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  Lyon and Storey Coalition Featured Speakers At Conferences Across U.S. Posted on: 2012-01-06 Rochester, New York - Christy McGill and Quest Lakes of Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, and Michele Watkins of Central Lyon Youth Connections, were among the presenters at the Search Institute’s 11th annual national Healthy Communities, Healthy Youth conference in Rochester, New York. Their workshop, one of over 100 offered during the 3-day conference attended by thousands from across the nation, was called “Linking Community Issues with Asset Building Initiatives.” Coalition Bases Strategies on Data Analysis: Christy McGill explained the lengthy process that Healthy Communities went through to identify Lyon County community issues. The process included gathering and analyzing archival data, attending trainings with experts throughout the U.S., creating and gathering community surveys throughout the county, a year of planning with a guiding group from both Healthy Communities and Lyon County Human Services, and creating a detailed presentation that was given throughout the county on the two topics residents kept coming back to: poverty and substance abuse. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nn9szSB60Q&feature=player_embedded Central Lyon Youth Connection’s Michele Watkins then described how CLYC’s work in the schools addresses those concerns with programs such as Project Success and youth leadership and substance abuse prevention teams such as Stand Tall, which now exist in most high schools in Lyon and Storey, including Fernley High. Silver City Builds on Existing Assets: Using a photo slide show of events, Quest Lakes of Healthy Communities described the unique ways the small Lyon County town of Silver City has implemented the Case for Change. The town has created “intentional friendships across class and age lines” through intergenerational cooking classes, a community garden, a volunteer library with free programs, and monthly contributory community dinners. They’ve done this by strengthening two of the existing assets Silver City already had: a love of learning and caring neighbors. Adults have been supported in recognizing local youths’ individual “sparks”, a concept Search Institute’s Peter Benson has described as “the something they bring to the human party that is good and beautiful and important.” HCC Staff Presentations: Healthy Communities Coalition staff are frequent presenters at national and regional conferences, workshops, panels and summits where they share the unique and creative strategies Coalition volunteers and partners have used to strengthen the Storey and Lyon regions of Nevada. Coalition staff have recently been among presenters at CSAT (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment) classes at University Nevada Reno; at the January 2012 conference at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas called “Making a Difference in Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion” sponsored by the Nevada State Health Division; at a October 2011 round table presentation at a conference in Albequerque, New Mexico on the U.S. Department of Agriculture Community Foods Projects; at the July 2011 Nevada Youth Action Council Institute; at the National annual Prevention Network Research Conferences in Atlanta, Georgia and in Denver, Colorado (September 2011 and August 2010); at the 2010 annual Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Conference “Advancing Liquor Enforcement for a Better Tomorrow” in Anaheim California, at the Utah Fall Conference on Substance Abuse, and at the 2010 Juvenile Party Dispersal and Special Events Training for Lyon and Storey Law Enforcement, among many others. For more information about the rural Nevada nonprofit Coalition, Healthy Communities, please see healthycomm.org or call 246-7550. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  USDA Supports Educational Food Projects and Organic Farmers in Dayton, Nevada Region Posted on: 2012-01-06 Dayton, Nevada - Recently Kelly Clark of USDA Rural Development visited Dayton to collect information for a report to USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. She met with Christy McGill and Wendy Madson of Healthy Communities Coalition for a tour of one of the 5 organic school gardens the Coalition has developed in the past year in partnership with schools, businesses, organic farms, volunteers and Boys and Girls Clubs youths in Lyon County. After her tour of the Dayton Elementary School Garden and hoop house, Clark commented, “I had a blast! I especially loved that the kids were so into their work, and that the student photographer and newsletter reporter were also there asking me questions. When I told them I was writing a report about their school garden for USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, who works for President Obama, their eyes got bigger. But they came up with good questions for me, and we took pictures of each other, which was fun. I was impressed by how intent the children were with harvesting potatoes. Most of them did notice I was there with my camera. In spite of a gale-force Nevada wind, they kept at their work right up until the recess bell. It was only then that I could see their happy faces and proud smiles. Wendy Madson, Healthy Communities Coalition’s school and community garden liaison, was working right there with them, as the piles of potatoes grew. It looked like a good harvest, with some BIG potatoes in there, along with lots of little ones. Our state director for USDA Rural Development, Sarah Adler, was thrilled with the pictures. The smiles on the kids’ faces tells the story.” Michele Paul, a 5th grade teacher at Dayton Elementary, explained how the school garden, which the students interact with as a sort of “living playground”, has been utilized to enhance lessons, “We made homemade Potato Cheese Soup with the harvest. We also used fresh garlic from the garden. The kids loved that they got to prepare, cook, and eat food that they had a hand in growing! I'm planning on coming up with more recipes to share with the kids that can be made with the produce from our garden. This is awesome - I'm so glad to be involved with this program' School gardens can provide “seed-to-table” education that can be used to meet rigorous new Nevada curriculum standards, with students learning through experience, using all five senses to understand lessons in science, health, and history. These “learning ” afford opportunities for students to analyze and amend soils, cultivate garden beds, maintain a garden compost where they learn about nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium, as well as fungus, bacteria and invertebrates, dabble in vermiculture (earthworms!), and splice tomato plants, while older students can develop micro-businesses such as heirloom plants or other specialty crops sales for restaurants. As students are exposed to all sorts of fresh vegetables and fruits that they’ve helped grow in their own school gardens, they become more adventurous eaters, more willing to include fresh foods in their meals. They’re able to use their garden harvests in edible lessons in nutrition, health, and culinary arts. As they learn where food comes from, and more about the connections among farming, food, and health, students become more interested in our rich agricultural history in Northern Nevada. What Does Local Food Education, Production & Sales Have to Do with the “40 Developmental Assets” and SAMHSA’s “10 X 10 Wellness Campaign”? The Lyon County region of Nevada has experienced an official unemployment rate ranging between 15% and 19% for 3 long years. This year the requests for food assistance through the Coalition food pantries increased by over 30%. But the rapidly growing system of gardening education, and connections among Coalition volunteers and partners working on an interrelated system of “food sufficiency “ in the region allowed people to beat back an alarming, rapid increase in hunger with newly formed connections and informal networks of support and kindness that bloomed in amazing ways. We’ve seen people of all ages and from all backgrounds bonding and working together to address hunger and poor nutrition through the Coalition’s new school learning gardens, community gardens, farmers markets, teen farm internships, volunteer-powered food pantries, creative food drives and fundraisers, food co-ops, and food backpack programs. The result has been not only a reduction in hunger and poor nutrition, but a cultivation of 'sparks' in young people and deeper connection to community among all ages. These increased community connections are in line with SAMHSA’s 10 X 10 Wellness Campaign, launched in 2010, which promotes the many ways wellness can improve quality of