? Check out Federally Employed Women’s National Training Program at www.few.org #FEWNTP2018
• I’m looking forward to attending FEW’s National Training Program www.few.org
• I will be attending the Federally Employed Women’s National Training Program #FEWNTP2018

We appreciate your support of FEW and the NTP – even if you can’t attend, we would love for you and your Chapter to spread the word and share pictures and experiences about FEW’s NTP!

Thanks for investing in your future,

Wanda V. Killingsworth
National President
Federally Employed Women

Adrianne M. Callahan
National Training Program 2018 Chair

“Working for the Advancement of Women in Government”

National Volunteer month in the United States takes place in the month of April. This month is dedicated to honoring all of the volunteers in our communities as well as encouraging volunteerism throughout the month.  April became National Volunteer Month as part of President George H. W. Bush’s 1000 Points of Light campaign in 1991.

In the United States, volunteerism is instilled at a young age. In many parts of the country, it is the cornerstone of summer vacation or woven into after school programs. Most organizations in small towns, rural counties and the largest cities would not function without volunteers. In some families, the baton of volunteerism is handed down generation after generation.

Rural fire and ambulance departments remain staffed due to the efforts of volunteers. The underprivileged receive much needed medical care thanks to volunteers. Long overdue repairs and upgrades are made to a senior women’s home thanks to an organization’s annual call for donations and skilled workers. A woman answers a call on a suicide hotline because she cared enough to give up a few hours to train and listen to someone desperate and alone. A team sets up tables at a soup kitchen every week. Another group delivers meals to men and women who can no longer cook for themselves. Boys and girls sell ice cream sandwiches during a fair to raise money for a homeless shelter.

Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes. They pick a cause and make a difference in someone’s life. Sometimes the difference a drop in the bucket. Other times it creates a tidal wave of change. From the anonymous volunteers who donate their resources to those whose efforts are part of larger national organizations like 4-H, Boy and Girl Scouts of America, or American Red Cross or a local grassroots group, their missions provide valuable support to communities in times of need.

 

How to observe National Volunteer Month

Thank a volunteer.  Volunteer! Many volunteers will tell you it is a rewarding experience.  You don’t have to have a ton of time.  Do you have a special talent or skill that may benefit a charity or organization?  Offer your services or ask how you can be of help.  Use #NationalVolunteerMonth to share on social media.

Ideas for Volunteering

1. Recruit the kids or grandkids

Teach the value of volunteering to youngsters—or simply make your volunteer project a fun family affair—by enlisting children, grandchildren and other kids in the community.

• No one knows school supplies better than kids! So encourage the ones you know to help children in need with a school supply drive. You can gather them together to lend a hand at a drive nearby, or hold your ownat a local school, library or community center.
• Select a child-accessible service project, like organizing canned goods for a local food bank or gathering old toys and clothes to donate to a shelter.
• Get kids and their friends outdoors for a cleanup around their school grounds and encourage them to take the lead in spreading the word around town.
• Take a child to visit a community nursing home. Kids can share stories with residents, and seniors love to see young, energetic faces. Don’t forget to take along crafts and games to keep everyone entertained.
• Inspire kids to help in their own ways. Tell them about your own volunteering experiences—or find a local celebrity, athlete or even family member known for doing good to share their stories.

2. Help seniors in your community

Not all of us are lucky enough to have a house full of family or the health to get out of the house and socialize. Reach out and show an elderly or lonely neighbor they aren’t alone.

• Show a neighbor you care by offering to shovel the driveway or rake leaves—or surprise them by doing so without asking.
• Share a meal. Create an extra portion at dinner or buy some additional groceries during your next trip to share.
• Consider yourself a handyman or woman? Fix a leaky faucet, move a piece of furniture or even repaint a room.
• Spending quality time is the best gift of all. Bring over a game of checkers to play, a classic movie to watch or old tunes to enjoy.
• Invite others to join you in a service project in your shared community. Plant flowers with green-thumbed friends and neighbors, create or join a community garden or organize a trash pick-up.

3. Do good from home

It’s easy to make a difference from the comfort of your own home.

• Get crafty in your living room—make visitor kits for senior center residents or holiday-inspired home decor for neighbors.
• Turn on the stove and make some goodies for a senior or family in your area—but be sure to check on any dietary restrictions first!
• Check in with seniors living alone to see if they need a hand with anything. A friendly phone call can go a long way.
• Organize a volunteer group to carry out a project using our guides and other ideas to get started planning—all from your home computer.
• Make an online donation to a favorite cause or save bottle caps, labels or coupons for a local charity.

4. Spend time with furry friends

Pets without homes need attention and care – especially during the colder months. Donate your time and love to abandoned or abused animals.

• Find your nearest animal shelter and volunteer to walk dogs or play with the cats.
• If you just can’t resist taking one home, why not try fostering an animal in need?
• When it comes time for your foster pet to move to a good permanent home, send them on their way with an adoption kit stocked with food, a collar, a favorite toy and special treats!
• Walk an elderly neighbor’s dog. For neighbors going on a trip, offer to check in and feed their pets—or give the animals a temporary home in yours.
• Invite kids or grandparents along to walk pets at the shelter—the more the merrier!

5. Give to veterans and military families

It’s not easy being left behind while a loved one is off serving our country. You can help military families deal with the hardships they face each day, whether it’s getting settled in a new town or finding extra rides or childcare for young ones.

• For a family that lives close by, cook a meal once a week. Whip up some extra snacks over the weekend. Or gather up the neighbors so you can each take a day of the week to cook.
• Do something extra – an errand, a run to the store for school supplies or a day shuttling kids to and from school and activities.
• Take an afternoon to give a new family a tour of town and the inside scoop on places to dine, shop and play. Or put together a local flavor guide so they can explore the area anytime.
• Gather groceries or set up monthly donation for any family in need.
• And don’t forget those who are away – send books to troops to help them pass the time until they are reunited with their friends and family.

