“The main thing is people have pride in the way they run their farms,” said Pitcher. “You have to be careful to not step on toes. But at the same time, they can learn something about [blue ear disease] risks.”

Pitcher and swine producers are working this summer on a PRRS  Risk Assessment, wherein they wil take a short survey detailing production practices with the help of a risk assessor, resulting in a detailed analysis of PRRS risk sources, which will be provided to partipating producers for their decision making. It is estimated that PRRS costs swine producers in the U.S. at least $600 million annually. Read about Pitcher and efforts to produce PRRS at Lancaster Farming.

Young Entrepreneurs Dream It, Then Do It

I have been moved by many things in my life but I have to say this one takes the cake. On March 20, 21 and 28 a Youth Entrepreneur Bootcamp was held at Bradner Hall. I took on a project to move and inspire my community and it seemed to grab hold and soon snowballed into what can only be described as wondrous.

The Bootcamp was attended by close to 55 young adults between ages 18 to 34 who were invited to participate in an effort to help them find a direction and career path for their lives. It was very moving to see these young people come into the Bootcamp on the first day being in the area of wanting and hoping and then by the end of the weekend they were all in action. Many of Bradner’s most successful entrepreneurs gave their time as mentors, advising participants about some of the pitfalls and successes they had experienced along their own career paths.

By the end of the first weekend the young people had their business plans figured out and were actually setting goals and putting their visions into action. They were told that if they were passionate about their vision and willing to stay in action, then everything else would fall into place. These amazing young people were both brilliant and very eager to be successful. One fellow said he had hear this before in university, but as part of the Bootcamp he learned what was missing – ACTION. He had lots of knowledge, which was great, but no tools with which to get his plan into gear.

After the initial weekend, the participants were given “Homework” assignments. In other words, told to start finding ways to put their plans into action. Each participant was offered 3 conference calls for support during their Action Week. I was very pleased to see them use the calls and was amazed at how much action was being taken. Almost all of the young people left the Bootcamp ready to begin the adventure of starting their own company and designing their own career path. I am continuing to receive emails letting me know what they are up to and it is so exciting!

I would like to send out sincere thanks to the following. Without your help and support, this event would never have taken place.

Landmark Education (Vancouver) for if I would not be attending the Self-Expression and Leadership program I would never have had the opportunity to create my project, through which so many lives were touched.

The young adults who took the time to attend this 3 day Youth Entrepreneur Bootcamp. I really appreciate what effort and commitment it took to participate in this event.

Tana Plewes for being my inspiration. Without Tana I may have chosen a different project. As founder of the Discovery Center for Entrepreneurship and creator of Possibliity.ca, she recruited our panel of experts: Chad Gibson and Associates, Mark Holland-RADplus, Jeff Baker-Positive Futures, and Simon Levin-AnK Apparel. The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (www.cybf.ca) is offering startup loans up to $15,000 to qualified participants intent on launching their new business. These leaders were absolutely phenomenal and were so committed to helping the kids to take the steps needed to have their dreams become real.

The production team who helped me set up and assisted as and when needed. The team included my lovely husband, Bob Secord, Sharon Smit, Debra Brandt, Emily Thoen, Dakota Barker, Kathy Nipkow, Ruby Jaggernath, and Mandy Kidd.

Mt. Lehman Credit Union manager Gene Blishen for being my first supporter who made me realize I really could pull this project off. Also for donations of prizes, advertising, photocopying and to Dawn Collins from the credit union who patiently spent time with me on the photocopying.

Bradner Elementary’s Sharon Christian and Principal Harold Feiter for loaning me the use of many things from the school.

Bradner Community Club for donating the use of the hall and any members who helped me have things run smoothly.

Anny Kosovic for designing my flyer.

Aldersgrove Credit Union for donating pens, cash which was put toward refreshments and stress balls for all the participants which, but the way were a huge hit.

Elsie Weiss (Aldercenter Remax Realty), Sue Hunt (Sunset Gourment Consultant and Hunt Security Systems), Bob and Wendy Hauser (WEstcoast Amusements) for prize donations.

