Remember the old saying, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going?" Well, that's you and me. We can be tough, and we should get going. How? By joining forces with Heifer International .  When you do, you can help change the world. 

I've been donating to Heifer International for years now. I give Heifer International gifts for the holidays - for special events, and just because.  By donating to Heifer, you help purchase farm animals that will be given to individuals in communities with fragile and struggling economic systems. Owning a cow, some chickens, a goat, a bee hive, or a pig, can mean the difference between poverty and starvation, and independence, economic stability, and health. 

Make it a team effort. Gather some friends at the office or around the neighborhood or school yard and establish a fund-raising team.  Pool your resources! Commit to a project that will help an entire community.  Heifer Foundation is so dedicated to their mission that they offer classes and field trips to teach us how to be more responsible in our own environment, while at the same time showing us how to improve the lives of others.  

Happy Thanks-giving.

The sad reality is that young people aged 19 to 29 are the largest and fastest-growing segment of the United State's population that lacks proper health insurance. Are you part of this cohort? Do you have an adult child who fits into this category?  According to The Commonwealth Fund, this group comprised 40% of the 6 million people who joined the ranks of the uninsured from 2000 to 2004.

Illness prevention and mind and body wellness should play a big part in our lives; not only during these complicated and uncertain times, but as a matter of course. Walking just 10,000 steps per day will help you stay fit, and give you a chance to smell the roses, too. 

1.  Teach children key information:  Help them to learn their full name, address, phone number (with area code), parents' names, and office phone numbers.

2. Teach children who is safe: Children should be taught at an early age which strangers are okay to ask for help when they are lost or frightened. Good examples include, a mother with children, a counter clerk in a store, or a uniformed police officer.

3.  Know where your child is going:  Children should always inform you before they go anywhere - even if it is just next door.  Ask questions - who, what, when, where, and why, and let your kids know these questions are important.

4.  Teach children about the buddy system: Never let your young children go anywhere alone. Teach them to do activities with a friend, and emphasize the issue of safety in numbers.

5. Teach your kids not to be lured in: Explain that your children shouldn't go near cars to answer questions or give directions, or to accept rides. Teach them not to be lured by other adults, even if they know them.

6. Develop a password system:  Children can be very trusting of adults, especially adults they are familiar with. Work out a password with your child ahead of time that a "safe" adult would know in case of any emergency, and make sure your child doesn't go with an adult who doesn't have this password. Make the password an easy word for your child to remember, but at the same time, not an easy word for a stranger to guess.

7. Reinforce safety skills: Seize opportunities to reinforce safety skills. If an incident occurs in your community, speak frankly about it with your child -- seek professional help if necessary, but take the opportunity to reinforce safety rules and skills that can protect your child from danger.

8. Keep an up-to-date record of your child: Maintain current medical and physical information, and a photograph of your child. Make a written record of an exact description including height, weight, color of eyes, hair, and any other identifying characteristics. In case of an emergency, it is imperative that you have something current that can be given to authorities.

9. Know how to report your missing child. As you are aware, time is a critical factor in abduction cases. When you can't find your child, immediately call your local law enforcement agency. After reporting your child missing, call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.

10. Make it your business to be informed.  As a parent, you should be aware of where child offenders live around your neighborhood and your local schools.

Though this is a difficult subject for all of us to ponder, acknowledgement of the dangers that exist and an awareness of how to promote child safety will enhance our ability to provide a safer and more child-friendly environment for our children.

Women's funds should be at the top of the list.  Such funds are strategically targeting poverty. When you help a woman change her life, you bring about positive changes for her family and community as well.

Support a woman's fund.  One exceptional organization is The Women's Funding Network. It has over 125 member women's funds that are located in countries all over the world - and certainly you can find one close to your own community.  There are other funds worth checking out too.  The Women's Foundation of California, The Arab Women's Fund, and The Semillas Organization just to name a few.

Invest in women - it will make a difference.

It is always particularly tragic when a young life ends. But it is somehow even more heartrending when that young person ends his or her own life.  The American Psychological Association recently released a report on suicide amongst college students.  In a survey of more than 26,000 students across 70 colleges and universities, at least half of the students reported having one or more incidents of suicidal thinking. Six percent of undergraduates and four percent of graduate students reported seriously considering suicide in the twelve months prior to completing the survey. 

As parents, I know this is a subject that hits right at the underbelly-part of our defense-system. At a time when our children are beginning to individuate, when their hopes and aspirations should be inspiring them to live each day with curiosity and interest, something dark and sinister creeps into their minds.

Unfortunately, suicidal thoughts also show up in a much younger population.  Sadly, teen suicide hits the Hispanic community more than most; fifteen percent of Hispanic teen girls report that they've attempted suicide, yet despite this high number of troubled girls, Latinas are often the least likely to seek mental health services.

Studies suggest that young Latina suicide attempters had conflicts with their mothers that may have prompted their destructive behavior.  Troubled Latina teens may feel torn between their traditional cultural beliefs and the pull of adolescence in a new culture. 

One thing seems clear; across all age groups, growing levels of stress, and diminishing resources to cope with the consequences of an overload of stress, are leading to difficulties that can include depression, and worse.  Family interventions that include stress management may help. But the first step is to recognize that a problem exists in the first place, and to seek help. Start by contacting a psychologist. For resources and more information, visit The American Psychological Association to find out about conflict resolution, and suicide prevention.

