spring 2012 issue of fit & family

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Contents

On The Cover

Steve and Marcia Adair, students at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Bluffton, show off their elegant moves in the Seaquins Ballroom!

Make sure and read more about ballroom dancing and the Fred Astaire Studio on page 24!

photo by: Lovely Lane Photography.

History Tidbits ....................................................4Lawson Family ....................................................6Lessons from Mom . ...........................................8Family Fit Recipe...............................................10Mother’s Day......................................................12Bowling Champ..................................................15

Drop 5 Pounds Fast! .........................................14Kid’s Triathlon................................................... 19Swimming Safety................................................20Go Organic!........................................................22Ballroom Dancing .............................................24

Preschool at the Y..............................................26Healing Heroes Golf Week...............................28Family Promise .................................................30

Saving For College............................................32Financial Literacy For Kids.............................34

Family Scene! ................................................... 36

Family Fit

Physically Fit

Charitably Fit

Financially Fit

JOIN US!

The 4 Balancing Weights

1. Family Fit

2. Physically Fit

3. Charitably Fit

4. Financially Fit

We are looking for Sales Consultants and Interns to help us reach the communities of Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head. see website for details.www.fitandfamily.com

GraceAnna Castleberry Kelley Luikey Gail Greenway Sales Consultant

Monica Wilkinson

Our

Contributors

Thank You!

Advertising Director Eric Grierson

Publisher Shannon Grierson

Fit & Family Magazine is produced six times a year by MacBen Marketing, owned by Eric and Shan-non Grierson. Each issue is continued on the website at www.fitandfamily.com. Subscription and advertising in-formation is also available online. For more information please contact us: 843-217-5853

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Holly Cordray Ian Hart

Photo by Lovely Lane Photograp

hy

Distribution

Norma Crooks/Family

Gail & Charlie Greenway

Larry Beaupre

Ruby Francis

Jennifer Brooks Michelle JohnsNatalie Daise

I went to see the new documentary movie called Monumental last night (March 27th) at a theater in Bluffton. The movie was the brainchild of Kirk Cameron, after he had tak-en a trip to Plymouth, MA to see a monument that is there.

To me, monuments seem to be so much larger than life, that I have a hard time relat-ing to what they stand for. It is safe to say, that I have never been that interested in study-ing them. Not until the last few years have I started to become aware, however, that I was missing something. I attribute this to becom-ing a parent. It has made me more aware that I need to know the truth in order to be able to teach my children. So now, my eyes are open, the fog of complacency has been lifted, and I am thirsty—walking through the desert, thirsty, for the truth. I hate the feeling that I may have been mislead and it is my respon-sibility to right those wrongs and make sure they don’t happen to my kids.

So, I went to see Monumental. It was a si-mulcast in over 500 theaters across the nation, with new ones being added as the demand has increased. Wow! I was blown away by what I learned. Most importantly, I have a sharper, clearer understanding of what this country needs in order to become great again.

The secret is to look to our past. To re-live it. To understand it. And to follow the blueprint those who started this country, left behind. A great place to start, is to study this monument the Pilgrims left for us in Plym-outh, MA. In the movie, Kirk took us to see the monument to learn what it was telling us. Most of us have never even heard of it. Now that I have seen it, it has unlocked in me a conviction and mission, stronger than ever before.

I am convinced.

The people who started this coun-try knew the answers. They lived the answers. Their lives were center on it and driven by it. NOTHING would deter them. And they were good, moral, loving, smart, brave, and full of Faith, people. They had been through the worst life can dish out. Things that happen today only in the movies. I don’t think they really ever had a time when it was easy. I don’t see how they could find much hope in their lives. But they did, and it kept them strong.

They never took their eyes off the prize.

I am in awe.

So, now that I know the answers, and I hope you will seek them too, what do I do? Well, the first thing is to share it with others. But more im-portantly, while we do that, we need to start in our homes. I walked out of that theater, my mind whirling with eagerness, thinking of what I needed to do in my life to get on the right path. I felt (we) had already begun this, but that we were miss-ing some of the pieces and had been struggling with letting some things go. I am blessed to know what those things are and am leaping for joy this morning, knowing what needs to be done!

I have hope! I will not take my eyes off the prize.

~Shannon Grierson

*The image on this page is of the monument at Plymouth. I would love to see this in person and it would make a great trip this summer. If you can’t make the trip, check out the movie and DVD at this site: www.monumentalmovie.com or www.demandthemovie.com/monumental

The Forefathers Monument

Historic Downtown Beaufort Shopping

Truly a unique shopping experience!

You’ll find the most unique gifts, artwork, restaurants, and boutiques in Downtown Beaufort. The experience of walking these historic streets while taking in the waterfront views beats going to the mall any day!

History

Tidbit

507 Newcastle Street. Built in 1724 and in active use ever since, it is one of the oldest active churches in the United States. Its parish was estab-lished in 1712. The church was used as a hospital during the Civil War, and marble tombstone slabs were used as operating tables.

4 Fit & Family Magazine | Beaufort • Bluffton • Hilton Head

1405 Bay Street. Built in 1785 by Ed-ward Barnwell, it housed federal offices during the Civil War and also served as a signal station and U.S. Telegraph Of-fice. The house was sold after the war to pay taxes. Two Barnwell brothers inher-ited it, but they were so jealous of each other they built a partition through the middle, removing part of the stairway, and their families lived separately from each other.

History

Tidbit

�www.FitandFamily.com | Apr/May 2012

“I had my life all planned out,” Erica Law-son told me as she began to explain the jour-ney that she and her husband, Geoff have been on for over a decade. “I would get mar-ried, finish school, work for a while, and then have children. It was my list that would just get checked off.”

For Erica, a lot of the things she had on her list did happen. She married Geoff in 1998, fin-ished school, and in 2000 they moved to Beaufort. But when they decided it was time to start a family, much to their surprise, no babies came. “Every month was like the start of a new agony and death for me,” Erica shared as she described the disappoint-ment they faced when she could not get pregnant. Before long, those months of infertility turned into years. It was around this time that Geoff and Erica started at-tending church. “God really be-gan to work in our marriage. It was like God was rooting out the wrong things in our hearts and readying us to be parents.”

As the Lawsons began to grow in their faith in God, their view of family changed. Erica explained, “There was so much we were overlooking in an attempt to have a picture-perfect life. Geoff and I realized that as parents we have a great and unique opportunity to share Christ with our children. That became our goal for our family, and we busied ourselves with preparing our hearts to be godly parents.”

Even though the Lawson’s outlook

changed, their situation did not. Geoff reas-sured Erica by saying, “We’ll have a family in God’s time.”