Wilway Lumber, Chuck Webb (Fraser Financial Group), Dr. Schlagntweit, Rone Price (President and CEO of the Abbotsford International Airshow) and the Bradner Barker who donated money in support of this event.

Finally, thanks to the Mentors who are indeed a special group. They have generously agreed to offer their support and expertise to the Bootcamp participants for the next month. Carryl Peters, Bruce Fatkin, Debra Brandt, Lois Dyck, Elsie Weiss, Gord Beebe, Arnold Falk, Herbie & Lorraine Feischel, Miki Boleen, Donna Dixon, Consuelo Clarke , and Ruby Jaggernath.

Cermak is the owner of 37-year old family company Rowell, Inc., which manages about 30 different home and condo complexes in the Chicago suburbs. Cermak and Rowell are inviting residents – including renters, owners and village officials – to take part in the ‘Pay it Forward’ planting project created in the Landmark program, planting bushes, trees and perennials and causing connections in the community.

Getting people involved and connected to one another is one of the main goals of the project, according to Rowell assistant manager Christine Cott. Hanover Part police officers have taken up on that idea at one of the work sites, taking part in the planting to build better relations with the community. The full story can be read at the site of the Daily Herald.

The entire event is being supported by a wide range of local businesses, whose heads will be speakers at the first two days. The first two days will both look at basics of financing, business planning and marketing, as well as the passion and purpose it takes to start one’s own business. Then during the week, each person will be coached by the speakers in daily phone calls.

On the final day, the group will reconvene to share their progress. They will also be teamed up with a mentor on that day to work with them over the next month. The article indicates that there are 30 people currently registered, with room for many more. It runs from 10am to 4 pm each day on the first weekend (March 20-21) and from 12 to 5pm on the 28th. It takes place at Bradner Hall, 5305 Bradner Rd. To register call Secord at 856-1676.

Here is the complete story by Ashley Wray from The Abbotsford News.

Keller, a vice president at Morgan Stanley, formed the Next Step Network (NSN), which is putting on the event, supported by the sponsorship of the Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County (JFVS).

Keller’s passion for making a difference in this area comes from her own experience as a divorced mother of two who needed to re-enter the workforce with little confidence or prospects. As she worked and progressed through her career, she became the go to person in her family for career assistance.

The event is taking place from 12-4pm at the East Brunswick Jewish Center at 511 Ryders Lane. To register, volunteer, or get more information contact Lisa Fiore of JFVS at 732-777-1940 or LisaF@jsvs.org.

Trost says she believes women often put themselves last when they are going through times and she wanted to do something that really empowered those women in what they were dealing with – women who weren’t on public assistance but didn’t have the capability assist themselves as much as they needed. One woman attendee who had been unemployed for over a year got a new job immediately after the event, attributing this success from the confidence she received from being there.

Trost was also amazed and gratified by the huge generosity of local business owners who gave their time and services to make the event happen – to see a complete list of businesses who contributed and read the complete story, read about it at the Living Healthier Now web site.

I’d like to share with you an exciting new organization that I am starting with a group of fellow technology professionals. It is called DonateUsedComputers.org. This is a non-profit, all volunteer organization that will help collect used computers and provide them for kids in Chicago who need them.

Why are we doing this?

So many of us work for companies who replace their old computers with new ones that are more current for business use. What happens to the old computers? By law, they are supposed to be properly recycled rather than put out in the trash. Some people dispose of them improperly, which is bad for the environment. Many of these computers, while no longer optimal for business use, will still work great for a kid who needs a computer.

How can you help?

You can help find computers to donate. If you are a technology professional, you can also participate at one of our events and give your time to help refresh the computers that are being donated. We will be working side by side with the kids who are getting the computers. It will be a fun, educational opportunity for them and a rewarding experience for you. We can all make a big difference in these kids’ lives!

When is this happening?

We are going to be doing this regularly, starting with February 8^th, 2009. Every quarter, we will have an event day. We will collect computers for each of these events and have a great time working with the kids.

Lakes Nov. 8 Garage Sale fundraiser will be ‘going green’

Trying to “Go Green”? What could be more perfect than recycling those treasures! The Lakes Annual Garage Sale will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2008.

