Business briefs: March 14, 2010

Scholarships offered

ELIZABETHTOWN — Elizabethtown Community Hospital and its auxiliary are offering scholarships for the 2010-2011 academic year, aimed at students planning a career in health care.

The Holly Estus Memorial Scholarship for Nursing was created in memory of a dedicated young nurse who worked at the hospital. This year, the fund will award $500 to a student enrolled in a nursing program. Applicants must reside within the Elizabethtown, Keene, Moriah, Westport, Willsboro or AuSable Valley school district in order to be eligible.

The Elizabethtown Community Hospital Auxiliary Scholarship benefits those furthering their career in the health-care field. Applicants must be an employee of ECH, a child or parent of an ECH employee, an ECH volunteer, an employee at Horace Nye Home or the Keene Valley Neighborhood House. This year, two scholarships of $500 each will be awarded.

Scholarship applications may be downloaded from the hospital's Web site at www.ech.org or by visiting the hospital's community relations office. Local guidance counselors have also received copies of the applications. Applications must be submitted by April 30.

Elizabethtown Community Hospital is a 25-bed critical-access hospital primarily serving local communities that are home to more than 30,000 full-time residents, along with thousands of tourists and seasonal residents.

Workshop held

CHAZY — The Station Cafe & Gifts at 23 Old Station Drive in Chazy is offering a workshop providing an opportunity to learn and experience mindfulness as taught at the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

It will be held Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and will be taught by Luis F. Sierra, Ph.D. The cost is $15 per person, and preregistration is required at 846-7245 or 572-4550.

The program's work over the past 30 years has profoundly affected thousands of lives, organizers say. Many research programs have documented the program as highly effective in teaching participants to manage their health more responsibly, allowing them to cultivate a greater sense of well-being.

MBSR is an experiential program and this workshop will offer a basic introduction. Various mindfulness practices that allow participants to listen gently to themselves, including eating meditation, breath-awareness meditation, loving-kindness meditation and more, will be presented. After each practice period, there will be time for questions and answers. Through mindfulness practices, participants can learn to be present with thoughts and emotions, aware of them but without engaging in them, without allowing them to lead to life's stressors.

Sierra is a certified Integral Yoga instructor and a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, and has completed the MBSR course of study. Before moving to Plattsburgh in 2005, he had a decade-long private practice in New York City working with people dealing with heart disease, cancer, arthritis, dementia and other conditions, and those interested in coping with daily stressors more skillfully. For more information, visit www.adkyoga.com.

Hospital on Facebook

PLATTSBURGH — CVPH Medical Center can now be found on the social networking site Facebook.

To encourage community members to become fans of CVPH on Facebook, CVPH will hold a raffle every other Friday, beginning March 19.

Individuals who become fans of CVPH Medical Center will enter a drawing to win a $20 gift certificate to the Butcher Block. Participants are only eligible to win one time, and five gift certificates will be available.

Facebook will be used as a tool for both CVPH Medical Center and the Foundation of CVPH to provide news, updates and upcoming events for the community of the Champlain Valley. Through photos and videos, Facebook will provide a fast and user-friendly way to stay connected to the hospital.

Cell-phone drive

TICONDEROGA — On Feb. 26, Ticonderoga Federal Credit Union (TFCU) wrapped up its first-annual cell phone collection drive benefiting the STOP Domestic Violence Center of Essex County.

A total of 106 cell phones were collected among TFCU's three branch locations throughout January and February. Kelly Lane of Adirondack Wireless Communications in Moriah donated more than 30 cell phones.

"The level of participation in this event has exceeded our expectations," TFCU CEO Greg Johnson said. "We're proud to support an important cause in our community through this charitable event."

All donated cell phones will be given to the STOP Domestic Violence Center of Essex County in Westport, where the phones will be turned into emergency 911 help-lines and distributed to local victims of domestic violence free of charge.

Anyone can donate their phone at any time by mailing the cell phone with a pre-paid shipping label available at www.verizonwireless.com/hopelinemailinglabel/

For information on becoming a member of the TFCU, go to www.tfcunow.com.

Grant received

PLATTSBURGH — Mountain Lake PBS has announced that it is a recipient of an International Paper Co. Foundation grant. The $1,000 grant will provide funding to purchase books for the Education and Outreach Department's Imagine Yourself Reading Program.

The program provides literacy workshops for parents, teachers and caregivers of youngsters from birth to third grade. The program's workshops teach research-based literacy strategies, provide techniques for effective "read-alouds," and teach ways to use televised programming for literacy skills. The workshops stress the importance of early learning for future language development, encourage the use of multimedia to teach reading skills, and provide participants with ideas for using activities that children enjoy to increase motivation.

"The International Paper Co. Foundation grant will enable Mountain Lake PBS to give out more books at the workshops, which is very important to our literacy strategy," said Mountain Lake PBS Director of Education and Outreach Jane Owens.

International Paper, headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., is a global forest-products, paper and packaging company with offices in Ticonderoga. The company contributes to local communities through its corporate donations, in-kind contributions and through the foundation.

For more information about the foundation, call 1-800-236-1996. For information on the literacy workshops provided by Mountain Lake PBS or to participate, contact Owens at 1-800-836-5700, Ext. 130.

Succession workshop

PLATTSBURGH — CITEC is hosting a Succession Workshop for small business from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Plattsburgh on Wednesday. Pre-registration is requested by close of business Monday.