One day, it seemed that God’s timing had finally arrived when Erica received a phone call from a pregnant, young woman who

asked if they would want to adopt her baby. The Lawsons had not considered adoption, but now, they began to wonder if this was the avenue for them to have children. In the coming days, Geoff and Erica had several conversations with the young woman. Erica explained, “It was very emotional, so we de-cided to get an adoption agency involved.” However, when the agency tried to help, the young woman immediately backed off, and they never heard from her again. “I was heart-

broken,” Erica said. Even though the adop-tion fell through, the Lawsons realized they desired to pursue adoption.

Just a couple months later, the adoption agency informed them of a baby boy due to be born in February they could adopt. As the

little boy’s due date approached, Geoff and Erica decided to name their future son Joshua. On the day Joshua was born, the Law-sons received his picture via email. “I was teaching school that day. My whole class and all the teachers knew about Joshua,” Erica shared. “When Geoff sent me Joshua’s picture, I emailed it to my fellow teachers and put it up on the Smart Board in my class-room. Before I knew it, Joshua’s picture was on every Smart Board in the school, and I could hear the children in all the classrooms cheering!”

Geoff and Erica waited anx-iously at home for the phone call telling them it was time to come to the hospital to meet their son. But when the call came, they were

asked to wait. The same thing happened the next day. Finally, Geoff received a call telling them that the birth mother had decided to keep her son. This heartbreak was greater than the first. “It felt so horrible,” Erica de-scribed as she choked back tears. “Every-thing had pointed to ‘yes.’ I began to realize how children truly are a gift. It’s a privilege and an honor to have little people call you, ‘mommy.’” Erica returned to teaching school as she dealt with the heartbreak of yet another disappointment.

� Fit & Family Magazine | Beaufort • Bluffton • Hilton Head

Family Fit Lawsonsby GraceAnna Castleberry

Family FitAnother call came, this time about a lit-

tle girl who would be born in early June. On Father’s Day, Geoff and Erica bought some items for their soon-to-be daughter. The clerk at the register told Geoff, “Happy Father’s Day!” He responded, “Not yet, but almost.” They went home to get their house ready for their daughter when they received a call that the birth mother was in labor. When they ar-rived at the hospital, the birth mother wanted to speak with them. “It felt so different this time. I had an instant peace,” Erica said as she described meeting the baby’s mother. The birth mother gave Erica the ultrasound picture of the baby. As Erica looked at the pic-ture, she realized that the baby was actually a BOY! Erica looked at Geoff and exclaimed, “But I brought a dress!”

As they overcame their shock, the Law-sons were moved to a room right next to the delivery room as they waited for their son to be born. As the minutes passed, Erica’s fears grew more and more. She was scared that this time would be like all the rest. Finally, the nurse came in and announced, “He’s here!”

Just moments after he was born, a tiny baby boy was brought in to Geoff and Erica. “We were both holding him and crying,” Erica said as the tears fell down her face as she recalled that day, “We were so amazed. Amazed by God. Amazed at the journey we had been on. Amazed that we were finally holding our son!” When the nurses took their son to get cleaned up, Geoff and Erica began to wonder what they would name him. Geoff said, “What about Andrew?” Andrew was his grandfather’s name. “I like that,” Erica re-sponded. At that same moment, a hospital employee came walking down the hall car-rying a giant bag of trash. Geoff and Erica looked at him as he passed by, and to their surprise he had a huge name tag across his shirt that said, “Andrew.” Geoff and Erica started laughing and said, “Andrew it is!”

After two days at the hospital, the birth mother signed the papers giving Andrew to the Lawsons forever. “It was such an emo-tional moment,” Erica said, “I wanted to thank her, but how do you thank someone for giving you such a precious gift?” Erica promised to always love and take care of An-drew and gave the birth mother a small angel bearing the name, “Grace.”

The next six months were a time of cel-ebration and exhaustion as Geoff and Erica

adjusted to being new parents. Then, much to their surprise, they were approached by a friend who asked, “What would you think of adopting again?” The Lawsons were shocked. “Even though we were surprised,” Erica said, “We felt like our family wasn’t complete.” They were informed about a group of four sisters who needed a home. The girls were ages 5, 4, 4, and 2. “What were we to say?” Erica explained, “After all of our years of heartbreak, how could we say no?” After much prayer and counseling, Geoff, Erica, and Andrew welcomed four beautiful girls into their lives. “When they came into our family, it was like they were just meant to be! They just ‘fit,’” Erica said through tears.

When it came to becoming a family, the Lawsons didn’t have an easy journey. Their definition of family was radically redefined from their original idea. Geoff and Erica real-ized that the most important aspect of family is the love that they have for God and one an-

other. As they grow together, they are taking it one day at a time. “Right now we are just focusing on becoming a family in the day to day moments of life,” Erica said as she de-scribed ways they are bonding together. “We enjoy having family devotionals, playing outside, going for walks, reading books, and having afternoon tea. Our heart is to cultivate in our children a love for one another and a will to serve.” Before their journey, Geoff and Erica took the gift of children for granted. But now, they see each child as a picture of grace. The word grace means, “an unde-served gift” and that’s the way the Lawsons feel about their family. When they adopted their four daughters, they gave them each the same middle name, ‘Grace.’ “Despite all of the struggle and pain we’ve experienced, God gave us such beauty!” Erica shared. “Our five children are a blessing and gift to us - such grace - which we did not deserve!”


What I Learned FromLessons From My Mother

For many, Mother’s Day is marked by cel-ebration and thankfulness, honoring the spe-cial woman in their life that they call “mom.” The day brings forth wonderful memories of the mom that raised them, loved them, taught them, and nurtured them. However, for others, it’s a painful time as it reminds them about the mother they wish they’d had. In either case, mothers have an impact on their children’s lives that will last forever. As this Mother’s Day approaches, I’ve been reflecting on some of the ways my mother has helped shape me as a woman, and also as a new mother.

Motherhood is a Calling, Not a Hobby

For as long as I can remember, my mom always loved being a mother. Right after my mom graduated from UNC, Chapel Hill, she married my dad, a graduate of Boston College. Shortly after they were married, they got pregnant with my oldest brother, Jeremy. From the moment he was born, my mom decided to stay home to take care of him. A few years later, they had my brother Jordan, then I was born, then my brother Grant, and lastly, my brother Jameson. Because my par-ents had five children (4 of those being boys!) our home was definitely a loud and rambunc-tious place.

The memories I have of my growing up years are some of my absolute favorite. My parents made our home a safe place, a place where we were taught to work hard, where we were corrected when we strayed, and where we were celebrated as unique chil-dren created by God. My parents were a team when it came to raising us, but since I’m writing about my mom, I’m going to focus on what I learned from her.