If you want to have your garage sale on November 8th, here are some things to remember:

1. Sign up at the Clubhouse and get your permit. The fee of $10, entitles you to the “official permit” to post on the day of the Garage Sale. Be sure to read the back of the permit as it contains important information and also be sure to post this permit on the day of the Garage Sale.

2. The Women’s Club does all the advertising, and decorates the entrances to The Lakes with signs and balloons the day of the sale.

3. Maps are made available at the Clubhouse the day of the sale. The map will help prospective buyers find their way to your house. If you want to be on the Garage Sale map, you will need to get your permit no later than Wednesday, November 5th.

4. We’ll have people walking the neighborhood on 11/8 asking for your permit. If you don’t have one, you can pay for one that day. this small fee is our way of helping to fund charitable contributions to community programs. The Lakes Women’s Club sponsors this event and all proceeds from permits are donated to local charities.

The Garage Sale is on Saturday, November 8th. The hours are 7:30 a.m. to approximately 1:00 p.m.

Still have unsold goods after the sale? Feel free to contact the charity of your choice, should you have left over items to donate or you can put them out on the curb Sunday evening for Monday’s November 17th pickup.

Sale Hints — Here are some tried and true guidelines that really work:

1. Mark all merchandise with a price. Haggling is permitted, but pricing an item gives an indication of what you expect to get for that item.

2. Try to arrange for easy access and monitoring. Children and pets like to come too. Keep this in mind when arranging your merchandise.

3. Stay available during the sale. It’s best to have at least two people available at all times.

4. Have ample coins and currency available. You could lose a sale for lack of adequate change. But be sure to use your common sense when offered large bills. Don’t take checks unless you know the person.

5. It is advisable to lock your doors to protect your not-for-sale possessions. Don’t permit customers to enter your home to try on clothes. Have a mirror outdoors.

6. Clothing sizes should be indicated where known and clothing displayed by groupings on a rack with hangers.

7. You can combine small items in boxes or baskets and price them singly or ing groups for the sale. For example: “Any item on this table for 50 cents.”

8. If you have “freebies” put them out as an added attraction.

9. Put large items at the end of the driveway. That attracts people to stop.

Passaic Business Owners Clean Their Block

by Juan Esteban Villegas

Business owners from 1st Street in Passaic decided to grab shovels, brooms, and garbage bags and clean up all the dirt which has been degrading the appearance of the commercial area of the city.

Tired of seeing people throwing out bags and bags of trash, Francisco Javier Del Toro, owner of La Providencia, along with Mieguel Martinez from GROMEX (Mexican Food Distributors), and Jaime Martinez from L.M. Imports, joined forces and managed to get all the business people from their block to work together on this.

But Del Toro and the two Martinez weren’t counting on the City’s Department of Public Works to help them carry out this task.

“We went to city hall to ask for a a permit, but later we were told that they themselves were going to help us out with machinery,” said Del Toro. “All that garbage was affecting the way we were doing business.”

To finish up with their cleaning campaign, last Sunday, October 5th, residents and business owners bought flowers and trees which were later planted in a place that looked nothing like what it used to be.

Q&A by Jim Chubb

Why Would Anyone Need Help Talking to Their Lender

I started investigating ways to help people with loan problems with Robert Aldana, my co-host from the “Let’s Talk Real Estate” radio show. For several months we listened to people’s stories and tried to “direct traffic” to sources such as attorneys, modification companies and the Department of Real Estate for advice and help. What we found was a system that was not prepared to handle the volume of problems that needed solving. While in discussions regarding possible options to get involved in solving problems, I enrolled in a class with an organization called Landmark Education and the class was built around individual community service projects. I decided to make my project a website that would provide information and resources to anyone who needed “loan help” that was not presently available to them. Landmark courses (details can be found at www.landmarkeducation.com, a site that I recommend for anyone facing a challenge/seeking optimal results) inspire the “students” to act with integrity to bring about optimal results in achieving their goals. My “coach” challenged me to stop watching and “get in the game” to find ways to make a difference. The more I searched for reliable information and resources, the more I saw a glaring need that was not being met.

Anyone with questions should contact Chubb at jchubb@pacificinland.com.