Nearly 90 percent of the country's small businesses are family owned or closely held and ownership transition can be a scary prospect. It is estimated that fewer than 40 percent survive to the second generation and only 5 percent to the third.

Within the next five years, nearly 65 percent of small-business leaders plan on stepping down.

CITEC is a not-for-profit, economic-development organization that works with businesses across the six northern counties of New York State, receiving funding support from the Department of Commerce's Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program and the New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation.

CITEC is bringing an internationally recognized expert to speak on "Succeeding at Succession Planning: Building Your Next Generation of Leaders." Lisë Stewart is the founder and managing director of Galliard Group, a national consulting firm specializing in family owned and closely held businesses. This workshop will focus on a practical plan to build the bench strength so that business owners can secure their retirement and leave their legacy.

The seminar is presented in partnership by National Grid, Community Bank NA, CBNA Wealth Management Group, Jefferson County Job Development Corporation, the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce, the Ticonderoga Area Chamber of Commerce, Lewis County IDA, American Business Transitions and CITEC — Manufacturing & Technology Solutions.

There is a nominal fee to attend and registration is required before close of business Monday. For details, session location and to register, follow the Training link at www.CITEC.org or call 315-268-3778, Ext. 21.

Insurance coverage

ALBANY — In recognition of national Cover the Uninsured Week March 14-20, Fidelis Care, the largest government programs-based health-insurance company in New York State, will participate in local events organized to help uninsured residents in Franklin and Essex counties apply to enroll in free or low-cost health insurance.

Fidelis Care recently received approval from the New York State Department of Health and the Franklin County Department of Social Services to serve local residents through New York State's Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus and Medicaid Managed Care programs.

Today, Fidelis Care will be on site at Kinney Drugs at 3400 State Route 11, Malone, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 485 E. Main St., Malone, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., to answer questions and help eligible residents apply for enrollment. Both store events will be held in conjunction with the Franklin and Essex Counties Cancer Services Program.

Fidelis Care representatives will also be at Tupper Lake Health Center, 55 Church St., Tuesday, and Lake Placid Health Center, 29 Church St., Wednesday. Both events, held in conjunction with the Tri-Lakes Uninsured Task Force, will occur from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All uninsured children under 19 living in New York are eligible through Child Health Plus while adults ages 19 to 64 may qualify for low-cost health coverage through Family Health Plus. Medicaid Managed Care is for children and adults who meet certain income, resource, age or disability requirements. Members are covered for regular checkups, preventive care, hospital and emergency care, eye exams and more.

To apply for enrollment, bring proof of age, income and address. No appointment is necessary. Individuals seeking affordable health insurance coverage should contact Fidelis Care toll-free at 1-888-343-3547 or visit www.fideliscare.org.

Donation received

KEESEVILLE — The Champlain Valley Search and Rescue K9 Unit based in Keeseville has announced they were one of many charities awarded money this year from the annual Stewart's Shops Holiday Match Campaign.

Every holiday season, Stewart's Shops collects and matches donations given by the patrons of their stores. They then distribute the money to charities that will use the money directly for children 18 years and under. The Champlain Valley K9 Unit qualified for their safety-education program called "Hug a Tree," as well as their Junior K9 handler program.

According to Christopher Bresett, team leader and one of the Hug a Tree presenters, "It will help a great deal with the development of our junior program as well as being able to provide the Hug a Tree program to more schools and other organizations."

This year's Holiday Match campaign garnered $1,261,800 in donations. More than 1,400 applications were received requesting more than $3.1 million.

The Champlain Valley Search and Rescue K9 Unit is a pending non-profit search-and-rescue team with working dog and support personnel to search for and rescue lost or missing people within a 100-mile radius of Keeseville. As an active K9 team, they are specifically trained to assist with land and water searches as well as natural or man-made disasters in which people may be trapped or missing. Champlain Valley K9 also has made a strong commitment to community service in the way of education and helping youths gain necessary confidence and leadership skills. For more information, visit www.champlainvalleyk9unit.com.

Store makeover

PLATTSBURGH — T.J.Maxx located at 31 Consumer Square will continue to offer Plattsburgh area shoppers discounted designer fashions for the entire family and the home but with a new look and feel.

New dressing rooms, a single line checkout for faster service and new overall design will be featured. Updated fixtures in the home and beauty departments will display the merchandise in an easier-to-shop format. The beauty department has doubled in size with a new look.

With 10,000 new items arriving at the Plattsburgh T.J.Maxx each week, there is always a fresh assortment of current-season merchandise.

T.J.Maxx is a Massachusetts-based off-price retailer with more than 890 stores nationwide. For additional information and store locations, visit www.tjmaxx.com.

Library donation

PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh Public Library Children's Department has received $500 from Stewart's Foundation to be used for children's books.

According to Susan Law Dake, president of Stewart's Foundation, these funds come from customers of Stewart's Shops who made Holiday Match donations between Thanksgiving and Christmas to benefit local childrens' service organizations. The donations are matched by Stewart's Foundation located in Saratoga Springs. The Plattsburgh Public Library will be purchasing new children's books in preparation for the coming Summer Reading Program.

Each year, Stewart's Shops promotes these donations, which amounted to $1,261,800 in 2009. Funds must be used directly for children 18 years and under in the geographic areas where their 237 shops are located in New York and Vermont. The company was founded in 1945 when the Dake family purchased a dairy and ice-cream shop from Donald Stewart of Ballston Spa.

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