life and life expectancy for all people, including those with mental and substance use disorders. This campaign defines wellness in its broadest dimensions, noting the connections between physical health and behavior and the importance of connecting to one’s community through one’s talents, skills, interests, social connections and environment. The increased community connections are also in line with the Search Institute’s concept of “40 developmental assets” children and youth need to thrive, including expanded ways to bond to school, caring neighborhoods, perception of children and youth as resources, access to community programs, motivation to master skills, engagement in learning, understanding the concept of social justice, developing awareness of responsibility to help others, developing interpersonal skills such as sharing, planning, and decision making, access to many positive adult role models, positive peer influence and high expectations for doing one’s best, etc. Why Is the USDA Interested in Gardens & Farmers Markets? USDA Rural Development is a supporter of local and regional food efforts in Nevada. One hundred and fifty consumer marketing projects were funded in October by USDA’s Farmer’s Market Promotion Program (FMPP). This funding supports direct marketing and increases consumer access to healthy food, much of it in “food deserts” and other low income areas. A “food desert” is defined by the USDA as a low-income region that lacks ready access to healthy food. In Nevada, Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties, a regional nonprofit, was awarded $74,405 in 2011 to start and promote local farmers markets in rural food desert counties of Nevada. The food desert that the group dealt with had two problems: little availability of locally grown fresh produce, and local organic farmers who were having difficulty getting their product to market. Kelly Clark’s Report to USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan.: Following is part of the report by USDA Rural Development’s Kelly Clark regarding her tour of the Dayton Elementary school garden and hoop house, and her interview with Healthy Communities’ staff regarding development of community and school gardens, farmers markets and food co-ops. Clark sent the report below to USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, who oversees the day to day operations of the USDA on a national level, and is in charge of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food program: “The nonprofit Healthy Communities Coalition is focused on meeting the “food desert” needs in Lyon, Storey, and Mineral Counties. Healthy Communities Coalition, with eight board members, 7 part time staff, hundreds of community volunteers, and over 100 local, state and federal partners, has worked to connect seven local organic gardeners with schools, farmers markets, and social service organizations to get fresh produce delivered to underserved communities. In Dayton, the local organic farmers have trained teen-aged interns from the high school to teach elementary students about growing vegetables in their own school gardens. Currently there are four school gardens and two community gardens in Dayton; one school garden in Silver Springs; one community garden in Silver City; one community garden in Yerington; one Farmer’s Market in Lockwood; one community garden in Virginia City; and one community garden in Hawthorne. In both Hawthorne and Yerington the Cooperative Extension staff is essential to the community garden process. In Silver Springs and Dayton, youth from the Boys and Girls Club play an important part in garden maintenance, especially during the summer months. Coalition partners, including Community Roots and Community Chest, Inc., have organized local farmers markets in both Dayton and Virginia City. There is no charge for farmers to participate, but the Coalition does ask that growers they make a donation in fresh produce after each market, which is donated to the senior centers, food pantries, and youth groups in Dayton and Silver Springs. The schools also participate, with students selling their produce at the markets and learning how to inventory and market their produce. Healthy Communities Coalition staff estimated that through the farmers market gleaning and donations from the school gardens, 7,000 pounds of fresh produce was donated this year to the underserved in Dayton and Silver Springs. But fresh produce is not the only need; food pantries for the underserved were also lacking. The Healthy Communities Coalition has worked to develop food linkages with The Food Bank of Northern Nevada, and with support of the USDA Commodities program. Those food networks, along with volunteer donations and volunteer food drives, keep food pantries open in a very low-income area. Mound House, Silver Springs, Stagecoach and Dayton all have small food pantries along the Highway 50 corridor. Hundreds of volunteers help organize food drives and hold community yard sales to raise funds. Recently the local Latter Day Saints Church used their church’s commercial kitchen to can 700 pounds of rice for the Dayton Food Pantry. In the future the Coalition hopes to build its own commercial kitchen. In the future, the Coalition is looking to address the food desert problem by developing a mobile produce and food pantry truck, along with an EBT machine to accept food stamps, to bring fresh produce and foods into rural remote communities that are altogether lacking in grocery stores. The idea is that the seven local organic farmers in the region will join the newly created Silver Stage Food Co-Op, and the truck will be mobilized in both low-wealth areas with produce provided at a lower cost point, and in higher-wealth areas at a higher price point, so that the farmers can actually make a living with their high quality, locally grown organic produce. For More Information: For more information about Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food, please see Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan’s web page http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=bios_merrigan.xml For more information about Healthy Communities Coalition and Community Roots, please see www.healthycomm.org or call 246-7550. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Dayton Resident Freida Carbery Receives Nevada Social Justice Award Posted on: 2012-01-20 Dayton, Nevada - Community Chest, Inc. of Nevada honored Kari Ramos of Reno and Freida Carbery of Dayton, Nevada during the November, 2011 meeting of Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey. Both women were declared Nevada Social Justice Superheroes of 2011 for their long history of constant determination and unceasing commitment in the field of social justice. Kari Ramos is the Chair of the Alliance for Victim’s Rights, and Freida Carbery is the Volunteer Coordinator for Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey. Tamara Burnet of Community Chest introduced the two recipients of the Social Justice Awards, saying she “couldn’t be more proud to honor them for the work they do in the community.” Kari Ramos: Burnet introduced Kari Ramos and explained that, “Kari Ramos travels the state of Nevada educating communities and professionals on issues surrounding Sexual Violence. Her work with the Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence mainly focuses on the prevention of sexual assault and improving statewide victim care and response. Additionally, she works with schools across the state, including Virginia City High School, to implement healthy relationship and sexual violence prevention and peer advocate programs for their students. She is the Chair of the Alliance for Victims’ Rights, a collaborative effort to connect agencies and community survivors with meaningful victim rights work and raising crime awareness within Northern Nevada communities. This passion for working with victims of crime can be seen through her years of volunteer work with the Committee to Aid Abused Women, Sexual Assault Support Services, the After-Hours Temporary Protection Order Program, leading support group meetings for survivors of sexual violence and teaching as a nationally certified self-defense instructor.' Freida Carbery: Burnet introduced Carbery by explaining that, “As Healthy Communities’ Volunteer Coordinator, Carbery’s passion is to ensure that people of all abilities and resources have a central role in making communities in the region healthier. With her leadership as director, Dayton Food Pantry has become a model of co-production, service learning, and community connections that brings food and services to over 1,000 individuals per month. She is also a key leader of the “MORE” event (Medical Outreach Response Event), a major medical outreach event for the under-insured of the entire