I never once doubted my mom’s love, be cause she showed me that every day. The neighborhood children would often come and play after school at our house, because many of their mothers weren’t home. My mom would play out in the yard with us, be the referee in races, talk with us about life issues, and of course make us cookies. Sev-eral times I heard one of my friends tell my mom, “I wish you were my mother.” I just remember thinking, “I’m so glad she’s mine.”

My mom fully embraced her calling as a mother. She didn’t mind being known as “her kid’s mom.” She always viewed it as the most important job in the world and told us that there was nothing that she would rather do than in-vest in our lives. And that’s what she did. My brothers and I weren’t ranked low on a list of other things that were more important to my mom. While my mom made sure that we weren’t the center of attention all the time, we never felt like we had to compete for her time or affection.

Mothering isn’t the kind of job that produces a tangible monetary salary. Spending days at home while raising children rarely receives acco-lades or applause from the outside world. But there’s a much smaller world that will one day be thankful for it.

The Little Moments Matter

When I think back on my childhood, I remember so many little things. I remember my mom rocking me in the old blue rocker that used to sit in my parents’ bedroom. I can still here the “click, click, click” noise that it made as it moved back and forth along with the soft hum of my mom’s voice. I remem-ber my mom helping me learn new things. I remember her celebrating those joyous achievements with me and encouraging me

as I struggled along the way. I remember calling home once when I was spending the night at a friend’s house. I was homesick and just wanted to come back home. It was near midnight, but my mom drove over and picked me up. It was in these little moments that I especially felt loved. These were moments when I really needed my mom, and she was there for me.

As a mother of a one-year-old now, I trea-sure these moments too. When I used to get up in the middle of the night to feed my in-fant daughter, I would remind myself that this moment mattered, no matter how tired I was. When I talk to my daughter about things that I’m not sure she yet understands, I know that I am helping her to develop into the per-

son that she will one day be. That’s not some-thing that I ever want to take lightly.

I’m so happy that I witnessed firsthand her discovering her hands and feet for the first time, hearing her say her first word, and watching her finally figure out how to crawl down the stairs backwards. These are little things, yet they matter so much. It’s these little moments that make up life, and I don’t want to miss them.

You Are Fully Equipped to be a Mother

I’ll never forget the moment when the doctor handed me my little girl just seconds

My Momby GraceAnna Castleberry

� Fit & Family Magazine | Beaufort • Bluffton • Hilton Head

after she was born. No mother ever forgets that moment. It’s unlike any other. One mo-ment you are the person you’ve always been, and the next moment you are keenly aware that you have forever changed.

When my husband and I brought our 6lbs 7oz daughter home for the first time, we laid her on the bed to change her diaper. When I saw how absolutely tiny she was, I started to cry. I suddenly became completely over-whelmed at the reality that this little person was utterly dependent on me in every way. I began to doubt whether I was capable of such a huge task. As I battled my tears, the words that I’d heard my mother say count-less times to other young women echoed in my mind, “God has fully equipped you to be the mother that your child needs.” As I watched my tiny little girl squirm and cry on the bed, I picked her up and cuddled her in my arms. She stopped crying and I found courage, knowing that I was what she needed. Because of my mother, I know in the crazy moments, in the hard moments, and in the very best of moments, that there is no better mother for my child than me. I am not a perfect mother, and even though I may stumble along the way, I don’t have to doubt whether or not I was “cut out” to be a mom.

Embrace the Calling of Mother-hood; Don’t Struggle Against It

There are hard days being a mom. There just are. There are days when kids get sick, they don’t take naps, they have meltdowns in public, or things just generally get chaotic. But I learned from my mom, that in order to be a wonderful mother, you have to embrace it whole-heartedly. You can’t be the mom your child needs while constantly wishing you were somewhere else. I’ve heard my mom say so many times, “Don’t get distract-ed,” and “No one has to be upset but the baby,” and “Take it in stride.” And really, it’s like that with anything. If you don’t embrace the challenge with open arms, you will experi-

ence discontentment that leads to bitterness. My mom has also told me many times that, “Anything worth doing is hard.” What if we as mothers stopped struggling to be some-thing else other than what we are? What if we embraced the joys along with the hard times of motherhood instead of struggling to be or

do something else? Motherhood is humbling and it does take sacrifice. Yet as I’ve learned from my mom, those who are willing to walk that road will reap great rewards.

About five years ago, when my brother Jeremy was working for former President George W. Bush, my parents were invited to the Oval Office to meet him. The President greeted my dad, but then went straight to my mom and said, “You have done a wonder-ful job raising your son.” I know it meant so much to my mom that the President of the United States was commending her as a mother. Those years that she had spent changing diapers and teaching her children had somehow landed her in front of the leader of the free world. But as much as his words encouraged her, she didn’t need to hear them to know that her calling was important. She had always believed that. And because she believed that and practiced it, I believe it too. All four of my brothers and I are grown up now and have moved out of the house. My brothers have all gone to great schools and have impressive careers. And me? Well, I’m a mother, just like my mom. And there’s nothing else I’d rather be.

“ I’m a mother, just like my mom. And there’s nothing else I’d rather be.”


This Pad Thai recipe that can be made at home with very little effort. The recipe is also low in calories and fat, and all ingredients, except veg-etables, are available at Islands Meat Market.

-- Makes 6 servings, total time 30 minutes

For the sauce, simmer: 1/2 cup pure tamarind paste 1/3 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup fish sauce 2 Tbsp. sambal oelek or chili garlic sauce

For the Pad Thai, soak: 8 oz. rice stick noodles 3 Tbsp. canola oil, divided 6 Scallions, thinly sliced white and green parts separated 1 Tbsp. minced garlic 3 Eggs beaten 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left on 1 cup shredded carrot 1 cup fresh mung bean sprouts Chopped dry roasted peanuts Chopped fresh cilantro Lime wedges

For the sauce simmer tamarind, brown sugar, fish sauce and sam-bal in a small saucepan over low heat, 5 minutes, set aside.

For the pad Thai soak noodles in very hot water just until pliable; drain and set aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large non stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallion whites and garlic, cook until beginning to brown 2-3 min-utes. Stir in eggs, cook, stirring often, until lightly scrambled, 1-2 min-utes, then transfer to a small bowl and set aside. Wipe skillet clean.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet. Add shrimp and cook until pink, opaque, and beginning to curl, 2-3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a bowl; set aside. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in same skillet. Add noodles, then stir in sauce; cook until noodles absorb sauce, 3-5 minutes.

Toss together scallion greens, carrot, bean sprouts, egg mixture, and shrimp with noodles. Divide Pad Thai among bowls. Garnish each serving with peanuts, cilantro and lime wedges.

Per serving: 372 cal. 10g fat (1g sat): 188mg chol;1548 sodium; 53g carb;2g fiber; 17g protein

Recipe courtesy of Cuisine magazine.

