Lt. Dan supports Camp Corral!

4-H Center to offer summer public safety courses

Originally appeared in the Northern Virginia Daily April 9, 2013 http://www.nvdaily.com/news/2013/04/4-h-center-to-offer-summer-public-safety-courses.php

By Kim Walter

The 4-H Center in Front Royal is adding new courses this summer with hopes of improving public safety.

In addition to traditional youth summer camp activities, community members are invited to participate in lifeguarding, swimming and first aid, CPR and automated external defibrillator classes. All are certified by the American Red Cross.

Swim lessons are offered to youth, adults and even infants during the months of June and July. Lorilei Dreibelbis, the center's pool manager and American Red Cross certified instructor, said the "My Grown Up and Me" class is a good option for parents and infants to learn together.

"Infants learn so much from their parents, whether they realize it or not," she said Tuesday. "If the youngsters can see their parents comfortable in the water, then they will enjoy the experience even more."

Infant CPR is also included in the class. The adult swim lessons are new this summer.

Basic first aid, CPR and AED training is part of all lifeguarding classes, and Dreibelbis said the certification is good for two years.

A separate class will be offered on April 20, which will just focus on the life saving responses. Dreibelbis said another might be added later in the summer if enough interest is shown. Interested individuals must be at least 12 years old to participate.

Another new class this summer is the junior life guarding class, which is offered to those 11 to 14 years old. Dreibelbis said the youth are too young to actually be certified, but that doesn't mean it's too soon to learn.

The 10-week class will equip participants with the knowledge gained from the standard lifeguarding course.

"The idea is that they'll have a head start," she said. "Plus, they'll get the first aid and CPR, so that will help if they get a babysitting job or are just having fun with their friends this summer."

Dreibelbis noted that the area surrounding the 4-H Center is no stranger to water-related activities. That means, though, that community members should be prepared if something were to go wrong.

"Being safe around the water is a community responsibility," she said. "Research shows that so many of the deaths and injuries from water activities can be prevented if people just had the basic intervention skills."

The center is also planning to host a variety of basic water rescue events in August.

Win Iden, the center's program director, recognized the role of the facility in the area.

"We really strive to be a community resource," he said. "The pool here is one thing that is used most, so this summer we've decided to really focus our efforts there."

Dreibelbis agreed, and stressed the positive impact that could come from more local awareness of safety protocols in a life and death situation.

"I've heard so many people say they'd be interested in classes like these," she said. "Well, we listened. We want to prove that we're more than just fun summer camps. We're about public education."

For more information or to register for a class, call the center at 540-635-7171 or go to nova4h.com.

Contact staff writer Kim Walter at 540-465-5137 ext. 191, or kwalter@nvdaily.com

Students Learn to Give Back Through Loudoun Cares

Check this out! The youth mentioned their yearly teambuilding program at the NOVA 4-H Center. This is a great organization that positivly impacts today's youth...

Loudoun Cares’ sixth class of Claude Moore Community Builders graduated from the program earlier this month at the National Conference Center.

The Claude Moore Community Builders program trains high school students for volunteer service, places them with local nonprofits and coordinates group volunteer activities. Each participating child performs more than 100 hours of training and service during the ten-month program. During the past six years, 120 program participants have given more than 13,000 hours of service through 25 of Loudoun’s nonprofits.

“One of my greatest sources of inspiration and hope is these young people,” said Loudoun Cares executive director Andy Johnston, in a press release. “If all of us were as selfless and eager to serve, our world would be such a better place.”

The following students graduated from the program:

• Stephen Brager
• John Davidson
• Reid Frazier
• Amani Kirk
• Nikki Laird
• Juan Marin
• Andrew Melton
• Kathleen Mitchum
• Kara Newman
• Neha Onteeru
• Taylor Park
• Neelum Patel
• Caitlin Paul
• Camden Phalen
• Billy Pratt
• Toshali Randev
• Adbul Sheikhnureldin
• Luke Stup
• Nitin Sudini
• Ashley Walther

“Though it may be the wealthiest county in the nation, there is much need around us, need that is unfortunately often overlooked,” said Toshali Randev on the Loudoun Cares blog. “The CMCB program has opened my eyes to this fact, and it has forged me and fourteen other teens into industrious, aware and diligent youth.”

Other students offered similar sentiments.

“The eight months of volunteering has been a rewarding experience,” wrote Nitin Sudini. “From the group events at KLB to the 4H center, I had a blast. Most of all, working at my placement made want to go back and volunteer there even when it was over.”

The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation has partnered with Loudoun Cares and provided ongoing grant funding for the program.

In addition to the Community Builders program, Loudoun Cares, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, operates Loudoun County’s telephone helpline to which any Loudoun resident can call for health and human service questions and needs. Loudoun Cares also partners with businesses, foundations, the faith community and government to raise emergency assistance funds for low-income residents. Finally, Loudoun Cares is raising capital funds to develop the Loudoun Cares Nonprofit Center, 207 King Street, in Leesburg. Among the goals for the property is to provide affordable and stable office space for more than a dozen local nonprofits.  

