Benefit for Outer Banks Community Foundation and Hope for Haiti.

Inaugural Stews, Soups, & Sweets, Bust'n the Blues Cook-off.  To be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 31, at Kelly's Restaurant, the Pro-Am culinary challenge will benefit the Outer Banks Community Foundation. There is no fee for cook-off participants and the cost of sampling is just $10 per person.

Following the afternoon of sampling, the music begins for the Hope and Help for Haiti Benefit from 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. Six local/regional bands have committed to the event but any musical act, solo or group, that wants to participate is welcome. Entry to the benefit is a donation, no amount is too small. One hundred percent of the event proceeds go to Haitian relief through UMCOR, United Methodist Committee on Relief, www.umcor.org.  Call 252-441-4116. 

USA Today, Wed 27 Edition featured Jezibelle, mascot of the Cuurituck League. In an article titled Working like a dog: Pets brighten up the biz for owners
The old dog walked in, looked around, took possession of a prime spot on the front-office sofa, and that's pretty much where she's been ever since, serving in the official-greeter role she created for herself.
It doesn't seem to matter that she's no one's idea of a beauty queen, what with her broken teeth, half-gone ear and sausage-shaped body. She knows how to spread sunshine with her lopsided doggie grin, and that's earned her devoted fans in her little community - and a job.

"We didn't plan on having a mascot, but she claimed us, made this her role and that's the way it is," says Ginger Sikes, president of the Animal Lovers Assistance League in Currituck, N.C., where the stray who came to be known as Jezibelle landed in 2008.

Now Jezibelle is integral to the daily operation of the place. She presided over a promotion in which would-be adopters got special consideration if she honored them with a big wet one on the cheek. And she hams it up in seasonal costumes. People pop in just to get a trademark Jezibelle hello.When she first arrived, efforts were made to find her a home. No more. "We are her family," says Sikes. "We love her and she knows it. ... She's very happy."

 You can make a difference in the lives of thousands of children and adults with intellectual disabilities by supporting Special Olympics North Carolina in the annual North Carolina Polar Plunge hosted in Outer Banks, NC. In North Carolina, Special Olympics Programs reach more than 38,000 athletes. All of the athletes' expenses - including training, uniforms, and travel related costs - are paid for through generous donations from individuals and businesses.


The Polar Plunge is an exciting and worthwhile fundraising event for individuals, families, schools, organizations and businesses alike to get involved in our North Carolina athletes' successes by supporting an excellent charity. The Polar Plunge is unsurpassed in fun and enthusiasm from all participants, volunteers, and sponsors. A beach party like none other with live music, giveaways, and awards culminates in the highly anticipated plunge into the Atlantic Ocean--costumes and all. Be a part of so many people's lives by sharing your time and support for Special Olympics North Carolina in Outer Banks, NC and come take the Plunge!  

First Flight Food drop every Third Wednesday.

(From the Outer Banks Sentinel) Pastor Teresa Holloway of the Colington United Methodist Church and a small army of volunteers have been giving away food every third Wednesday of the month for the past 17 months.
The number of people who show up for food in the First Flight High School parking lot has doubled since summer time. On Jan. 20, Gail Leonard and John Phelan of St. Andrews By the Sea in Nags Head also were on hand to offer coats and blankets to those who needed them. Volunteer Chris Driver kept busy getting the food unloaded from a truck as many of the people had to wait in their cars because it was cold, windy and getting dark. "Last Wednesday [Jan. 20] there were 125 families which represented 345 individuals, 127 of those were minors," said Holloway. "Forty-four were new applicants - we've never had that many new families before - and less than 20 percent of them have jobs."

Each family receives approximately 40 pounds of food which is purchased by the church at a reduced price from Albemarle Food Pantry. The church has been paying for the program since 2008. "But there was a bright spot this time," said Holloway. "Kelly's donated hot chocolate and coffee which really helped. In the summer, we always have water on hand but we couldn't find a way to provide hot drinks."

The church welcomes donations to help fund the growing project, and a building where folks can get out of the weather and not stand outside in the dark also would be a blessing.
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 An estimated 394 women in North Carolina were diagnosed with cervical cancer last year, and 124 died from the disease. January is Cervical Health Awareness month and the focus is on raising awareness of the importance of prevention and screening for cervical cancer.  If detected early, cervical cancer is one of the most treatable cancers. A Pap test offers the best opportunity to detect cervical cancer at an early stage, when successful treatment is likely.
 
The American Cancer Society recommends that women, who have been sexually active for at least three years or are over the age of 21, talk their health care provider about getting screened. 
Many deaths from cervical cancer could be prevented by regular screening and necessary treatment.  Other preventative factors include not smoking, using condoms, and limiting your number of sexual partners. Human papilloma viruses (HPV) is the main cause of cervical cancer.   There is now a vaccine that may help in preventing HPV infections. Two licensed vaccines have been found to prevent most of the types of HPV that are associated with cervical cancer. Because the vaccines do not prevent all types of HPV, it is still recommended that Pap tests be done.  Talk with your health care provider to decide if the vaccine is right for you or your daughter.

Free or low cost breast and cervical cancer screening services and follow-up care are available to eligible women in the state of North Carolina. Please call the Dare County Department of Public Health at 252-475-5003 for more information about low or no cost cancer screening and HPV vaccines.  

•  49.1 million-number of people in the U.S. without health insurance in 2009 (Health Care Reform, The Cost of Failure, May 21, 2009)
• 65.7 million-projected number of people without health insurance in 2019 if reform is not enacted based on slow income growth and rising health care costs. (Health Care Reform: The Cost of Failure, The Urban Institute, May 21, 2009)
• $13,375-average cost of a health insurance premium in 2009 (Drew Altman, Pulling it all Together, www.kff.org, September 2009.)
• $30, 833-estimated average cost of a health insurance  premium in 2019 if health care costs rise in the next ten years at the average rate of growth for the last ten years. (Kaiser Family Foundations projections based on data from Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits, 1999-2009)

• 22.5-percentage increase of people in North Carolina without health insurance from 2007-2009. (Ibid)
• 1-rank of North Carolina among states in percentage of the uninsured from 2007-2009. (Ibid)
• 54-percent of people who believe that given the serious economic problems facing the country, it is more important than ever to take on health care reform now (Ibid)
• 39-percent of people who believe that given the serious economic problems facing the country that we cannot afford to take on health care reform now.  (Ibid)

A comprehensive report can be read at Urban Institute, a nonpartisan organization.