Family Fit Recipe provided by Lin with the Islands Meat Market


!

Family Fit

11www.FitandFamily.com | Apr/May 2012

Did You Know: Young children benefit from activi-ties that develop fine-motor con-trol? Enhanced thumb, pointer-fin-ger coordination contributes to success in acquiring writing skills. Common childhood objects such as crayons and chalk can be com-bined in creative play to develop pre-writing skills. Choose materi-als to place in a box which can be made readily available. Be sure to rotate materials from time to time to keep children interested and excited!

Educational

Tidbitby Michelle Johns(The Brown School)

Fun Box #1 Fill a small box with crayon and

chalk nubs (smaller pieces are better for thumb-pointer grip). Include paper (recycled if possible) and small chalk board. Child can scribble, draw pic-tures, shapes and designs. The focus of this activity should be on the process, not the product.

Fun Box #2Place child-size scissors (name

brand such as Fiskar, which have blunt edges but really cut), gluestick, paper, and junkmail catalogues in the box. Child can cut out pictures, letters, and numbers, and glue onto the paper. Scis-sors need adult supervision.

Fun Box #3Fill box with playdough, popscicle

sticks, cookie cutters, (recycled con-tainer caps) and child-size rolling pin. The possibilities are endless for cre-ative and open-ended play. To make this activity even more exciting, make your own playdough! (Mix 1C salt, 11/2C flour, 1/2C water, 2T oil, food coloring. Store in pastic bag.)

Honoring mothers is a long-standing tradition with Biblical roots, “Honor your father and your mother.” (Exodus 20:12) And, now many of us are mothers with sweet ones in our care who want to celebrate and love on us. Here are a few ideas for honoring mothers in our lives.

Remem b e rMother’s Day can be a really hard time for the one who has lost

a baby or her own mother. When we have a loved one who is no longer on this earth, don’t we hope they are not forgotten? Show someone you know and love, you have not forgotten their loss, send a card – give a hug. Or, take potted rosemary (herb meaning remem-brance) with a little note to plant it where it is easily visible reminding them of your gift of remembrance.

Giv e t h e Gi f t o f Mot h e r h o o dIn addition to being a hard holiday for those who have experi-

enced a deep loss, Mother’s Day can be very painful for one who longs for a yet-to-come child. Stand by this dear one and encourage

her through this hard time. Remember women have special mother-ing gifts to offer whether they have children of their own or not. Con-sider giving a donation in the name of your mom or special moms in your life to a couple who is in the process of adopting or to a Crisis Pregnancy Center. What better way to honor motherhood than to help another realize the dream of being a mother.

Be Toge t h e rA thoughtful handwritten note, a picnic, time together, creating

beauty – these simple ideas are often the best for celebrating special moms in our lives. Remember your Mom and also those who have filled in that role in other areas for you. It truly is the thought that counts when you are honoring mothers!

Celebrat ing Mom

Family Traditions{ } photos & article

by Monica Wilkinson

Family Trip

Tidbits

Ways to Save Money

Plan Ahead: Choosing a must-see site for each day saves time and frazzled nerves while traveling.

Explore local transit: Using local buses or subways saves big bucks and gives insight to local culture.

Use Travel Websites: Bidding on desired star-level and city area hotels rather than booking a specific hotel saves money without sacrificing quality and location.

by Jennifer Brooks

For the history lover’s dream, visit Williams-burg, Virginia just seven hours north of Beaufort. Colonial Williamsburg has perfectly preserved life circa 1774-1776 and takes visitors back in time to not just see, but feel colonial life. From a behind the scenes look at a Royal Ball at the Governor’s Palace to hearing Patrick Henry’s reasons for rev-olution in the Virginia House of Burgesses, Wil-liamsburg brings history to life!

For more informa-tion on these and other family travel ideas visit www.brookssabbatical.blogspot.com

When many of us think of losing weight, most times we imagine a starva-tion diet or spending countless hours in the gym – or both, only to have the pounds pack right back on once you revert to your regular routine. Simply put, weight loss is about a combination of simple lifestyle changes – changing a few key factors about what you eat and how you exercise, without making it a full-time job. This type of weight loss is gradual and permanent, since you are able to maintain it long-term.

Now, I have to warn you: the below life-style changes may seem rudimentary, but by consciously getting in the habit of doing them, you will see real, permanent results and keep the weight and excess fat off for good.

1. Ditch Diet SodaAt the University of Texas, San Antonio,

researchers found that people who drank at least 2 or more diet soft drinks a day had the largest waistline increases—about five times more than that of non-drinkers. The study con-cluded that artificial sweeteners are addictive, lead to waistline increases, and cause you to

crave sugary foods. By cutting diet soda out of your daily routine, and replacing it with water, you will quickly and effortlessly lose inches and pounds.

2. Swap Out Sandwich Bread for Lettuce

This is the new, redefined sandwich. Eat-ing bread and other starchy foods always leads to extra pounds, so substitute sandwich bread for lettuce for 30 days and you will read-ily lose weight. You’ll feel more energetic after lunch too.

3. Kick Slow Cardio To the Curb

Although you will burn calories, doing slow cardio will not give you the fat burning results that intervals will. If you’re a treadmill person, then do a series of sprints (or at least a faster, less comfortable pace) throughout your workout, then jog (walk if you’re a beginner) to catch your breath. If you’re a swimmer, then push yourself extra hard every other lap.

4. Avoid Sugar 99% Of The Time

There’s really no way around this simple truth: sugar is standing between you and your perfect body. If you’re serious about looking and feeling great, then understand that sugar has no place in your diet. If you avoid sugar 99% of the time, then you will be on your way to a lean and energetic body. If it’s your birth-day or a special holiday, then partake in a small amount of sugar, but make that the exception – not the rule.

5. Exercise With A Professional

When a professional designs your work-outs, you know they will be good.

It’s a proven fact: people who work with a personal trainer get better results than those who attempt to do it on their own. Each work-out should push you to your limits, challenge

your body and deliver the results you’re look-ing for.

5 Easy Ways To Drop 5 Pounds


Maximize caloric burn by activating your gluteus maximus. Your glutes are the largest muscle group on the entire body and burn more calories than any other muscle group. They also give you a nice tush. Make sure to maximize your caloric burn by activating your glutes when you do squats and lunges by pushing through the heel of your foot during the movement. Don’t make the mistake of pushing through your toes as that can put sheer force on your knees leading to inflammation and inju-ry; plus it won’t burn as many calories.

Physically Fit

Tidbit

by Ian Hart

by Ian Hart

5 Easy Ways To Drop 5 Pounds

by Natalie Daise

1�www.FitandFamily.com | Apr/May 2012

Stephen Debatowka is an athlete. There are no cheerleaders for his sport and the student body at Beaufort High School doesn’t show up in school colors to watch him play. There’s no letter jacket. But within minutes of meeting him and shaking his firm right hand, there is no doubt that Stephen is a serious competitor.