Lyon-Storey-Mineral region scheduled for April 2012. And in her former role as Nevada Prevention Fellow, Carbery worked with the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Agency (SAPTA) and the ten coalitions across Nevada that comprise the Nevada Statewide Coalition Partnership to help implement the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ‘s strategic initiatives to reduce substance abuse, prevent suicide and cultivate community members’ sense of purpose.” Christy McGill, Director of Healthy Communities, added to Burnet’s introductory remarks about Carbery by saying, “There’s one word that can describe Freida, and that word is “love”. She truly upholds the Christian ideal with everyone she meets. Her work as a volunteer coordinator and recruiter is blessed because she believes everyone has a role to play and a gift to give.” But Carbery insisted that “The real Superheroes are the volunteers who contribute over 1,000 hours of labor a month to the Food Pantry and the generous people who donate food and funding to the Pantry.” What is Community Chest, Inc? Community Chest, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in Virginia City, Nevada that strives to build healthy communities by providing social services, educational programs, and a resource center to people in Northern Nevada. You can find out more at the agency’s website at communitychestnevada.net or by calling 847-9311. What is Healthy Communities Coalition? A collaboration of over one-hundred groups and hundreds of community volunteers that agree to work together so that all members of our communities in Lyon, Storey, and Mineral have opportunities to thrive. You can find more about the Coalition by calling 246-7550. What is the Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence? The mission of Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence is to enhance the abilities of service providers through training, education, public policy, networking and technical assistance while promoting sexual violence awareness throughout the state. For more information, call 355-2220 or see the website at ncasv.org Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Dayton Resource Bank for Students Posted on: 2012-01-10 Help is Available to Dayton Students Through Dayton Resource Bank Dayton, Nevada - Dayton Task Force’s motto that, 'Everyday people make miracles” demonstrates the spirit of their Dayton Resource Bank project. Over the last 3 years, nearly 200 students were able to take advanced math or science classes, or participate in art, music and extracurricular activities or go to Prom with help from the Dayton Resource Bank. Dayton Task Force hopes to double the number benefiting from the Resource Bank this year. What is the Dayton Resource Bank? The “Resource Bank” was established to assist students in Dayton schools who need financial help obtaining some of the things that their families and other groups cannot provide. Dayton Resource Bank can help with class lab and equipment fees for science, band, math, art, school clubs, culinary arts and woodshop. Also included is coverage of costs for sports’ physicals, gym, team, and choir uniforms, and other items, such as shoes, undergarments, prom dresses, and tuxedo rentals. Who can make referrals? The referral process is simple, cost effective and confidential: teachers, school secretaries, administrators, nurses, counselors, coaches, and clergy make “third party” referrals outlining the needs and the Task Force addresses the student’s needs with no paperwork and no compromise of student privacy. Where Does the Funding Come From? From 2008 to 2011, the Dayton Resource Bank has raised nearly $9,000 for local students through community fundraisers organized by the Dayton Task Force including spaghetti feeds, a 5K Run, bake sales, etc. Every penny of the funds raised for the Dayton Resource Bank directly benefits Dayton area school children. There are no administrative costs. The Task Force is planning additional fundraisers for the year, and always welcomes new members and volunteers. Paying it forward Students and their families are eager to “pay it forward” when they receive a benefit from the Dayton Resource Bank. A key part of the concept of the bank involves reciprocity, allowing everyone to feel the joy of giving back. Students and their families are invited to return service to their community through volunteer work for nonprofits such as the local food bank, senior center, libraries, schools, etc. as a “thank you.” For example, a student needing funding for advanced science class fees at the high school can donate a fixed number of hours at the Dayton Valley Branch Library in return for the assistance of the “bank”. Everyone wins: the individual student, the particular school and the community at large. Contacts: Please contact Dayton Task Force leader Star Erickson at the Healthy Communities Coalition’s office at 246-7550 or task force coordinator Quest Lakes at 287-7598 if you have any questions regarding the Dayton Resource Bank or the Dayton Task Force. All donations to the Resource Bank are tax deductible, and can be made to Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey at www.healthycomm.org What is the Dayton Task Force? Dayton Task Force members and the Resource Bank are valued partners of Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey. The Coalition includes community task forces, Stand Tall alcohol and other drug use prevention teams, Community Roots, Dayton Food Pantry, and over 100 local, county, state, tribal and federal groups all working together on a collaborative agenda to promote health and wellness, and to end poverty and alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse in the region. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

• Dayton Resource Bank for Student Success Posted on: 2012-01-14 Dayton, Nevada - Dayton Task Force’s motto that, 'Everyday people make miracles” demonstrates the spirit of their Dayton Resource Bank project. Over the last 3 years, nearly 200 students were able to take advanced math or science classes, or participate in art, music and extracurricular activities or go to Prom with help from the Dayton Resource Bank. Dayton Task Force hopes to double the number benefiting from the Resource Bank this year. What is the Dayton Resource Bank? The “Resource Bank” was established to assist students in Dayton schools who need financial help obtaining some of the things that their families and other groups cannot provide. Dayton Resource Bank can help with class lab and equipment fees for science, band, math, art, school clubs, culinary arts and woodshop. Also included is coverage of costs for sports’ physicals, gym, team, and choir uniforms, and other items, such as shoes, undergarments, prom dresses, and tuxedo rentals. Who can make referrals? The referral process is simple, cost effective and confidential: teachers, school secretaries, administrators, nurses, counselors, coaches, and clergy make “third party” referrals outlining the needs and the Task Force addresses the student’s needs with no paperwork and no compromise of student privacy. Where Does the Funding Come From? From 2008 to 2011, the Dayton Resource Bank has raised nearly $9,000 for local students through community fundraisers organized by the Dayton Task Force including spaghetti feeds, a 5K Run, bake sales, etc. Every penny of the funds raised for the Dayton Resource Bank directly benefits Dayton area school children. There are no administrative costs. The Task Force is planning additional fundraisers for the year, and always welcomes new members and volunteers. Paying it forward Students and their families are eager to “pay it forward” when they receive a benefit from the Dayton Resource Bank. A key part of the concept of the bank involves reciprocity, allowing everyone to feel the joy of giving back. Students and their families are invited to return service to their community through volunteer work for nonprofits such as the local food bank, senior center, libraries, schools, etc. as a “thank you.” For example, a student needing funding for advanced science class fees at the high school can donate a fixed number of hours at the Dayton Valley Branch Library in return for the assistance of the “bank”. Everyone wins: the individual student, the particular school and the community at large. Contacts: Please contact Dayton Task Force leader Star Erickson at the Healthy Communities Coalition’s office at 246-7550 or task force coordinator Quest Lakes at 287-7598 if you have any questions regarding the Dayton Resource Bank or the Dayton Task Force. All donations to the Resource Bank are tax deductible, and can be made to Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey at www.healthycomm.org What is the Dayton Task Force? Dayton Task Force members and the Resource Bank are valued partners of Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey. The Coalition includes community task forces, Stand Tall alcohol and other drug use prevention teams, Community Roots, Dayton Food Pantry, and over 100 local, county, state, tribal and federal groups all working together on a collaborative agenda to promote health and wellness, and to end poverty and alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse in the region. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

