January is always a month of dreams. We reflect on where we are and set goals to achieve our dreams in the upcoming year. For some women in mid-Missouri, the dream of a job is high on the priority list. Unfortunately, there are women who do not have the resources or confidence to successfully prepare to enter the workforce. That is where volunteer organizations like Dreams to Reality come into play. The mission of Dreams to Reality is to help low-income women of Missouri meet their employment goals and build self-confidence by providing appropriate interview and business apparel, motivation, and follow-up support. The JCMG Laser & Vein Center is excited to partner with them again in 2012. Dreams to Reality will be our designated charity for January. They will receive a donation based on a portion of our proceeds for the month. We will also partner with them in a couple of other ways this year: in January, we will be collecting and personally donating new and gently worn scrubs, and we will also provide makeup consultations throughout the year as needed. If you are interested in donating scrubs, drop them by our reception desk. If you would like more information on donating to or volunteering for this organization, visit dreamstoreality-jc.org.

Every month we choose a local not-for-profit organization to receive our monthly charitable donation. This December, we thought it would be fun to let you choose the charities. For every purchase made or service received we will make a donation to your favorite charity. We do ask that the charities be local and not for profit. Fill out one of our ornaments with your favorite charity and, at the end of the month, we will divide our donation between the charities chosen, based on the number of ornaments they have accumulated. Put your name and email on the back and we will send you an update in January on where the donations went. We will also enter everyone that participates in this for a chance to spend an evening at the Fabulous Fox enjoying some of the great shows they have this holiday season. So stop by this December and help us celebrate the gift of giving.

This month our donation will be split between two amazing organizations in Central Missouri. I was fortunate to have the chance to have a firsthand experience with both of them the other evening.

November 1st was the third annual Forget Me Not Gala for the Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association. This organization provides backpacks with personal care items for children entering foster care. They staff a store foster families can visit to receive gently worn clothing. They also offer 18 year olds aging out of the system a chance to work with a mentor for a three year period. The gala was a wonderful celebration of the successful foster and mentoring relationships that have taken place in our community.

That same evening I had the honor to pick up my father, a World War II vet, on his arrival home from the Central Missouri Honor Flight trip to Washington, D.C. The honor flight takes veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the monuments dedicated to their service. For twenty-four hours these veterans are treated like rock stars and receive the thanks they deserve for their service to our country. Words cannot express the emotions I felt watching their return.

The JCMG Laser & Vein Center is privileged to have a part in helping these organizations fulfill their mission. We are happy to let both the foster children in our community and the veterans who have served us know they are not forgotten!

For information on how you can volunteer or donate to these amazing organizations contact them at:

Central Missouri Honor Flight
1400 Forum Blvd., Ste. 28, Box 334
Columbia, MO 65203 or call 573.256.1930

Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association
ccfosteradopt@gmail.com
PO Box 1505
Jefferson City, MO 65102 or call 573.298.0258

This October the Rape and Abuse Crisis Service, otherwise known as RACS, is again our Charity of the Month. I asked Pam Otto, Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator, to share a few words on RACS and its mission:

Since 1980, the Rape and Abuse Crisis Service has been providing many needed services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking – all confidential and at no cost to the clients. RACS has a beautiful 36-bed shelter with laundry and dining facilities, and a wonderful play area for the kids. They offer food, clothing, personal care items, and other necessities to the families who come there for safety. The need for this service has increased dramatically, as the number of bed nights provided has risen 55% since 2006. Group, individual, and outreach counseling are available for adult and child shelter clients, as well as individuals from the community, to help them cope with the violence that has been a part of their lives. A legal advocate assists victims through the legal processes and with filing for orders of protection where needed. Other advocacy services include accompaniment to the hospital for victims of battering or rape and providing crisis intervention and emotional support both within Jefferson City and in our outlying counties. RACS offers a hotline that is available 24/7 for support of individuals in crisis as well as to help victims assess their situations and options, to provide referrals, and to offer support and information to those who want to help someone in an abusive situation. Additionally, RACS provides outreach education presentations tailored to specific needs on subjects such as Dynamics of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, Date Rape Prevention, Healthy vs. Unhealthy Relationships, and Good Touch/Bad Touch. RACS is able to offer these services to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse with the support provided by this community. In return, providing victims with the opportunity to regain confidence, control, and direction in their lives helps keep our community strong.

I also asked Pam to share some of the pressing needs at RACS. She stated that they are really desperate right now for volunteers to help with childcare for their Thursday evening Domestic Violence Support Group. Right now, they have 43 people in shelter, and 30 of those are kids. (Both of those numbers are records for them!) Their current childcare volunteers are wearing out, as you might imagine; they need a bit of relief! They could also use more help with their donations on Tuesdays, or even with grocery shopping on the weekend. Although they use volunteers in each of these areas every week, they don’t expect an every-week commitment from volunteers. Donation-wise, their greatest needs at present are for laundry detergent (regular and HE), kitchen and bathroom cleaning products, sugar, cooking oil, diapers (especially sizes 3, 4, and 5), and baby wipes. They’ll be doing Christmas Family Adoptions again this year, too, and will have opportunities available there for other donations as well. If anyone is interested in helping through volunteering or by making a donation, they can contact Pam at 634-8346, ext. 7. Your patronage of the Laser & Vein Center helps support this cause, but if you would like to help on your own I know they would be happy to have you!