The 1st ever Beaufort, SC citi-zen to be invited to the Junior Gold Tournament and one of the top 1000 players in the country, Stephen has been bowling for 10 years. It start-ed, simply enough, with a family outing to Ribaut Lanes. His parents, Sherry and Daniel Debatowka, thought it would be a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon. And it was. Eight-year-old Stephen took to it like he was born in bowling shoes. Within weeks he’d signed up

with the Youth Bowlers of Beaufort League and began bowling in tournaments.

“I used to bowl in a tournament about once a month,” he said, “ but now I attend 2 or 3 a month. “ Bowling tournaments have taken him to twenty states and that’s just the beginning. He’s competed in the Teen Mas-ters tournament in New York City, placing a

very respectable 38th. In December 2011 he competed in the Team USA trials in Las Vegas, Nevada. And there are more on the schedule. His mother has attended every one.

It takes dedication. Stephen has 20 cus-

tom made bowling balls in his collection and he knows exactly how each one reacts. When traveling to tournaments he routinely car-ries six of the bowling balls to allow for the variations that are found at each lane. Ste-phen also has two coaches. He’s worked with James Bollack, a local coach, for three years. But when Bollack felt Stephen had reached the peak of what he could do locally he rec-

ommended that he find an additional coach to take him to the next level. It was shortly after this, while compet-ing in “The Right Approach Training Tour,” that he met Leon Lamm, one

of the top 40 coaches in the country. They’ve been working together now for about a year and a half, with Stephen traveling to Charlotte, NC at least once a month for their sessions.

This is on top of his tournament schedule and maintaining a place on the BHS honor role. He’s a pretty busy guy, but that’s what it takes to stay at the top of his game. “I don’t watch much TV,” he said. “I spend most of my time bowling or doing school work.”

Steve offers this advice, “Sometimes suc-cess is found with what’s not popular. And Both things are true for Stephen. His bowling has led him to meet people from all 50 states and from 32 countries. He has formed friendships that have enriched his life and had experiences that many of his classmates can’t imagine. And the scholarship funds earned at tourna-ments will assist him as he moves into his next venture. Stephen plans to attend Florida State University in Tallahassee next year, majoring in Business and Mechanical Engineering. Of course, he’ll be on the bowling team. And his mom can still make all the tournaments.

Annual Pet and Kids Fair (by Beaufort Dog)April 14th from 10-2Kids Activities, Games, ContestsHabersham Marketplace http://beaufortpetandkidfair.info

Healing Heroes Golf WeekApril 23, 24, 26, 27 www.healingheroesgolfweek.com

RBC HeritageSunday, Apr 8, 2012 - Apr 16, 2012Tickets for April’s RBC Heritage at Harbour Town are now on sale! 843.671.2448

9th Annual Softshell Crab FestivalSaturday, 21st April 2012, 12-5pm Car Show, Music, Vendors, Food!Old Towne Port Royal. 843-470-1110

Healthy Kids Day® Kids Triathlon, YMCA April 28th, 9:00 am www.active.com

Beaufort River Swim Event to raise money for YMCA swimming lessons May 26, 2012 at 8:00 a.m.www.beaufortriverswim.com

Tony Evans at CBC Beaufort Revival. April 26 & 27. 6pm

Cinco De Mayo Bash Habersham First Fridays Vendors, Fun, Food, Music! May 4, 4pm www.habershammarketplace.com

1� Fit & Family Magazine | Beaufort • Bluffton • Hilton Head

Stephen Debatowka.... continuedUPCOMINGFamily/Fitness Events

The Home Affordable Refinance Program (HAPR-II) is a way for some home owners to refinance the principal balance of their cur-rent home loan to reduce their monthly princi-pal and interest payment. You may have heard about this program in the news lately but are not sure what it is, how it can help you or if you qualify. This program offers a revised set of mortgage underwriting guidelines from the original HARP program. Briefly, HARP-II is a program offered through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to help homeowners that owe more on their homes than the home is worth in order to refinance. This program is for ho-meowners who have not been late with their mortgage, but want to lower their monthly principal and interest housing payment but have been unable to refinance guidelines because of lower values. The new loan can

be used for owner-occupied homes, second homes or investment homes.

The first thing the owner would need to do is verify that, Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac owns or guarantees their loan. Most, but not all, loans are sold to these secondary market lenders. Go to “http://www.fanniemae.com/loanlookup” or www.freddiemac.com/my-mortgage on the internet and fill in the blanks for confirmation that your loan is owned or guaranteed by one of these companies. The HARP-II programs are broken down into two sections, those that are refinanced with the company that originated the loan and those that are refinanced with a new lender. There are small, but important differences, in the underwriting guidelines.

The new loan cannot be a “cash/out” loan,

that is, the owner may not receive any cash back from the refinance. If there is a second mortgage on the home such as a Home Eq-uity Line of Credit or a true second mortgage, these loans may not be included in the refi-nanced loan, but must be re-subordinated to the new first mortgage. The loan that is be-ing refinanced must have been sold to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac on or before June 1, 2009, and the new loans must be dated on or before December 31, 2013.

If you are interested in refinancing con-tact me or your lender for additional informa-tion on these and other programs to help you meet your mortgage goals. This information is gathered from numerous sources to include Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, is not guaran-teed and is subject to change without notice.

The Home Affordable Refinance Programby Bob Cummins


The YMCA of Beaufort County will be hosting a youth triathlon to commemorate Healthy Kids Day® on April 28th. Healthy Kids Day® was developed to encourage kids and parents to commit to keeping the body and mind active during the summer. Bring the entire family and celebrate along with 1,900 other Y’s across the country. Your kids will have the opportunity to do some of the things they love all together in one day; run, bike, and swim with the addition of a start and fin-ish line. The distances are short and age ap-propriate and the goal is to have fun and en-courage a healthy lifestyle.

Most kids are fit enough to finish the race without any structured training, although practicing will help make the event go smooth-ly. A minimal amount of equipment is needed - a bathing suit, bike, helmet, running shoes,

water bottle, goggles, towel, and any clothes your child would like to wear.

If your child is interested in participat-ing, the following tips can help them have a great day:

Kids will swim, bike and run, in that order with a transition area in between segments.

The transition portion will be the most unfamiliar but volunteers will be available to help kids with shoes, helmets, etc.

Your child can practice biking then run-ning short distances at home and swim-ming then running at your local pool. These workouts are called bricks and will help your child understand what race day will be like.

Your son or daughter should be com-

fortable swimming the distance of the swim portion. The stroke used is not impor-tant but you may want to go to the pool to practice.