• Dayton, Nevada Residents Speakers at Chronic Disease Prevention Conference Posted on: 2012-01-06 Las Vegas, Nevada - Christy McGill and Wendy Madson of Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey are among the presenters for “Shaping a Healthy Nevada”, a conference on Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on January 9-10, 2012. At the 2-day conference, Christy McGill, director of Healthy Communities Coalition, and Wendy Madson, school and garden liaison for Healthy Communities Coalition, will describe multiple, low cost, sustainable strategies the Coalition has used to increase access to fresh produce in the region. They’ll also describe the Coalition’s long term goals to encourage parents, restaurants, groceries stores, schools, and parents to offer more fresh produce and to change attitudes toward purchasing and consuming more fresh produce, and toward trying unfamiliar fruits and vegetables and nutritious recipes. Over the past few years, Healthy Communities Coalition members and partners have set goals to promote health and prevent chronic disease with a number of innovative strategies, including supporting communities in the Lyon and Storey County regions in developing organic community and school “learning” gardens or “living playgrounds”, farmers’ markets, food co-ops, micro-farms, backyard gardens, farmers’ market agribusiness summer internships, community cooking classes, and volunteer-run food pantries. In the last two years, Healthy Communities Coalition has helped implement and fund five school gardens, six community gardens, several hoop houses, two food pantries, weekend food backpack programs in eight schools, intergenerational cooking classes, a teen farmers’market and farm internship program, a monthly healthy soup and salad community dinner, and three farmers’ markets in the Lyon and Storey County regions. Healthy Communities Coalition staff estimates that through the farmers market and harvests from the school gardens, 7,000 pounds of fresh produce was donated this year to the underserved in Dayton and Silver Springs. The Coalition’s use of multiple strategies has also included practical education for residents of all ages on nutrition, as well as marketable gardening and business skills. The end result is improved nutrition and well- being through more access to fresh vegetables and fruits. And the region is rapidly growing a system of food sufficiency in a region that the USDA has identified as a “food desert”, or an area with low availability of fresh produce. In the future, the Coalition plans to remedy some of the food access issues by developing a mobile produce and food pantry truck, along with an EBT machine to accept food stamps, so that fresh produce and other foods reach remote rural communities that are altogether lacking in large supermarkets with fresh produce selections and less expensive prices. The “Shaping a Healthy Nevada” conference, which is sponsored by the Nevada State Health Division, includes nationally recognized experts on preventing and managing costly chronic disease and improving health. Presenters are from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Nevada public schools, UNLV, Carson City Health and Human Services, Nevada Safe Routes to School, Nevada State Medical Association, Office of Child Nutrition and School Health, and American Heart Association, among many others. There are scholarship opportunities for those traveling more than 75 miles to reach the conference, as well as a limited number of free rooms and air and mileage scholarships. Please contact Gale Thomssen of Nevada State Health Division at gthomssen@health.nv.gov for more information. You can also find the conference brochure at http://www.nvcorpcomm.com/HSHD/docs/Agenda8p_2.pdf Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Dayton Food Pantry Small But Mighty Posted on: 2012-01-20 Dayton, Nevada - Dayton Food Pantry Director Freida Carbery says the “small but mighty” Pantry gave food assistance 2,588 times in January 2012 alone! The Pantry, whose motto is “Freely we share”, is located at 4 Enterprise Way off of Highway 50 in Dayton, and is open for emergency food needs Monday through Friday from 10am to 4pm at 4 Enterprise Way off of Highway 50. 3rd Saturday of Month Distribution at Sutro Elementary: The U.S. Commodities distribution day is on the third Saturday of each month from noon to 4pm at Sutro Elementary School in Dayton at 190 Dayton Village Parkway. Carbery notes that special thanks should go to Sutro Elementary’s principal, custodians, counselor and Lyon School District for use of their multi-purpose room that accommodates hundreds of families who arrive on distribution day. On the main distribution day, the Pantry also invites other groups that promote community volunteerism or that provide services to attend. This year, various groups have offered employment and training information, free flu shots, farmers’ markets coupons for children, books, coats, pet food, connections to local service clubs, etc Partnerships: Carbery says the contributions from nearly every part of the community make the thriving Pantry’s existence possible. She says she’s continually amazed by the “impressive spirit and energy displayed by our community. With this kind of support, we are reinvigorated to strive to meet the challenge each and every day and continue to be humbled by the generosity and compassion of the people of Dayton, and our neighbors in the surrounding communities.” The Following Collaborations Sustain the Pantry: 1)Volunteers who run the day to day operations of the food bank, unload deliveries, fill boxes, help distribute and sort emergency food, create backpacks of weekend food for students in local schools, write thank you notes to donors, and organize volunteer labor 2)Healthy Communities Coalition (a private nonprofit), whose staff write grants to help fund the liability insurance and other necessities required for food pantries and volunteers, track data, train volunteers, complete reports, etc. 3)BCB Ventures, a private local business which has donated the use of the building at 4 Enterprise Way for several years, and assists with electricity 4) Food Bank of Northern Nevada, which delivers donated food, and provides technical assistance. 5)Community: Local clubs, businesses and churches that help with freezer space, trash removal, repairs, fundraisers, donations, space for distribution events, and food drives. 6)USDA Commodities, which provides commodities such as canned vegetables, dried beans each month. 7)Lyon County Utilities, which covers the costs of water for the Pantry building. 8) Schools: Sutro Elementary School offers their multi-purpose room that accommodates hundreds of families who arrive on the main Pantry distribution day once a month. Every school in Dayton also hosts on-going food drives and fundraisers to support the Pantry. Gratitude for Recent Donations: Pantry volunteers write letters to everyone who contributes to the Pantry. Every month, diverse groups and individuals host fundraisers, challenges, work projects, and food drives that help keep the pantry running. Contact: For more information about how to get involved with the Dayton Food Pantry, a partner of Healthy Communities Coalition, please contact director Freida Carbery at 246-7550. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  What is Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey County, Nevada? Posted on: 2012-01-20 The Healthy Communities Coalition is a collaboration of over one-hundred groups and hundreds of community volunteers that agree to work together so that all members of the Lyon, Storey and Mineral regions of Nevada have opportunities to thrive. Who Can Join? Monthly meetings are open to all community members and groups interested in working together on common goals to increase wellness, and to prevent and reduce poverty, and tobacco, alcohol and other drug use in the Lyon, Storey and Mineral regions. Volunteer Doing Something You Love: Healthy Communities helps promote and fund things that strengthen communities, including community volunteer task forces, community and school gardens, arts experiences, teen and adult job skills development, graduation coaching and tutoring, services outreach to rural military families and veterans, prevention of violence, suicide, alcohol, tobacco and other drug use, and access to primary and mental health care, food security etc. If you have time, skills, ideas or resources to share, please contact Healthy Communities Coalition. A Few Healthy Communities Projects, Programs and Initiatives: Health Care Event For the Under-Insured: M.O.R.E. Coalition partners and volunteers are working together to host a free health care services outreach event for under-insured residents in the Lyon-Storey-Mineral region on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14, 2012. The event, known as Medical Outreach Response Event or M.O.R.E., will bring over 100 groups together to offer primary care, dental care, and mental health care as well as referrals to those who have no insurance or are under-insured. Because our rural Nevada populations are not large enough to support for-profit or even non-profit models of traditional healthcare, many rural residents are missing preventative care and often using emergency rooms for their medical care. This model is extremely expensive in both dollars and human suffering, and it is not a sustainable one. At this two day event, professionals will 1) work together for lasting change by connecting patients to systems of care so they can access preventative care, treatment for chronic illnesses, and can prevent emergency medical care 2) create new partnerships between rural and urban healthcare providers that will benefit rural residents 3) recruit more medical volunteers from the area into the Medical Reserve Corps and 4) use this event as a practice for a major public health emergency. Please help us support these clinics by volunteering for a day, or multiple days. We need MDs, RNs, EMTs, DDS/DMDs, OMSs, RDHs, DAs, Ophths, ODs, Opticians, Op Techs, behavioral health professionals, business and media sponsors, and general volunteers. To volunteer, please contact Christy McGill or Freida Carbery at Healthy Communities Coalition at 230-4210 or 246-7550. Arts Healthy Communities works with many groups such as Nevada Arts Council as well as individual artists and community volunteers to bring Arts experiences to both children and adults. Featured guest artists this year have included Andrea Delphin and Alison Harris. Stand Tall Youth LeadershipTeams Stand Tall teams are composed of youth leaders and adult facilitators at high schools in Lyon and Storey Counties. The teams choose, organize and implement school and community alcohol and other drug abuse prevention education, campaigns, events, and assemblies as well as community services projects such as coat drives, and campaigns to promote wellness. Community Volunteer Task Forces Hundreds of volunteers in Silver City, Yerington, Dayton and Silver Springs/Stagecoach task forces work on projects to strengthen their communities, and the projects differ in each town. Some projects in Silver City include a free annual summer youth program, monthly town dinners, a volunteer library, and a community garden. Some projects in Dayton include the Dayton Resource Bank to assist students in need, an annual health fair, and summer music concerts in public parks. Some projects in Yerington include support for an annual Walk in Memory (suicide prevention/post-vention), support for an annual Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day, and support for Boys and Girls Club and school programs. Some Silver Springs/Stagecoach projects include support for the high school Glee Club, the new Silver Stage Food Pantry, an annual toy drive, an annual Wellness Fair, and monthly potluck socials for military families and veterans. Contact Healthy Communities Coalition’s task force coordinator Quest Lakes for more information: 287-7598 or 246-7550. Food Pantries, School and Community Gardens and Farmers’ Markets: Food Security Coalition partners are working together to create a “food sufficiency” system in the region that includes organic community and school gardens and composts, a nonprofit food co-op, nonprofit farmers markets, “volunteer-powered” food pantries, organic gardening and nutrition education, and teen agriculture job internships. Working in partnership with schools, clubs, volunteers of all ages, and businesses, Healthy Communities Coalition and its nonprofit nursery Community Roots have implemented 5 new organic school gardens and hoop houses in Dayton and Silver Springs schools, and will help fund new gardens in Fernley and Yerington schools in 2012. With funding from USDA and the Nevada Health Division, the Coalition has also helped fund community gardens and farmers markets throughout Lyon and Storey Counties. Healthy Communities also helps fund and organize “volunteer-powered” food pantries in Dayton and Silver Springs that include hundreds of community volunteers who contribute over 1,000 hours of volunteer labor each month. With produce from school and community gardens and farmers markets, nearly 7,000 pounds of produce was donated to the food pantries during 2011. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Teen Internships in Dayton, Nevada Posted on: 2012-01-20 Dayton, Nevada– Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey offered area teens’ meaningful summer work and job training in small scale farming, landscaping, sales, marketing, art, and music through farmers markets, and school and community garden internships during summer 2011. In 2012, the Coalition hopes to offer advanced internships to young people who will learn how to lead, manage and expand local school gardens and farmers markets, as well as to use local gardens to develop small businesses with specialty –crops. One of the goals of the Coalition is to connect teens to work that brings them meaning, focus, joy and energy, or “sparks”, as positive youth development pioneer Peter Benson termed it. Benson believed “innovation comes from the inside, out - not the outside, in.” For many teens, working to develop systems of food sufficiency for their towns meshes well with their own unique “sparks” and helps them go farther up the path to purpose, hope, and community connectedness. For more information about Healthy Communities Coalition and its nonprofit nursery Community Roots, please see www.healthycomm.org or call Wendy Madson at 246-7550. The 2011 teen internships were funded, in part, through Nevada Public Education Foundation and Wells Fargo. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Free Medical Services Event for Dayton Region in April, 2012 Posted on: 2012-01-20 Over 70 groups and dozens of community volunteers and medical professionals are working together to host a free health care services outreach event for under-insured residents in the Lyon-Storey-Mineral region (including Dayton!) on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14, 2012. The event, known as Medical Outreach Response Event or M.O.R.E., will bring over 100 groups together to offer primary care, dental care, and mental health care as well as referrals for those who have no insurance or are under-insured. Free transportation from Dayton, Hawthorne, Virginia City, Yerington and Fernley to the MORE event site at the Silver Stage High School in Silver Springs, Nevada will be available. Because our rural Nevada populations are not large enough to support enough for-profit or even non-profit models of traditional healthcare, many rural residents are missing preventative care and/or using emergency rooms for their medical care. This model is extremely expensive in both dollars and human suffering, and it is not a sustainable one. An important part of the 2- day MORE event is to connect participants to possibilities for health care and nutrition assistance they may not have realized they qualify for, such as Access to HealthCare, Veterans benefits, Medicaid, Medicare, WIC, SNAP, senior citizen coupons for fresh produce, and free or sliding fee scale mental health services and alcohol and other drug addiction treatment. Although estimates vary, many studies indicate that a lack of medical care is not only expensive to our society in general, it also results in early deaths for thousands of Americans each year, with a roughly 25% higher risk of death among uninsured compared with insured adults. In 2009, the American Journal of Public Health published a study indicating that about 45,000 people in the U.S. die every year due to lack of health insurance. A report by Dr. Andrew Wilper called “Health Insurance and Mortality in U.S. Adults” by Dr. Andrew Wilper explains in detail why lack of health insurance results in early deaths. His research found that people with health insurance are more likely to get preventative screening and treatment for chronic conditions, less likely to have undiagnosed chronic conditions, and less likely to receive substandard healthcare. The 2-day MORE event is an effort to have