When you were growing up, you probably had chores to do, and perhaps this was a way to earn an allowance. My allowance was pitiful compared to what many kids today are given, including my own kids -- but the idea of an allowance is a good one, especially if it's being given as a reward for accomplished duties. Children need to learn about finances at an early age.

Since my folks didn't have extra cash to throw around, my allowance was what I used to buy special items that didn't fall under the need-to-have category. As soon as I was old enough, I started babysitting. I couldn't wait to start my own savings and checking account. In fact, I learned how to go to the bank, to deposit cash, and to open and balance a checking account before my own mom did. Amazing.

I was of the generation that had obligatory home economics and shop classes. I took typing and shorthand classes as well. We were taught that work skills and life skills were important. It was assumed we'd need to know how to cook for ourselves, and to sew a seam to repair a piece of clothing.

Teach your kids these basics. As soon as they're old enough to understand, show them how to make a deposit in a savings account, and give them access to their savings account booklet so they can see how it grows. When your kids are old enough to have their first job, teach them how to open a checking account - show them how to write a check, how to keep track of their account balance. You'd be amazed how many kids leave high school without this knowledge.

Teach your kids how to do their own laundry; how much soap to put in the washer, how to separate the colors and jeans from the whites. Teach them how to buy groceries, how to prepare a meal for one or two people, and how to preserve their left-over's. Teach them how to clean up after themselves - to have pride in their surroundings, and respect for the things they've been given. Encourage your kids to learn marketable skills. They may need to work to put themselves through college, and earn money for the extra things they desire.

Give your kids the benefit of your experience, and teach them these valuable life skills. As you know, they'll need them.

As they say, time flies when you're having fun.  But before you can say PB & J, it'll be time to get the kids geared up and ready for school again.  Part of that readiness should include mental and physical checkups. Oops, did I say mental? Yep, I did.

Mental Health is just as important as physical health, yet mental health disorders are often the last ones we think of addressing. Time to reorder our thinking. There was a 400 percent increase in bipolar disorder diagnoses in children in the past decade. What's up with that?

There's trouble brewing with our kids, and we need to take preventive actions -- the cost is too dear. Between lost workdays and lost taxes, Medicaid, and juvenile-court costs, psychiatric and learning disorders cost society billions of dollars a year.  It is estimated that the US loses 113 billion dollars a year because of untreated and mistreated mental illness. But trust me - mental health issues can't truly be measured in monetary terms alone.  The more significant cost is loss of happiness, joy, potential, and ultimately, human life. The suicide rate for teenaged girls increased by 76 percent in the past year alone.

We need to begin checking for mental disorders when our kids are young - not only for the obvious reason that children afflicted with mental illnesses should get help as soon as possible, but because studies show that 75 percent of all adult psychiatric disorders start during childhood and adolescence.  Based on health statistics, 20 percent of children and teens in the US have a psychiatric disorder, and 50% of kids with ADHD are never diagnosed.

Tune into your kids and take note of their mental health.  Are they anxious? Sad and lethargic? Have a hard time concentrating? Do they restrain their eating? Consider the following: anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health problem, affecting 13 percent of 9- to 17-year-olds. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects 5 to 10 percent of children. Clinical depression affects one in eight adolescents.  Approximately 20 percent of all kids have a learning disorder.  Studies show that approximately 3 percent of teenage girls have an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge eating.

These are sobering statistics that can have a serious impact on you, and your family. Get help when you need it. Check out the following sites to get more information:  National Institute of Mental Health, Mental Health, and Mental Help.

As parents, it falls to us to advocate for more mental-health programs, and make sure mental health services are available to all who need them. Especially our kids.

As they say, time flies when you're having fun.  But before you can say PB & J, it'll be time to get the kids geared up and ready for school again.  Part of that readiness should include mental and physical checkups. Oops, did I say mental? Yep, I did.

Mental Health is just as important as physical health, yet mental health disorders are often the last ones we think of addressing. Time to reorder our thinking. There was a 400 percent increase in bipolar disorder diagnoses in children in the past decade. What's up with that?

There's trouble brewing with our kids, and we need to take preventive actions -- the cost is too dear. Between lost workdays and lost taxes, Medicaid, and juvenile-court costs, psychiatric and learning disorders cost society billions of dollars a year.  It is estimated that the US loses 113 billion dollars a year because of untreated and mistreated mental illness. But trust me - mental health issues can't truly be measured in monetary terms alone.  The more significant cost is loss of happiness, joy, potential, and ultimately, human life. The suicide rate for teenaged girls increased by 76 percent in the past year alone.

We need to begin checking for mental disorders when our kids are young - not only for the obvious reason that children afflicted with mental illnesses should get help as soon as possible, but because studies show that 75 percent of all adult psychiatric disorders start during childhood and adolescence.  Based on health statistics, 20 percent of children and teens in the US have a psychiatric disorder, and 50% of kids with ADHD are never diagnosed.

Tune into your kids and take note of their mental health.  Are they anxious? Sad and lethargic? Have a hard time concentrating? Do they restrain their eating? Consider the following: anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental health problem, affecting 13 percent of 9- to 17-year-olds. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects 5 to 10 percent of children. Clinical depression affects one in eight adolescents.  Approximately 20 percent of all kids have a learning disorder.  Studies show that approximately 3 percent of teenage girls have an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge eating.

These are sobering statistics that can have a serious impact on you, and your family. Get help when you need it. Check out the following sites to get more information:  National Institute of Mental Health, Mental Health, and Mental Help.

As parents, it falls to us to advocate for more mental-health programs, and make sure mental health services are available to all who need them. Especially our kids.