Help your child understand pacing. Kids tend to take off with everything they’ve got at the beginning and then find they are too tired to keep going. Practice running with your child, have them take it easy at the be-ginning and gradually build up speed.

Make it fun! Remember that the goal is to enjoy the day and encourage fitness. Your child will feel a huge sense of accomplish-ment when they finish their race. Help them feel special and celebrate their success!

The race is open for ages 5-15 and starts at 9:00 a.m. at the Y in Port Royal. Register at the Y or online at www.active.com. For more information please call 843.522.9622

Healthy Kids Can Triby Kelley Luikey

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Meet two local kids who will be making this great event their first triathlon:

Age: 8

What town do you live in? Beaufort

What school do you go to? Homeschool

What do you want to be when you grow up? Not sure yet, maybe a swimmer.

Favorite Subject: Reading

Favorite Book: “Mr. Pipes and the British Hymn Makers”

Favorite Movie: “Tangled”

Person you would like to spend a day with: My mom

What do you like to do for fun? Read

Sports: Tigersharks swim team, basketball, soccer, t-ball

Will this be your first race? My first race was the Beaufort Twilight Run but this will be my first triathlon.

What part of the triathlon are you most excited about? The swim

What part do you think will be the most challenging? The run! I am not good at running.

Age: 10

What town do you live in? Lady’s Island

What school do you go to? Coosa Elementary

What do you want to be when you grow up? Not sure yet, I switch between things!

Favorite Subject: Math

Favorite Book: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

Favorite Movie: “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”

Person you would like to spend a day with: George Washington

What do you like to do for fun? Collect Pokémon cards.

Sports: Soccer, flag football, basketball & baseball

Will this be your first race? First race and first triathlon.

What part of the triathlon are you most excited about? The running part.

What part do you think will be the most challenging? The swimming distance.

Physically Fit8K Winners 5K Winners

Daniel Mendoza Time: 19:31

Mary Galphin Time: 21:21

Eric Ashton Time: 25:37

Kathryn Ashton Time: 31:16


Lowcountry kids are fortunate to grow up with water all around them. Child-hood days can be spent exploring the natural beauty of the Atlantic ocean, our abundant tidal marshes and rivers and swimming in backyard and neighborhood pools. When the warm days of spring arrive, the water that we are surrounded by beckons us to escape the heat and humidity.

While spending our days at the beach or in the pool, it is easy to be lulled into a sense of security. Many parents don’t realize that drowning is the second leading cause of acci-dental death for children under the age of 15. In the overwhelming majority of these cases, a parent or caregiver claimed to be supervis-ing the child. It is important for parents to understand that a drowning child has as little as 20 seconds before submersion occurs; if a caregiver is distracted even for a brief mo-ment, the result can be devastating.

Mario Vittone, an expert in drowning and water safety wrote a compelling and widely circulated article titled “Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning” in which he described

the act of drowning. (www.mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/) In it, he wrote:

There is very little splashing, no wav-ing, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle ac-cidents) – of the approximately 750 chil-dren who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is hap-pening (source: CDC).

Most water related accidents can be avoid-ed and knowing how to prevent them is key to having a summer filled with joy and family fun in the water. Before you head out this season, make sure you are prepared.

At the pool:

Residential swimming pools are the most common site for a drowning to occur in chil-

dren under the age of four. Supervision by a lifeguard or designated water-watcher is important to help protect children. Those watching a pre-school aged child should pro-vide “touch supervision” and remain close enough to reach the child at all times. If you have a pool in your backyard, it is vital that the recommended barriers and safety devices be installed.

In 2010, the American Academy of Pedi-atrics reversed it’s earlier position that rec-ommended against swimming lessons for toddlers. In the past, the organization did not recommend lessons for children between the ages of one and three, fearing that it could give parents a false sense of security. New data suggests that participation in formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by as much as 88% among children ages one through four.

Fortunately, in our area there are many excellent swim programs and instructors for kids of all ages. Stefan Bauroth is the owner of Island Swim in Bluffton. Stefan is a certi-fied WSI (Water Safety Instructor) with over

Safe in the

Waterby Kelley Luikey


Physically Fit

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22 years of experience in the learn-to-swim field and offers advice for parents. “When looking for an instructor, first and foremost make sure the instructor has had some formal training like WSI certification from the Red Cross.” He encourages parents to observe the instructor while teaching and advises them to do so more than once. “Watch how they interact with the students, listen to what they say. Do they look like they are enjoying what they do? Do they genuinely seem to like working with children?” The instructor should build trust while making a new swimmer feel safe. If your child is afraid of the water, the skilled teacher should be able to discover what he or she is afraid of and work to overcome that in the lessons.

Amanda Beal is the Swim Lessons Coor-dinator at the YMCA of Beaufort County and has been teaching kids how to swim for six years. Amanda emphasizes that the first les-sons for children should be about “getting them comfort-able in the water, blowing bubbles and putting their head in the wa-ter.” She also adds that the les-sons should be fun and playing games can help. Once kids have mastered the basics, they can continue to improve their skills by joining a swim team.

For parents who would like swim instruc-tion for their child but cannot afford the cost, the YMCA offers a scholarship program. Last year the Y provided $28,000 in aquatic schol-arships and offered swim lessons at a reduced rate or free, depending on economic need, for 475 individuals. Also, the majority of the pub-

lic schools in Bluffton and Beaufort offer free swim lessons for students during the school day either through PALS of Beaufort County

(2nd grade) or the YMCA (Port Royal Elemen-tary 2nd-5th grade). Morris Campbell is the Executive Director of Community Services at PALS and offered insight into the program:

About 15 years ago, two young boys drowned playing in a pond on the Burton Wells property. Hence, as a result of this un-fortunate accident, County Council made a commitment to provide an opportunity for as many youngsters as possible to learn how to swim.

At the beach:

While the majority of drownings for young children occur in swimming pools, most people over the age of 15 drown in a nat-

ural water setting.

Alan Reece is the general manag-er for South Shore Beach Service and has over 30 years of lifeguarding ex-perience on Hilton Head Island. South Shore Beach Ser-vice provides the lifeguarding and

beach patrol for Hilton Head. When deciding which beach is best to take your children to, Alan suggests choosing one where lifeguards have duty hours. He also reminds parents not to rely solely on the lifeguard to watch your child and “never allow your child to swim alone.”

Upon arrival at the beach, Alan advises checking with the lifeguards for an update

on beach and weather conditions. He adds, “Rapidly changing weather can quickly create rough conditions including large waves and

strong currents.”

Rip currents are notoriously dangerous and many people are caught off guard when they en-counter them. Many fatalities oc-

cur when people panic and try to fight their way back to shore against the current. Edu-cating your kids to stay calm and to never try to out swim a rip current is important. Swim-mers should float until they are out of the rip current, at which point their body will no longer feel as if it is being pulled away from shore. When they are out of the current it is safe to swim back to shore.