both an immediate and a long term impact on the costs lack of health care insurance and services has on our rural communities. Professionals at the event will 1) work together for lasting change by connecting patients to systems of care so they can access preventative care, treatment for chronic illnesses, and can prevent emergency medical care 2) create new partnerships between rural and urban healthcare providers that will benefit rural residents 3) recruit more medical volunteers from the area into the Medical Reserve Corps and 4) use this event as a practice for a major public health emergency. Where is Silver Springs, Nevada? Silver Springs is a community “ in the middle of everywhere” – it is located in Lyon County in Northern Nevada within easy driving distance of Lake Tahoe, Reno, and Carson City and beautiful desert lakes like Pyramid Lake and Lake Lahontan. Interested in Volunteering? Please help us support MORE by volunteering for a day, or multiple days. There are roles for general volunteers, as well as professionals such as nurses, general practitioners, chiropractors, dentists, ophthalmologists, optometrists, behavioral health professionals, and any other licensed medical service professional willing to spend a day of service together. To volunteer, please contact Christy McGill or Freida Carbery at Healthy Communities Coalition at 230-4210 or 246-7550. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Dayton School Gardens and School Lunches Posted on: 2012-02-04 This month you’ll see renewed national focus on one of the hottest topics in child nutrition: the quality of public school lunches. For the first time in over 15 years, the nutrition standards for school lunches have been raised. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack described the coming changes and said the new standards give the nation an opportunity “to improve the quality and quantity of the school meal programs.” Since U.S. children consume up to 50% of their daily calories while they’re at school, these changes could have significant impacts on children’s health. Starting next year, students will see larger portions of fruits and vegetables on their lunch trays, more whole grains and fewer high calorie foods. French fries and pizza are still on the menu, but fries might now be baked and contain less salt while pizzas might be made with whole grain crusts and toppings with more vegetables. School districts across the country are revamping their menus to serve meals that kids will like that also meet the new requirements for more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and lower sodium, saturated (animal) fat and sugar. Lyon County Schools Alert to Changes: Lyon County schools have already made improvements, and are working to quickly implement the new standards. Last year, the schools partnered with the nonprofit Healthy Communities Coalition to survey students about their menu preferences, and to document which foods the students chose most often, and which they threw out most often. Last year key Lyon Schools staff toured other districts’ lunchrooms to learn more about healthy food menus that have proven popular with both staff and students. They’ve also met with Nevada Department of Education Child Nutrition and School Health experts and have been carefully following the development of the new standards for school lunches over the last few years. New School Gardens Create Adventurous Eaters: One challenge for schools is developing menus that are healthy and affordable, but that students will also enjoy eating. The modern palate is often used to high salt, fat, and sugar, and students may shy away from fruits and vegetables and recipes they’re unfamiliar with at first. This is where school gardens come in. Healthy Communities Coalition, a local nonprofit, partnered with the schools to implement 5 new school gardens and 2 hoop houses in Silver Springs and Dayton last year, and expects to help fund 2 school gardens in Yerington and several more school hoop houses in the region by the end of this year with USDA and Nevada State Health Division funding. Students have been involved in every aspect of the gardens, from digging up rocks to adding soil amendments to weeding, and have used the harvest to make healthy dishes like garlic potato soup and to donate to local food pantries. High school students have been trained as interns to help maintain and expand the gardens. All of this “ hands –on” learning and work in the gardens has given the students chances to grow and then taste foods they may not have been familiar with, like kale and squash, and to learn how to make healthy dishes with vegetables they’ve grown themselves. All of this increases the chances that when they see more vegetables and fruits on their plates at school, they’ll give them a try. Overview of New School Lunch Standards: New standards for other foods such those served in vending machines and school stores will come later. Changes for breakfast menus will be phased in more slowly. The new standards for school lunches will require schools to serve larger portions of fruits and vegetables every day at lunch as well as leafy green vegetables, red-orange vegetables, and legumes weekly. No trans fats foods will be allowed. Within 2 years, all breads, cereals and pastas will be whole grain, and requirements for lower sodium will be slowly implemented over the next 10 years. Costs and Long Term Benefits: Schools will get an additional 6 cents per lunch from government funding to meet the new standards. By the time all the new standards are fully implemented, the cost for the healthier lunch will be about 11 cents more, and the cost of the healthier breakfast menu will be about 28 cents higher. If the new standards for school lunches result in a reduction in the high national rate of diabetes, cancer, liver and heart disease, the small increase in cost will be well worth the investment. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Dayton, Nevada Schools Among First To Use Crisis Text Messaging Program Posted on: 2012-02-04 Dayton, Nevada - Lyon and Storey County high schools were among the first in the U.S. to pilot a successful new, model program in 2011 that allows students to contact trained crisis counselors via text message. The text-crisis line was introduced to school administrators, then to staff, parents and students. The program is advertised to students through posters in the schools that are paired with dispensers for business-sized cards listing the text-crisis line number. The program, a joint effort by the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, the Crisis Call Center and the Nevada Office of Suicide Prevention, aims to reduce Nevada’s suicide rate by increasing support for youth. The program is now available in almost every high school in Lyon and Storey County. Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, a nonprofit, provided technical support for implementation of the program in schools in Lyon County. Healthy Communities Coalition director Christy McGill said “the schools have been extremely forward-thinking regarding this extra layer of support for students. This texting program is based on research showing that today, teens are more willing to share their feelings through electronic means than in person or even by phone. Young people who might not talk with anyone in person or who might hesitate to call anyone might be willing to use the text line for help. This provides a valuable opportunity to offer help that didn’t exist before.” The program was piloted in schools in Lyon and Storey and researchers from University Nevada Reno and the state Office of Suicide Prevention conducted extensive follow-up and collected data to make sure the program was effective. They went on to give presentations about the pilot program at national gatherings of experts in the field of suicide prevention last winter. Some of the findings for the program: • The text-crisis program increased help-seeking behaviors among youth. • Youth endorsed the program and the marketing materials, and several mentioned they would like to be able to call the hotline as well as text it. • The average text conversation lasted 56 minutes, with one running 12 hours • The highest number of text messages concerned relationship issues. Mental health and bullying were the next most frequent problems. • In focus groups conducted five months after the program began, students said they thought texting their problems to the Crisis Call Center was less intimidating than calling. • Students' fear of being labeled a 'snitch' was a barrier to reporting bullying. • The majority of the youth in the focus groups reported that they didn't feel comfortable discussing personal matters with school staff, administrators or counselors because they feared they would discuss the problems among themselves or involve parents. The program is now in 12 northern Nevada grades 6-12, including schools in Washoe and Storey, and nearly every high school in Lyon County School District. The program will be expanded to other schools in the state soon. For more information about the program, contact Misty Allen at the Nevada Office of Suicide Prevention at (775)443-7843. If you or someone you know is in crisis, you can call the Crisis Call Center and Suicide Prevention Hotline toll free anytime, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: 1-800-273-8255 or 784-8090. In addition to the 24-hour crisis hotline, the Crisis Call center also offers crisis intervention services through text messaging. To access this service, text the keyword ANSWER to 839863. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Dayton Resident Speaker at National Veteran's Health Administration Conference Posted on: 2012-02-04 Two Lyon County residents, Cara Childs of Silver Springs and Christy McGill of Dayton, will be among the presenters at the national Veterans Health Administration Office of Rural Health conference at the University of Utah on March 13-14, 2012. Cara Childs, leader of the Silver Stage Community Task Force and Christy McGill, director of Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, will both be part of a panel presentation on their part in the Veterans Administration Office of Rural Health’s pilot program in Lyon County called the “Rural Veteran Outreach.” The pilot program was one of only 6 conducted in the U.S., and resulted in a major veteran services outreach during the annual Silver Stage Task Force Wellness Fair in May 2011. Veteran and Military Family Services Outreach: Christy McGill will also describe some of the new initiatives that have evolved since the Community Covenant to Military Families and Veterans Ceremony during the September 2010 Healthy Communities Coalition meeting in Yerington. Over 70 agency representatives, officials, community leaders, veterans, enlisted, and their families attended the ceremony pledging increased services outreach to military families and veterans in the Lyon County region. Some of those initiatives have included a monthly potluck social in Silver Springs with speakers from veterans’ and military family support organizations, on-going efforts to develop tele-health and other expanded health services access for veterans in the area, on-going efforts to connect veterans and their families to existing services and to share information about existing regional resources such as the Nevada Office of Veterans Services (NOVS), Women Veterans Program at VA Sierra Nevada, Army OneSource, Blue Star Moms of Northern Nevada, Reno Vet Center, Veteran’s Affairs new “Mobile Vet Centers”, and National Guard Military and Family Support Services, among many others. Upcoming Presentations and Training on Veterans Concerns: Healthy Communities Coalition is also working with a variety of groups to bring additional training for the region’s direct service providers on the topics like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), TBI (traumatic brain injury) and My Healthe Vet. On May 10, Healthy Communities is hosting a special presentation by Dr. Marta Elliot of the UNR Veterans’ Coalition. Dr. Elliot, a sociology professor at UNR, received funding to study the needs of student veterans throughout Nevada’s colleges and universities, and recently issued a Needs Assessment of University of Nevada, Reno Student Veterans. She is Co-Chair of the UNR Veterans Coalition through which she advocates for the needs of veterans in Nevada. After her presentation on May 10, veterans will have an opportunity to meet with Dr. Elliot and participate in interdisciplinary research about veterans for the purpose of improved understanding and improved response to the needs and concerns of veterans. The research will ultimately contribute to developing a curriculum based on veterans’ experiences so that UNR can offer a Certificate in Veterans Studies. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Healthy Communities Coalition: Research-Based Strategies Posted on: 2012-02-04 Why Healthy Communities Coalition “Does the Things it Does” Sometimes seeing the individual pieces of a Coalition's work make little sense without more information about the 'big picture.' The Coalition chooses goals and strategies based on the latest research, surveys, archival data, and local focus groups, town hall meetings, Coalition and other community group feedback. Many of the most difficult public health problems in the U.S. are the result of compensatory behaviors like smoking, overeating, and alcohol and drug use, which many people are engaging in as temporary form of “relief” from emotional problems caused by traumatic childhood experiences. The chronic life stress of developmental experiences like childhood trauma is generally unrecognized and unappreciated as a major contributor to health problems. These experiences are often hidden by shame, secrecy, and social taboos against discussing certain topics. Recent studies, such as the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, show that many children are saddled with a burden of stressors that negatively affect their development, which leads to health problems and diseases throughout their lifespans. The findings of studies like the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study provide the evidence for using a new paradigm of medical, public health, and social service practice that would start with a comprehensive biopsychosocial understanding of these public health problems. The ACE Study is an ongoing collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente. It is the largest scientific research study of its kind, analyzing the relationship between multiple categories of childhood trauma (ACEs), and health and behavioral outcomes later in life (http://www.acestudy.org/index.html ) How Does Understanding the ACE Study Affect Healthy Communities Coalition’s Work? Using a systems approach that enhances cross-agency communication and solicits grassroots involvement by every part of the community, the Coalition works with members and representatives from all community sectors to create and implement regional action plans that target the underlying roots of problems and enhance the strengths of communities. Early interventions to prevent, reduce, or appropriately respond to adverse childhood experiences (traumatic events) are proven to be the most cost effective, lasting ways to improve the long-term health and well-being of the population, on every level. In practical terms, Healthy Communities Coalition keeps the official leading causes of and contributors to untimely death in our region, including suicide, accidents, violence, and tobacco, poor diet/exercise, alcohol, prescription drugs, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and liver disease, in mind and uses research-based ways to reduce and prevent incidents. This is why you will see the Coalition working on multiple levels to support reduction of the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs and supporting enforcement of underage drinking laws and proper disposal of unused prescription drugs, in addition to supporting plans that reduce suicide risk factors and violence of all types; improving access to and education about good nutrition, fitness, parenting and life skills, and increasing access to preventative health care, alcohol and drug treatment, and behavioral health services. A recent example is the Coalition’s funding support for local training and implementation of TeenScreen, a mental health screening tool for adolescents. See this link for statistics on Nevada and Life Expectancy: http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/top-15-causes-of-death-nevada Safety Nets You may also notice Healthy Communities Coalition taking steps to support “safety nets.” Many people are one piece of bad luck –a layoff, an accident, or a long term illness - away from lasting financial problems. This is because even among people with adequate incomes in the U.S., few still have enough savings or assets to weather these sorts of blows for long. Safety nets such as food and energy assistance can help keep a family from liquidating all of their assets while they recover from the sort of bad luck that almost all Americans will experience at one time or another. A New Safety Net: Regional Food Sufficiency: In the last two years, the Coalition has been collaborating with many groups to create a “food sufficiency” system that acts as a new type of safety net. Many Coalition partner initiatives, including a new food co-op, farmers markets that accept food stamps, food banks, K-12 weekend backpack nutrition programs, and community and school gardens, are connecting