Hot Skills for Today's Woman 2 Excellent Advice 2 Asian Pacific American Heritage Month 2 SISTAS At Sea 2007 3 Roundtable Event 3 Secrets of Relaxation 3 Recognizing a Stroke 3 Inside this issue: THE VOICE SISTAS VISION IS THE HEALING OF THE BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT Volume 5, Issue 3 May/June Page # THE VOICE VOLUME 5, ISSUE 3 Page # Bi-Monthly Publication Board of Directors Janetta McReynolds Treasurer Valerie Brown Director of Training Viola Cooper President Cheryl Gainey Executive Director Staff Georgiana Maddocks Executive Assistant Kyla Ehret Special Projects Coordinator Susan Sailow Sound Software Web Mistress Return Service Requested NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION PERMIT #62 US Postage Paid Vacaville, CA 95687 P.O. Box 2845 Vacaville, CA 95696 Board Members Wanted! Do you want to make a difference in the lives of other women? Become a SISTAS Board Member Call our office today for more information on how you can become a part of our team! Sisters Influencing, Supporting, Transforming & Affirming Sisters SISTAS 8 or (707) 317-9478 Being able to speak more than one language is critical in today's global business world. Thirty percent of hiring managers will be placing a greater emphasis on recruiting bilingual candidates in 2006. With companies wanting to reach out to other markets, they're looking for employees who can communicate and deal with people in more than one language or culture. Marketing Yourself Spanish is the language most commonly sought; however Asian and Russian language skills are becoming increasingly in demand. If you speak a second language, include that on your resume and application. Be explicit about your level of fluency and be prepared to demonstrate your skills in an interview. Do this even if the description doesn't specifically mention language as a requirement. Get the Skills If you're one of those people who resolved to learn a new language this year, the offs are with you. Though it's conventional wisdom that the critical period for learning a new language is during childhood linguists concur that that only refers to pronunciation - not your ability to actually learn a language. In addition to receiving some organized instruction, linguists also offer the following tips: Subscribe to a newspaper or magazine in the language you are learning Watch movies or listen to radio stations in your target language Go some place where the language is spoken exclusively Buy a phrase book Find a buddy or pen pal who is a native speaker of your selected language Sites that help you find language exchange partners: www.mylanguageexchange.com; www.friendsabroad.com; www.polyglot-learn-language.com As with acquiring any new skill, the key is consistency. Make it a point to practice your target language every day and you will find that learning a new language can be surprisingly easy as it is career-enhancing. Taken from Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor Mark Your Calendar May 6 Cultural Diversity Fair 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Vacaville Cultural Center May 19 Roundtable Event “Exploring the Juvenile Justice System” 6:30 p.m. 819 Second St., Fairfield May 21 “MAC”nificent Crusine All you can eat tasting 2:00 p.m. Hampton Inn/Suites 800 Mason St., Vacaville June 16 Roundtable Event TBA Join Our Team become a Sponsor today Check Out Our New Website www.esistas.org Hot Skills for Today's Woman SECRETS TO RELAXATION. . . Get a whiff of relaxation. Your nose is one of your most powerful weapons for countering anxiety and panic. Evidence suggests that certain scents can stimulate feelings of calm and relaxation. A whiff of lavender or sandalwood incense, for example, can help take the edge off stress. So can the smell of baby powder of even a scented candle. Or you can simply sprinkle some cinnamon into a pot of boiling water. It will fill the air with a delicate, lovely smell that reminds many people of simpler, calmer times. “B” calm. The B vitamins are nature's stress relievers. Studies have shown that people who don't get enough B vitamins in their diets may experience confusion, anxiety, or irritation. You can get a lot of B vitamins by eating a healthful diet. But when stress and anxiety are riding high, you may want to take a B-complex multivitamin, which will help fortify your emotional defenses. Taken from Natural Healing Secrets/An A-to-Z Guide to the Best Home Remedies - by B. Chichester EXCELLENT ADVICE… The next time you order checks have only your initials and last name put on them. If someone takes your checkbook, they will not know if you sign your checks with just your initials or your first name. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put “PHOTO ID REQUIRED.” When writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts just put the last four numbers (your credit card company knows the rest of the number). Put your work phone number on your checks instead of your home number. If you have a P.O. Box use that instead of your home address. Never have your SS# printed on your checks. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel in case your wallet is lost or stolen. If your wallet is stolen . . . Call and cancel your credit cards. File a police report immediately. This proves to credit providers you were diligent and the first step toward an investigation. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediate to place a fraud alert on your name and Social Security number. Numbers you always need to contact if your wallet has been stolen: Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 Experian (TRW): 1-888-397-3742 Trans Union: 1-800-680-7289 Social Security Administration (fraud line): 1-800-269-0271 Our own Janetta & Ron McReynolds invite you to celebrate the opening of their new “mobile kitchen” Sunday, May 21, 2006 @ 2:00 p.m. Hampton Inn/Suites 800 Mason St., Vacaville $10 per person (all you can eat tasting) 30% of all proceeds will be donated to SISTAS! SISTAS Recognizes Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Celebrating Decades of Pride, Partnerships and Progress During the month of May Asian Pacific American Heritage Month is observed throughout the country. Many federal departments and agencies host official observances during the month. Such events host important speakers, cultural performances, traditional foods, etc. Across the nation, local Asian Pacific American organizations host their own events to celebrate the month, but the true celebration begins with the individual. Here are just a few tips that all of us can do to learn more about the Asian Pacific American culture and raise our awareness of this special occasion. Instead of just eating at an Asian restaurant, talk to the owners. Learn more about their stories and how they went about establishing their business. Flip through any popular magazine and carefully look at how they portray Asian Pacific Americans. Are they positive or negative? What other kinds of stereotypes are depicted? Spend a few hours with a young person. Are they picked on because they are Asian Pacific American? Visit the Census Bureau's Web site. Look up the most recent demographics of your area. This is an excellent way to survey your surroundings and understand how the population is shifting. Roundtable Event “Exploring the Juvenile Justice System” Special Presenters Gladys Moore Superintendent of Juvenile Hall in Fairfield Patrina Boykins Probation Officer with Contra Costa County Renee Sumter Probation Officer with Solano County Ms Moore will talk about the juvenile justice system and give pointers on how to prevent our kids from ending up there. Ms Boykins will help us to learn how to communicate better with the next generation and Ms Sumter will discuss what happens when kids fall into the system. We will also have a panel discussion. Friday, May 19th - 6:30 p.m. 819 Second St., Fairfield Bring a friend! Win a Prize!! A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of the stroke…totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and getting to the patient with 3 hours, which is tough. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms as a stroke. Learn and remember the following steps - they might just save someone's life. Ask the individual to SMILE Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE to YOU. (Coherently - i.e., It is sunny out today.) If he or she has trouble with ANY of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher, Think: Are they SASSY Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage. Three Steps to Recognizing a Stroke Time Is Running Out Sign-up Today Sistas At Sea 2007 January 21 - 28, 2007 Join SISTAS as we set sail From San Juan, Puerto Rico for St. Thomas/St. John, Dominica, Barbados and Arube Don't miss out For reservations and information Call Gwen or Debbie at GalaxSea Cruises today (707) 451-1923 Or Toll-free (800) 923-7447 Viola Cooper, SISTAS own President and Co-Founder is being honored for 21 years of Federal Public Service with EPA! She will also be receiving the Community Involvement Coordinator of the Year Award from EPA for her involvement with the clean-up efforts in communities located near hazard waste sites. We at SISTAS are proud of all the work Viola does and are thrilled that she is being honored in this very important area of her life. The earliest Mother's Day celebrations can be traced back to the spring celebrations of ancient Greece. During the 1600's, England celebrated a day called “Mothering Sunday.” Celebrated on the 4th Sunday of Lent, “Mothering Sunday” honored the mothers of England. In the United States Mother's Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic) as a day dedicated to peace. Ms. Howe would hold organized Mother's Day meetings in Boston, Mass. every year. In 1907 Ana Jarvis, from Philadelphia, began a campaign to establish a national Mother's Day. Ms Jarvis persuaded her mother's church in Graton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the 2nd Sunday of May. By the next year Mother's Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia. Ms. Jarvis and her supporters began to write to ministers, businessmen, and politicians in their quest to establish a national Mother's Day. It was successful as by 1911 Mother's Day was celebrated in almost every state. President Woodrow Wilson, in 1914, made the official announcement proclaiming Mother's Day as a national holiday that was to be held each year on the 2nd Sunday of May. While many countries of the world celebrate their own Mother's Day at different times throughout the year, there are some countries such as Denmark, Finland, Italy, Turkey, Australia, and Belgium which also celebrate Mother's Day on the 2nd Sunday of May. However you and your family celebrate Mother's Day may the day be filled with love, joy & celebration! Your SISTA-friend, IN CELEBRATION OF MOTHER'S DAY . . . SISTAS is looking for dedicated women who would like to reach out to other women to encourage, support and affirm them to be all they can be. We would like to encourage you to become a sponsor in 2006. WE NEED YOU if we are going to move forward with our vision for women. Won't you complete the form inside and send your check today! With your help we can all be a part of a winning team!