The Claude Moore Charitable Foundation was established in 1987 by Dr. Claude Moore, a physician and Northern Virginia landowner who left most of his fortune in trust for the purpose of enhancing educational opportunities for young people throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.

For more information on Loudoun Cares and Claude Moore Community Builders visit www.loudouncares.org.

By Dusty Smith  Source: http://ashburn.patch.com/articles/loudoun-students-learn-to-give-back-through-loudoun-cares?ncid=newsltuspatc00000001 

Teaching Swimming at NOVA 4-H Center

Below is a blog entry submitted by Lorilei Dreibelbis, the Pool Manager at the NOVA 4-H Center, on her insights working with water and youth on the autism spectrum help to shape our swim lesson programming.  

I am the swim instructor at the NOVA 4-H Center.  As many of you know, I am also the parent of [at least] one child on the autism spectrum.  My experiences lend me a unique perspective on teaching, and specifically to teaching swimming.

A major discussion with autism is Sensory Processing/ Sensory Integration.  This is a theory widely used by Occupational Therapists (OT) to identify and treat the behaviors that we find troubling about autism.  The idea is that while we all have senses, the autistic person (for some reason) has extreme senses; they feel too much or too little with every sensory experience.  In essence, they become the visible example of what we all feel – visible because their behavior/ experience is “to the most-est” (or the “least-est”).  The treatment for Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) is essentially habituation – we help our children (with the OT) to “get used” to all the things they feel, in increments their body can handle.  Recognizing that each person is different, a specific program of treatment is nearly impossible.  However, we can say, “This is the behavior we want to build” and then move in that direction.

I find this insightful in teaching swimming because, in reality, the aquatic environment is “alien” or “extreme” for all of us – we are not aquatic animals!  The extremity of the environment highlights our sensations, makes them more felt, by comparison, to our lives and activities outside the water.  Moreover, every person’s body swims differently – because we each have distinctive centers of buoyancy and aqua-dynamic “packages”.  Essentially everyone has to teach themselves to swim, because their body is theirs alone – they have to figure out how to “get used to” the sensations of the water and then figure out how to get their body to manipulate the water. 

My key suggestions are:

GIVE A NAME TO THE SENSATIONS

•       We fear the unknown, so know it – name what is bothering you (your child). 
•       Verbalize your sensations, and ask your child to verbalize theirs.

PRACTICE OUTSIDE THE POOL

•       Once you isolate a sensation, see if you feel it anywhere else.
•       Practice that sensation where ever you can, and often, so that you (or your child) gains a   sense of control over the sensation and over the reaction to it.

BE PATIENT

•       Be patient with your child
•       Be patient with yourself
•       Science (and experience) shows that learning is best retained when a person “figures it out for themselves”.  You can lead a horse to water…
•       Come back to the pool (water) as often as you can.  Practice makes…

If you’d like to see more about my insights and philosophies involving the Sensory Experience of Water and some insights and suggestions on how to use that information, feel free to look at this in depth post at Big Dragon Mama’s Chronicles & Treasures: http://bigdragonmama.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-sensory-experience-of-water.html.

15th Annual Charity Golf Tournament Monday, April 8, 2013

Dear Supporter:

The Front Royal Rotary Club and Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center will again be co-sponsoring its 15th Annual Golf Tournament on Monday, April 8, 2013, to benefit the 4-H Educational Center and Rotary’s Educational Scholarships. We will be having the tournament at Bowling Green County Club North. Registration begins at 11:30 am and play will start at 1:00 pm. The entry deadline is on Thursday, April 4. 2013.

Funds will benefit the 4-H Educational Center in Front Royal and the youth educational awards given by Rotary. The 4-H Educational Center provides summer camping opportunities for 18 Northern Virginia counties attended by over 10,000 youths each year. Rotary contributes over $25,000 annually to local charitable organizations and will award several scholarships to High School Seniors from its proceeds at an Awards Banquet. The banquet will be held at the Holiday Inn.

The support of the community enables us to help these causes each year. Without the support of the generous individuals and businesses like yourselves, it would be impossible for us to continue. Please sponsor a hole this year. If you have any questions about this golf tournament and/or would like to sponsor a hole, feel free to contact Nora Belle Comer at (540) 635-717 l or Byron Pitts at (703) 409-6639.

Gift (4 Stars) $500.00

Benefits:

Exclusive hole sponsorship and customized tee sign

Four paid players in tournament

Recognition in local media, at tournament, and at Rotary Educational Awards Banquet

Gift (3 Stars) $300.00

Benefits:

Customized tee sign and hole (co-sponsorship

Two paid players in tournament

Recognition in local media, at tournament, and at Rotary Educational Awards Banquet

Gift (2 Stars) $150.00

Benefits

Tee sign with up to 4 co-sponsors

One paid player in tournament

Recognition in local media, at tournament. and at Rotary Educational Awards Banquet

Gift (l Star) $100.00

Benefits

Tee sign with up to 4 co-sponsors

Thank you!