Alan asserts the importance of only using Coast Guard approved life jackets for children who are unable to swim. “Parents of non swim-mers often use flotation devices, like inflatable rafts to go offshore. If they fall off, they can quickly drown.”

If your child does get into trouble while in the water Alan offers these steps to take:

Call �11

Notify the lifeguard.

Know your swimming limit- ations as a parent.

Keep calm and calm your child.

If, as a parent, you enter the water to as-sist your child, take some / any type of flota-tion device that can aide in keeping the child afloat.

Again, swim instruction is underscored as the best defense against drowning and Alan encourages parents to teach kids at an early age.

A few of our local swim programs are list-ed on the next page:

Formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by as much as ��% among children ages one through four.

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a Legacy

After living all around the world, seven years ago, Don and Susan Brant began mak-ing a dream into reality. His dream to own a farm became a reality that year and then pro-gressed over the next couple of years into planting a garden for recreation which then grew into Brant Family Farm. Certified Nat-urally Grown, the Brants are farming about three acres of land to raise chemical-free food for themselves, their family and in turn for our community.

Supporting local farmers has a lengthy list of advantages which is topped by how much fresher your food is when it is bought locally. Lettuce picked just this morning is rinsed, spun, bagged and weighed to be delivered to-morrow where you and your family can enjoy it just a little over 24 hours after it was picked. Knowing where your food was grown is not only fresher, it is better for you.

Choosing heirloom seeds and plants, fol-lowing organic practices, amending the soil, planting, watering and harvesting – a farmers work is never done. The Brants have planted their own roots deep at the farm investing their very lives with a goal of becoming as sustainable as possible.

But, they are growing more than plants. They have a vision of growing a legacy that will cultivate younger generations to continue farming. In the beginning, they saw the down-turn in the economy and realized the need for locally produced food, encouraging other farmers to carry this worthy vocation on, and eating naturally.

The Brants are quick to point out that they amend the soil, plant, water, and pour hours into this endeavor – but it is God who provides

the increase, the harvest. And, there are so many spiritual parallels to farming. Just being outside in God’s Creation and being involved in something so natural, so organic as plant-

ing, tending and harvesting can be such a lesson to our souls and build our faith.

If you are just beginning to desire eating more organic – Susan encourages consum-ers to look online for a list of fruits that are the worst for eating with pesticides (think of things with thinner skins) and start by in-troducing organics that way. And, of course – buy from your local grower. She encourages asking the farmers at your local Farmer’s Market if they grew the food or where it was grown. Get to know your farmer and get to know your food.

Look for produce from the Brant Fam-ily Farm at the Habersham Farmer’s Market (www.habershamfarmersmarket.com), Port Royal Farmers Market, SILO Market (www.silobeaufort. com) and as the season pro-

Growingphotos and article by Monica Wilkinson

“Knowing where your food was grown is not only fresher, it is better for you.”

a Legacy

gresses – they plan to be at the Bluffton and Hilton Head Farmers Markets as well. Learn more about Brant Family Farm by visiting their website at www.brantfamilyfarm.com.

When you purchase from a local grower, you are not only supporting your neighbor and serving your family fresher foods, you are helping grow a legacy for the future to see younger generations continue farming by sup-porting the vision of farmers such as Don and Susan Brant.

• Island Swim School offers lessons in Bluffton. Ages � months to Adult. Lessons for Special Needs Students are also available. www.islandswimsc.com 843.298.7171

• PALS offers lessons in Bluffton and Beaufort County. www.co.beaufort.sc.us/pals/index.php

• Battery Creek Indoor Pool - 843.255.6760

• Beaufort Indoor Pool - 843.522.2903

• Bluffton Indoor Pool - 843.706.2285

• Redfish and FINS offers pre-team and competitive swim programs in Bluffton. Year round and summer league. Registration and placement for summer team on May �th, May �th & May 10th. www.finsswim.comwww.blufftonredfish.com

843.298.4491• YMCA of Beaufort County- Group or Private Lessons for � months to Adult. Youth competitive swim program during the school year and summer. www.ymcabeaufortcounty.com 843.522.9622

Swim Classes


to Good Health

Ballroom Dancing has gained new popularity over the last few years, due to the excitement surrounding the hit show “Danc-ing with the Stars”. The show has proven that anyone can give it a whirl, lose weight, gain strength and have a ball learning to dance.

The Fred Astaire Dance Studio and Ball-room, located off of 278 in Bluffton, brings that opportunity to our area. Armando Ase-neta and Sandro Virag lead the team of danc-ing professionals in their new, spacious, high-class facility. Armando and Sandro have been offering lessons on Hilton Head for 9 years, but when the opportunity arose to expand their studio and business, they were ready for the move.

Our mission with Fit & Family magazine is to introduce and discover ways for families to stay fit and lead balanced lives. Ballroom Dancing fits this goal perfectly, in more ways than one.

First, let’s analyze the health benefits of

dancing. It is obvious that you can lose weight by dancing. When you dance, you are using every muscle in your body at the same time. You must use some muscles for balance, while using others for movement. In order to achieve graceful lines of the body, you have to use each muscle to its full extent all while stretching and maximizing flexibility.

Dance improves your vascular system. As you move and stretch, muscles demand increased oxygen and blood flow. Sandro ex-plains “the cardio workout you get with danc-ing is much gentler than say a boot camp workout at a gym. It is less of a shock to your body while being much more efficient and effective.”

The average adult can burn between 200 and 500 calories during an hour of dance. The Latin dances, especially, improve stamina, flexibility and posture. Children with mild Scoliosis can even see improvements in their conditions from dancing.

Dancing, as with most exercise, releases endorphins which improve mood. This means it can help someone with depression and in-creases brain function. Sandro says that “you are working your brain as much as your mus-cles. You are never bored when you are danc-ing!” He claims that in many cases depression can come from boredom. Running on a tread-mill or doing some sort of exercise over and over leads to boredom and often time people quit their routine.

A study released in the New England Journal of Medicine says that dancing can “diminish the risk of Dementia and Alzheim-ers.” These diseases are thought to be related to vascular damage caused by a decrease in blood flow, lower endorphin levels and ele-vated blood pressure. A 21 year study called the “Einstein Aging Study” found a significant association between Ballroom Dancing and a lowered risk of Dementia.

Dancing also strengthens bones and de-creases the risk of Osteoporosis!

by Shannon GriersonDance


It is easy to see why the Fred Astaire Studio had students from ages 6 to 85!

For more information on the Fred Astaire Dance Studio visit:

www.fredastairehiltonhead.com/home.html

Or call: 843- 837-6161They offer classes for every level, every

age, and No Partner Is Necessary!

