Monthly Newsletter
In This Issue: July 2007 
•   ROL Hires Four Full-Time Staff
•   Volunteer Spotlight: OSU MPH Students
•   Kids Health Hint of the Month
ROL Hires Four Full-Time Staff
Road of Life is proud to introduce four new AmeriCorps VISTAs. Rosa Jung, Anuprit Kaur, Sarah Mase and Margo Roberts recently began their year of service at Road of Life after spending a week of training in Chicago being sworn in as AmeriCorps VISTAs. AmeriCorps was created to bring low-income people and communities out of poverty. There are nearly 6,000 VISTAs working on over 1,200 projects nationwide this year. Each Road of Life VISTA was chosen for her unique set of skills and abilities.

Rosa Jung is the Director of Marketing and Outreach. She is responsible for marketing and press release coordination, staff and volunteer recruitment, program outreach and managing the daily tasks of the office. She will also be the liaison for the Communication Advisory Committee. Rosa graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech and Hearing Science.

Anuprit Kaur is the Director of Advancement in Greater Cleveland. She is responsible for expanding outreach and maintaining new relationships in Northeast Ohio. Anuprit graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelors of Science in Biology with a concentration in Physiology/Anatomy.

Sarah Mase is the Director of Grants and Technology and will generate new resources for Road of Life and maintain the website and office technology. She was an intern with Road of Life and we are excited for her to continue her excellent work with us. Sarah graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, a minor in Professional Writing and was the first person to earn the Integrative Approaches to Health and Wellness Minor.

Margo Roberts is the Director of Program Development and will help develop and expand new programs for Road of Life. She will manage the Curriculum Advisory Committee as well as program evaluations. Margo graduated with honors and distinction from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Women’s Studies and French.

The new VISTAs bring a variety of talents and interests to Road of Life that will undoubtedly enrich and expand the existing programs. We are looking forward to an exciting year!

Road of Life would also like to thank our former VISTAs Robyn Hauser and Bethany Peppers for their incredible year of service and we wish them luck in all they do!

Volunteer Spotlight: OSU MPH Students
This month’s Volunteer Spotlight focuses on Keeley Zakrzewski, Sarah Krygowski, and Michika Nickerson, three graduate students pursuing their Masters of Public Health (MPH) degrees from The Ohio State University.

Zakrzewski, Krygowski, and Nickerson have been working on the Family Component of the Road of Life program. This will consist of a workbook geared towards parents and other family members. The workbook will incorporate information from the lessons in the Road of Life Curriculum and will focus on providing teachable information that parents can use to teach their children about good nutrition, tobacco use prevention, and physical activity.

Each of the MPH students heard about Road of Life by attending the College of Public Health Opportunities Fair. Each individual possesses the skills important for making this project successful. Zakrzewski has a background in health psychology and offers expertise on how to relate to the general public in terms of planning, implementing and evaluating health campaigns and conducting needs assessments. Krygowski specializes in health behavior and health promotion and provides knowledge about behavior change programs and health communication to the general public. Nickerson designs brochures and education materials that break down the complex wording of health information effectively, enabling people to better understand the concepts. The hours the three complete at Road of Life will count towards their MPH degrees. “We are very pleased to have these three wonderful volunteers. Their work is extremely important to the families we serve,” said Executive Director Shane Hankins. “We are also very excited about our growing relationship with The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health.” Without these volunteers, we would not have a Family version available to implement in our communities.

Along with earning an MPH degree and volunteering, each individual finds time to exercise healthy habits regularly. Zakrzewski enjoys kickboxing and going for walks, as well as eating lots of fruit and salads. Krygowski enjoys swimming during the summertime and eating watermelon. Nickerson enjoys a good cardio workout along with daily exercise, and gets a good night’s sleep to keep her looking her best.

Volunteer at Road of Life!

Kids Health Hint of the Month
Great ways to express your opinion about using tobacco. Simply say:

1. NO thank you, I care about my health.
2. NO thank you, I plan to live a very long time.
3. NO thanks, I like to spend my money on other things.
4. NO thanks, I don’t do things that are illegal.
5. NO thanks, I don’t want to smell horrible when I have to go home.
6. NO thank you, it will affect my game in soccer (football, baseball, etc) or my ability to dance, do tai chi, karate, etc.
7. NO thanks. I know that once you start it is very hard to stop.

** Always use “I” statements. Keep the situation positive by talking about how you feel about something.

This health hint was taken from Lesson 27: Talking to Peers about Tobacco. For more health hints please visit our website.

The Keren Emrich Foundation DBA
Road of Life: Cancer Prevention for Kids
35 E. Gay Street, Suite #509
Columbus, OH 43215
p: (614) 221-1235
f: (614) 352-2963
 www.roadoflife.org