Resources:

http://createthegood.org/volunteer-search

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-volunteer-month-april/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Volunteer_Month

NEVERTHELESS SHE PERSISTED:
Honoring Women Who Fight All Forms
of Discrimination Against Women

http://www.nwhp.org/2018-theme-honorees/

The 2018 National Women’s History theme presents the opportunity to honor women who have shaped America’s history and its future through their tireless commitment to ending discrimination against women and girls.

From spearheading legislation against segregation to leading the reproductive justice movement, our 2018 honorees are dismantling the structural, cultural, and legal forms of discrimination that for too long have plagued American women.

2018 Women’s History Honorees

• Susan Burton
  Ms. Burton is Founder and Executive Director of A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project. Her non-profit provides women ex-offenders a home and helps them stay drug-free, find work, and reunite with family. The organization has provided direct service to over 1,000 women. Ms. Burton was inspired to start the organization after serving multiple drug sentences and turning her life around.
• Margaret Dunkle
  Ms. Dunkle played a key role in the implementation of Title IX, guaranteeing equal opportunity to women and girls in education. Her groundbreaking 1974 report documenting discrimination against female athletes became the blueprint for the Title IX regulations on athletics. In 1975 Ms. Dunkle became the first Chair of the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education.
• Geraldine Ferraro (1935-2011)
  Ms. Ferraro was a politician, three term Congresswoman (D N.Y. 1979-85), and first woman major party candidate for Vice President (1984). President Clinton appointed her U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights where she served from 1993-96. She also served as vice-chair of the U.S. delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995).
• Roma Guy
  Guy is a leading LGBT and women’s rights activist. She co-founded multiple organizations including the Women’s Building, La Casa de las Madres, SF Women Against Rape, and the Women’s Foundation of California. Ms. Guy was one of the LGBT activists featured in the 2017 miniseries When We Rise. She is also an advocate for women’s access to health care.
• Saru Jayaraman
  Jayaraman is Co-founder and Co-director of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United (ROC United) and Director of the Food Labor Research Center at University of California, Berkeley. She is a leading advocate for restaurant workers, fighting for guaranteed sick and safe leave and an end the two-tiered minimum wage (a victory ROC has already won in 7 states).
• Cristina Jiménez
  Jiménez is Executive Director and Co-founder of United We Dream (UWD), the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the country. She was part of the team that led to the historic victory of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012. In 2017 Jiménez was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship “Genius Grant.”
• Marty Langelan
  Langelan is a leader in the global effort to end gender-based violence and an expert in nonviolent action. Called the “godmother of direct intervention,” she pioneered feminist self-defense training, the direct-action toolkit to derail harassers at work and on the street, the first major city-wide anti-harassment campaign, and effective, comprehensive action for public transit systems. Her intervention toolkits are used around the world.
• Pat Maginnis
  Maginnis is considered the first abortion rights activist in the U.S. She founded the Society for Humane Abortion in 1962 and the Association to Repeal Abortion Laws (the predecessor to NARAL) in 1966. She and two colleagues (known as the Army of Three) illegally mailed kits and information to women seeking abortions. At age 89, Ms. Maginnis remains politically active. (no picture available)
• Arlene Mayerson
  Mayerson is Directing Attorney of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF). She has been a leading force behind groundbreaking legislation including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Handicapped Children’s Protection Act. Ms. Mayerson has contributed to many key disability rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Jill Moss Greenberg
  Moss Greenberg is a lifelong feminist activist, committed to ending social and educational inequity. She served as National Director of the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) where she spearheaded efforts to address intersecting forms of discrimination. Ms. Moss Greenberg also served as Founding Executive Director of the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center.
• Pauli Murray (1910-1985)
  Murray was a groundbreaking women’s rights and civil rights activist and attorney. She coined the term “Jane Crow” articulating the combined sexism and racism faced by African American women. Ms. Murray served on the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women and was a co-founder of the National Organization for Women (NOW). In 1977 Murray became the first black woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest and she was among the first group of women to become priests in that church.
• Elizabeth Peratrovich (Kaaxal-gat) (1911-1958)
  Peratrovich was a civil rights activist on behalf of Alaska Natives. She was a leader in the Alaska Native Sisterhood and led the fight against the pervasive Lorettadiscrimination and segregation faced by her community. Ms. Peratrovich is credited as the leading force behind passage of the Alaska territory’s Anti-Discrimination Act in 1945, the first such law in the U.S.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9To3pgzh00
• Loretta Ross
  Ms. Ross is a feminist activist and leader in the reproductive justice movement. She was the Co-founder and Executive Director of the National Center for Human Rights Education and Co-founder and National Coordinator for the Sister song Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. In the 1970s, Ms. Ross was one of the first African American women to direct a rape crisis center.   http://www.lorettaross.com/
• Angelica Salas
  Salas is Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) and is a leading spokesperson for federal immigration policy reform. In C.A., she helped win in-state tuition for undocumented students and established day labor job centers that have become a national model. Ms. Salas is a coalition builder, connecting diverse groups at the state and national level.
• Linda Spoonster Schwartz
  Ms. Schwartz is a Vietnam veteran and activist for the rights of women veterans, testifying more than 24 times to Congress on women veterans’ issues. She served as Connecticut’s Commissioner Commandant of Veterans Affairs and was appointed by President Obama to serve as Assistant Secretary of Veteran Affairs for Policy and Planning.