HALLOWEEN BRINGS OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE, AND DONATE TO, OUR COMMUNITIES. HERE’S HOW UNIVERSITY OF UTAH STUDENTS AND BALTIMORE RAVENS ARE DOING IT.

In an article posted Thursday, October 29, onThe Daily Utah Chronicle’s website, University of Utah student Brandon Beifuss calls on his community this Halloween to donate cans of food or money to benefit the Utah Food Bank during the Trick-or-Can drive and the Black Pumpkin Affair.

The Bennion Community Service Center is planning a door-to-door Trick-or-Can drive today at 5:30 p.m. from the southwest corner of the Rice-Eccles Stadium parking lot. This volunteer-based can drive, which ends at 8:30 p.m., is a simple way to put a few hours toward community service. Volunteers can even come in costume.

Volunteers, as well as cans, for either of these organizations are happily accepted.

Also, check out Baltimore Ravens’ tight end Todd Heap as he chats with WNST.net’s Nestor Aparicio annual team Halloween party to benefit Goodwill Industries.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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COLLEGE STUDENTS COMMUNITY SERVICE EXTENDS BEYOND DAY OF SERVICE

The mission of the new Office of Civic Engagement and Scholarship (OCES) at College of William & Mary results in William & Mary students and alumni serving local community and learning about the community they serve.

According to Erin Zagursky’s article Students make a difference, learn about the community posted on October 20, 2009 to the College of William & Mary’s website…

Approximately 200 William & Mary students and alumni ignored the gray weather and spent Saturday, October 17, 2009, serving the local community as part of the annual “Make a Difference Day.”

“It was very successful and I feel like we accomplished a lot and really helped out the agency staff,” said Michel.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there. ~Robert M. Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values)

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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WAYS TO FEED YOUR GOOD DOG THIS WEEKEND

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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HERE’S A GUIDE TO HELP YOU, YOUR FAMILY, AND/OR YOUR COMMUNITY RECONNECT WITH NATURE…THE CHILDREN & NATURE NETWORK MAKE IT AS EASY AS…WELL…A WALK IN THE PARK

C&NN Nature Clubs for Families
Tool Kit. Do It Yourself! Do It Now!
© Children & Nature Network

The purpose of the Tool Kit is to provide inspiration, information, tips and resources for those who are—or who might be—interested in creating a Nature Club for Families. In creating the Tool Kit, C&NN has drawn on what many other families have done and learned.

The Tool Kit contains a Quick Start Guide which lists five steps to start your own club and it provides templates for each step. The five steps to get started are: (a) Create a plan; (b) Check it out; (c) Invite as many people as you like; (d) Make it Easy; and (e) Ready, set, go! It doesn’t get much easier than that. And…if you have your own ideas all the better. C&NN encourages you to think outside the box.

A few key benefits from creating your own Nature Club are listed in the Tool Kit. Here is a summary. Nature Clubs for Families can be created in any neighborhood and in any economic setting. They can be joined or created by any family. The Nature Clubs for Families approach can break down key barriers, including fear of strangers, since there is safety in numbers. There is the group motivation factor within Nature Clubs for Families. Nature Clubs for Families shared knowledge. And, importantly, there is no need to wait for funding.

The Tool Kit includes a list of testimonials from people who have started their own Nature Clubs for Families and you can view them starting on page 6 of the Tool Kit. It may be that you find inspiration to start your own Nature Club for Families there.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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EARTH’S AGELESSNESS AND RENEWABILITY INSPIRE HOPE

Earth never really ages. Sure, she adds years just like the rest of us, but she never slips into decrepitude, but is constantly renewing herself into better, more and new…thus, the seasons of renewal…enjoy the show that Nature puts on for us and realize your own agelessness and timelessness – your own Eternality. ~ Kathy Kirk Autumn Color in Medina: Eternality October 18, 2009

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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In Memory of Frances Elizabeth Hurley (1924 – 2009)

Frances is remembered, in part, for her many “sayings” one of which is “Give them the flowers now.” This saying is from a poem entitled Give Them The Flowers Now written by Leigh Mitchell Hodges (1876 – 1954). The poem illustrates how Frances viewed life should be lived, and that is to appreciate and share the goodness of life every moment, every day.

Following is an excerpt from the poem:

Just a kind word or a greeting,
Just a warm grasp or a smile –
These are the flowers that will lighten
The burdens for many a mile.
After the journey is over
What is the use of them; how
Can they carry them who must be carried?
Oh, give them the flowers now!

Blooms from the happy heart’s garden
Plucked in the spirit of love,
Blooms that are earthly reflections
Of flowers that blossom above –
Words cannot tell what a measure
Of blessing such gifts will allow
To dwell in the lives of many,
So give them the flowers now!

You may read the entire poem at Ask Avalonne

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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OTHERS ARE WORKING HARD TO MAKE IT FUN FOR US TO IMPROVE OURSELVES AND IMPROVE THE WORLD!

We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it The fun theory. ~ Rolighetsteorin YouTube October 07, 2009

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery. ~H. G. Wells

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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EVERYONE LOVES BAXTER, a 19-1/2 year old therapy dog who is no longer able to walk.  Watch this video from YouTube and find out why…and how he goes about bringing love and comfort to patients and their families at the San Diego Hospice even though he can not walk.

BAXTER is a 19-1/2 year old certified therapy dog who brings comfort and love to hospice patients and their families even though he himself can no longer walk.  He rides in a little red wagon pulled by his owner, Melissa Joseph. 

Melissa and Baxter volunteer at the San Diego Hospice, in San Diego, California.  He was spotted by hospice trainers as a special dog while with his owners, who were training to become hospice volunteers.  Baxter became a certified therapy dog at the trainers urging.  During the last six years, Baxter has helped hundreds of patients ease out of their lives with dignity and peace. His uncanny intuition and almost human responsiveness demonstrates the unique and inextricable bond between human and dog. 

Melissa has written a book called Moments with Baxter.  It is a collection of touching, true stories about the poignant connection between Baxter, and the hospice patients and their families to whom he brings comfort and love.

You can read Baxter’s story on the About Us page on the Moments with Baxter website and find out about:

Therapy Dogs on the Therapy Dogs page on the MWB website

Geriatric Dogs on the Geriatric Dogs page also on the MWB website.

And, you can read more about Hospice at Hospice Foundation of America

You can help support charitable causes that support hospice and therapy dog training by buying a copy of Moments With Baxter. Please see the Products Page on the MWB website.

And, remember…Feed Your Good Dog, so your good dog always wins!
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