to develop this system. The result of connecting these Coalition partner agencies, members and volunteers to the region's small, family owned organic farms and ranches is that the farmers and ranchers are gaining access to new and additional markets that would be difficult or impossible for them to access on their own. The Coalition is already seeing evidence that serving as a local and regional food hub will be an effective method of economic 'gardening' leading to expansion of market opportunities for local agriculture producers and distributors, and an increase in access to fresh healthy foods for the region's residents. Learning to Fish: Healthy Communities also promotes ways for people to “learn to fish”, or as the saying goes, “give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime.” The Coalition does this by funding and/or organizing or supporting youth and adult workforce development, such as adult on-the-job training at plant nurseries, community gardens and food pantries; teen summer farmers market internships and Community Chest’s Comstock Youth Works; sustainable micro-farming workshops for food pantry participants; leadership training through Stand Tall teams; free community member training on parenting skills, and prevention of suicide, sexual abuse, and violence; and life skills acquisition through Project Success, In School and Out of School Youth programs, etc. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Dayton's Olga and Manuel Nanez Receive AARP Award for Community Service 2011 Posted on: 2012-01-06 Dayton, Nevada- Olga and Manuel Nanez of Dayton, Nevada have been selected by AARP, the nonprofit membership organization for people 50 and older, to receive Nevada's 2011 AARP State Andrus Award for Community Service. The Award is the Association's most prestigious and visible volunteer award for community service and symbolizes the power individuals have to make a difference in the lives of others. AARP Nevada selected Olga and Manuel Nanez for their remarkable service and for the impact they've had on the lives of others and in their community. The Nanezes volunteer with Healthy Communities Coalition’s Dayton Food Pantry because they believe no one in Dayton should go hungry. In fact, in the past 12-months they logged 3,000 volunteer hours, distributed 3,600 emergency food boxes, and 1,800 food bags for area schools’ backpack programs. The Pantry serves roughly 1,400 residents each month. The Nanezes also provide other invaluable help to community members, assisting clients toward other resources including food stamps, employment counseling, and health care. Pantry volunteer Ada Hill said, 'Our volunteers are inspired by Olga and Manny's generosity, energy and spirit. They are the heart of our pantry - the glue that holds us together. Their main job is to distribute food, but they do so much more, they offer a kind word, a hug or just an ear when needed.' The AARP State Andrus Award for Community Service recognizes individuals who, through volunteer service, are significantly enhancing the lives of individuals age 50 and older. The award will be formally presented to the Nanezes at a ceremony on September 28 in Reno, NV. 'This award acts as a symbol to the public that we can all work together for positive social change,' says Nancy Andersen, AARP NV Volunteer Program Manager. 'AARP has long valued the spirit of volunteerism and the important contributions volunteers make to their communities, neighbors, and the programs they serve.' Recipients across the nation were chosen for their ability to enhance the lives of others, improve the community in or for which the work was performed, and inspire others to volunteer The Dayton Food Pantry is funded, in part, by the nonprofit Healthy Communities Coalition and the private business BCB Ventures, run by volunteers, supported with help from schools, clubs, businesses and faith groups, and stocked through food drives and fundraisers, Food Bank of Northern Nevada, and USDA Commodities. For more information, please see www.healthycomm.org or call the Pantry director, Freida Carbery, at 246-7834. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

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  Lyon County, Nevada Residents Speakers at Veteran's Health Conference Posted on: 2012-01-26 Lyon County, Nevada - Two Lyon County residents, Christy McGill of Dayton and Cara Childs of Silver Springs, will be among the presenters at the national Veterans Health Administration Office of Rural Health conference at the University of Utah on March 13-14, 2012. Cara Childs, leader of the Silver Stage Community Task Force and Christy McGill, director of Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, will both be part of a panel presentation on their part in the Veterans Administration Office of Rural Health’s pilot program in Lyon County called the “Rural Veteran Outreach.” The pilot program was one of only 6 conducted in the U.S., and resulted in a major veteran services outreach during the annual Silver Stage Task Force Wellness Fair in May 2011. Veteran and Military Family Services Outreach: Christy McGill will also describe some of the new initiatives that have evolved since the Community Covenant to Military Families and Veterans Ceremony during the September 2010 Healthy Communities Coalition meeting in Yerington. Over 70 agency representatives, officials, community leaders, veterans, enlisted, and their families attended the ceremony pledging increased services outreach to military families and veterans in the Lyon County region. Some of those initiatives have included a monthly potluck social in Silver Springs with speakers from veterans’ and military family support organizations, on-going efforts to develop tele-health and other expanded health services access for veterans in the area, on-going efforts to connect veterans and their families to existing services and to share information about existing regional resources such as the Nevada Office of Veterans Services (NOVS), Women Veterans Program at VA Sierra Nevada, Army OneSource, Blue Star Moms of Northern Nevada, Reno Vet Center, Veteran’s Affairs new “Mobile Vet Centers”, and National Guard Military and Family Support Services, among many others. Upcoming Presentations and Training on Veterans Concerns: Healthy Communities Coalition is also working with a variety of groups to bring additional training for the region’s direct service providers on the topics like PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), TBI (traumatic brain injury) and My Healthe Vet. On May 9, Healthy Communities is hosting a special presentation by Dr. Marta Elliot of the UNR Veterans’ Coalition. Dr. Elliot, a sociology professor at UNR, received funding to study the needs of student veterans throughout Nevada’s colleges and universities, and recently issued a Needs Assessment of University of Nevada, Reno Student Veterans. She is Co-Chair of the UNR Veterans Coalition through which she advocates for the needs of veterans in Nevada. After her presentation on May 9, veterans will have an opportunity to meet with Dr. Elliot and participate in interdisciplinary research about veterans for the purpose of improved understanding and improved response to the needs and concerns of veterans. The research will ultimately contribute to developing a curriculum based on veterans’ experiences so that UNR can offer a Certificate in Veterans Studies. Website:www.healthycomm.org/Home.shtml Email:info@healthycomm.org

• Lyon County School Trustee Appointed to Statewide Teachers and Leaders Council Posted on: 2012-01-24 September 2011 Lyon County, Nevada - Lyon County School District Trustee Theo McCormick was among 15 Nevadans appointed by Governor Brian Sandoval to the Teachers and Leaders Council. The committee, which was created by the State Legislature through Assembly Bill 222, is developing a statewide performance evaluation system for teachers that is both fair and rigorous. The Council is expected to submit its recommendations to the State Board of Education by June 2012 and the State Board will then adopt regulations, based on the Council's recommendations, to establish a statewide performance evaluation system by June of 2013. The Teachers and Leaders Council members will serve 3-year terms without compensation. The group includes four K-12 school teachers, two public school administrators, one superintendent, two school board members, one parent, two experts in education policy and two other members designated by the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Lyon County School District Superintendent Caroline McIntosh said Lyon County is fortunate to have representation on the council. Website:www.lyon.k12.nv.us/education/district/district.php?sectiondetailid=1&

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