This September we have once again chosen Big Brothers Big Sisters as our charity of the month. As kids go back to school, we are so fortunate that our community has an organization like Big Brothers Big Sisters that helps kids who need positive mentors in their life. Program Director Lee Knernshield shares a few words on the organization: “Missouri Valley Big Brothers Big Sisters mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of children by providing them with a professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationship with a caring and committed volunteer. Most of the children that we serve are from single parent homes and have a limited relationship with the parent who resides outside of the home. Our goal is to provide these children with a “bigger than life” volunteer who consistently spends time with them and makes them feel special. With mentoring, children’s grades, attitudes and self-confidence all go up. Contributions are used to help support our current matches and further expand our reach to children waiting for that special “Big Brother” or “Big Sister”.”

JCMG Laser & Vein Center is happy to help them achieve this mission. They are always in need of volunteers, otherwise known as Bigs. If you would like information on becoming a Big you can contact Missouri Valley Big Brothers Big Sisters at 573.634.3290 or email Lee Knernshield at lknernschield@jcymca.org.

Again this year our designated charity for August is Council for Drug Free Youth. According to their mission, Council for Drug Free Youth (CDFY) is an active group of concerned parents united by a common goal to fight the problem of alcohol and other drugs in our community and show young people that an alcohol and drug-free life is not only possible, but fulfilling. They offer programs our local schools can bring in or transport students to in order to learn about living a drug and alcohol-free life. These programs start as early as kindergarten and run through 9th grade.

Last year they introduced a new program, How to Save a Life. This program was an assembly designed for high school students and went to both Helias and Jefferson City. Our donation funded one of the assemblies and assisted in funding the other. If you had students at one of these schools, I would love to get feedback on what your student thought about these assemblies. You can post those on Facebook, comment on this blog post, or email me at bprasad@jcmg.org.

Go to www.jccdfy.org for more information on the programs Council for Drug Free Youth offer or if you are interested in volunteering or donating to this cause yourself. And, once again, thank you for your support: it allows us to contribute to this organization that has been so valuable to the youth of our community.

Every July we ramp up for our participation in the local United Way Campaign. JCMG is a United Way Pacesetter and, as a company, we do fundraisers and employee drives to try to exceed our previous year’s donations. The Laser & Vein Center donates a portion of its July proceeds to the drive every year. Last year, with your help, we were able to contribute $5,000. We hope to meet or beat that goal this year.

United Way’s theme, Live United, really gets to the heart of what this charity is about. We all share the wonderful community of Jefferson City and the success of any of us benefits all of us. When companies and individuals get together to support those that need a helping hand and provide enriching opportunities for our youth, we are bringing our whole community up. We have very generous people in Jefferson City. I know my fellow local businesses support this community in so many admirable ways. Your patronage of local business helps keep this community strong and we honor that patronage by being good local stewards of our profits. So, this month, know that your patronage of JCMG Laser & Vein Center will benefit the many wonderful United Way organizations in Jefferson City. We are proud to join the other United Way Pacesetters in Living United.

Every month, we choose a local charity and donate a portion of our profits to that charity. In April, we chose to donate to the Red Cross of Mid Missouri and sponsor their Day of Heroes. Due to the recent disaster in Joplin, the Day of Heroes has been postponed and will be scaled back so the money raised and the volunteers can focus on what they do best: respond to disasters. This is a responsible move on their part and we are thankful that in times of crisis we have such a well-run organization to count on. So, this month, we are going to do two things we normally don’t do. One, donate to an organization twice in one year and, second, donate for a cause outside of our local area. We know there are many deserving charities in town, but sometimes you have to reach beyond your borders. I am sure if the tables had been turned our neighbors to the south would have done the same for us. As our clients know, we do not except tips, but if you are inclined to tip us this month we would be happy to pass on your thanks to the Red Cross. You can also contact them for volunteer opportunities. Our prayers are with them and those that volunteer their time to help.

Red isn’t always an undesirable color. If you are facing an emergency such as a home fire, weather disaster, or you are a military family with a family tragedy, chances are the Red Cross is the first to reach out to help. I was unaware how much and how often the Red Cross touches local families. They are right there in the case of a fire, helping with funds to purchase immediate needs such as toiletries and a change of clothes, and they will assist with shelter if necessary. They are on call for any weather-related threats and are ready to offer assistance as needed. They have numerous trained volunteers that will drop their own personal daily or nightly activities to jump into action. The Red Cross prepares these volunteers with training classes and supports them in their efforts. Military families have a long-standing relationship with the Red Cross. When emergencies happen at home, the Red Cross is the organization that locates our overseas soldiers in combat and assists them to get home if needed. The Red Cross also helps to keep our community trained in the case of cardiac events. Having CPR-trained community members is a benefit to all. They even offer a babysitting class that prepares our teens for taking care of the youngsters in our community. Their help is vast and far-reaching. We are excited to be able to support their Day of Heroes banquet this year and will donate funds from purchases this month towards this event and also for general funds for local disaster assistance. See their flier to learn about attending this luncheon. It is always rewarding to get a chance to hear about the people that are enhancing our lives in the great City of Jefferson. Hope to see you there!

This month we will split our donation between two community cancer support organizations. We will once again participate as a major sponsor for the Community Breast Care Project Girls Night Out, which helps fund the many services they provide to cancer patients. Please see their flier for information on how you can support this organization by participating in this event. We hope to see you there.

We are also excited to be hosting the American Cancer Society’s Look Good Feel Better program. Brandi and Kim, our aesthetic providers, attended training to facilitate this program. which teaches hair, skin, nail and wig techniques to female cancer patients in active therapy to help them combat the appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment. The first class will be April 5th from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. If you know of any cancer patients that would benefit from this program, you can have them call the American Cancer Society at 573-635-4879 to reserve a space and free makeup kit.