The average adult can burn between 200 and �00 calories during an hour of dance.


by Ian Hart

Over 85% of the population suffers from back pain due to muscular imbalanc-es - meaning that opposing muscle groups are not equal in strength. If you have an-terior muscles that are strong and tight and posterior muscles that are weak and atrophied, it causes unnecessary stress on the joints. This can lead to compensa-tion in movement. Compensation leads to dysfunction and dysfunction leads to pain. Make sure to do an exercise routine that balances out your muscular imbalances to take pressure off joints and leave you pain free for good.

Physically Fit

Tidbit

You may not hear the typical ringing of bells announcing school’s beginning and com-pletion each day or hear the chatter and clat-ter of a bustling cafeteria complete with lunch ladies and hair nets; but beginning in August 2012, the Wardle Family YMCA will officially be a licensed preschool program.

The Y’s newly renovated classrooms are decked out in primary colors and plastered with educational materials ready for an enriching school year. Full and half day options will be available for parents to choose from based on their schedule and their child’s needs. “We are happy to intro-duce this program at the Y,” says Kaylin Garst, Childcare Director at Wardle Family YMCA. “Our program will fo-cus on a Creative Curriculum and will be very friendly on parents’ budgets.” This state-ment couldn’t be truer. The Y created a program that will provide quality education to your child at a very reason-able price point.

The creative curriculum used for this program is nationally known for being for-ward-thinking, comprehensive and rigorously researched. Moreover; it helps teachers plan their lessons to target children at all levels of development. This adaptive learning approach encourages literacy, math skills, confidence and writing skills among the preschoolers.

The new Y Early Childhood Director and preschool teacher, Shanna Miller, is a trans-plant from Savannah, GA. She has prior expe-rience as an Assistant Childcare Director over a fully-licensed preschool program at Bangor YMCA in Maine. Moreover, Shanna has her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from Husson University and currently teaches in

the Jasper County School District. Her un-derstanding of the Y mission and its communi-ty focus, paired with her level of education has made her a great fit for the Early Childhood Director position at the Wardle Family YMCA. She officially comes aboard this June to assist with summer camp programs and to prepare for the school year beginning in August 2012. Feel free to stop by the Y to meet Shanna and

see the new classrooms as you see fit.

The announcement of the Y’s new pre-school program couldn’t happen at a better time. This message coincides with the begin-ning of the Y’s 2012 “Give a Kid a Chance” Scholarship Campaign. Each and every year, this campaign collects donations from gener-ous patrons in the community. One hundred

percent of collected monies go towards providing discounted memberships and programs to those in Beaufort County that need a little financial help. In 2011, the Y awarded more than $225,000 in financial assistance impacting over 5,000 people in the Beaufort community through scholarships. Without the constant caring and support of Y members, volunteers, staff and donors none of this would be possible. Donations are accepted at the front desk or on

the Y’s website at www.ymcabeaufortcounty.com. Of course all donations are tax deduct-ible and you can rest assured that your entire pledge is contributed to a worthy cause.

Families interested in the Y’s new pre-school program are welcome to apply for fi-nancial assistance. This program could dras-tically help reduce the weekly fees associated


Give A Kid A Chanceby Holly Cordray YMCA Membership Marketing Director

with the preschool program; allowing for a more flexible budget at home. The ap-plication process is easy and all applica-tions are reviewed each Friday morning. Additional information concerning the application process can be retrieved on-line or you can call the Y front desk at 843-522-9622.

Registration for Y summer camps begin May 1st. Specialty camps, sport camps, kiddie camps and traditional camps are offered throughout the sum-mer! Spots fill quickly…spaces limited!


Give A Kid A ChanceCharitably Fit

by Ian Hart

Physically Fit

Tidbit

The days of long boring cardio and basic strength training are over. With improvement in Exercise Science and the right understand-ing of exercise progression and Physiology people can achieve dramatic results in less than two hours a week... TOTAL. This is done by incorporating intervals, weights and full body exercises. An example would be running for a minute, doing walking lunges, push ups, stairs, rows, squats to a press and lat pull downs in that order in 3 sets with lim-ited rest. Do that 3 times a week in a progres-sive manner and results are guaranteed!

Healing Heroes Golf WeekFour Beaufort County golf courses are opening up their

courses to all our wounded heroes from Iraq and Afghanistan to play along with local golfers.

The week is April 23rd to April 27th--About 12 wounded heroes are expected to be there to play golf.

The Independence Fund volunteers thank these Lowcountry courses for sponsoring this event:

Callawassie Island Club: April 23

The Golf Club at Hilton Head Lakes: April 24

Sanctuary Golf Course (Cat Island): April 26

Fripp Island Ocean Point Links: April 27

Entry cost is $75 per golfer per round and includes cart, greens fee, prizes and snacks. On-course registration will begin at 10:30 AM at each site followed by a shotgun start for scramble at noon. Entries are limited to 100 golfers each day.

“This is a great way for people from the local community to not only support these he-roes, but to actually get out and spend some meaningful time with them,” said volunteer Golf Director Robert de Treville of Beaufort. “What better place to do this than on a South Carolina Golf Course?”

“As of now, we have had nearly two dozen wounded veterans registered to participate, meaning that we should be able to place a vet-eran in each foursome at all four of the par-

ticipating courses,” added event orga-nizer Dick Clarke of Beaufort.

Considering Beaufort County’s large retired mili-tary population, participants should register early to ensure their slot in this patriotic event. Registra-tion packets are available at most area pro shops. To register online, go to http://www.healingheroesgolf-week.com/.

HHGW pro-ceeds will be used to purchase one or more $17,000 ParaMobile, a stand up and play mobility device, for wounded veteran(s). Re-maining funds will be used to provide direct support and the tools, therapies, and guidance that those veterans severely injured in the War on Terror are otherwise not receiving. The Independence Fund is an all-volunteer, non-

profit 501(c) 3 organization run by combat veterans. Event organizers or participants are not financially compensated and all proceeds benefit our wounded troops. To learn more, visit www.independencefund.org or www.ldw3.com


Charitably Fit

Healing Heroes Golf Week

Healing Heroes Golf Week promises to raise $17,000 to

give a severely wounded vet-eran a ParaMobile Device.


Washington, D.C.

Teaming with important landmarks and people, Washington, D.C. can be overwhelm-ing. So keep it simple. Located all along the Mall, stick to these must-see sites for the per-fect family vacation:

The Smithsonian’s Big Three Muse-ums: American History, Natural History, Air and Space.The Monuments: Lincoln, Washington and our nation’s war memorials.The Capitol Building: the Senate and House of Representatives.

Family Trip

Tidbits


Family PromiseIn a world filled with growing joblessness,

homelessness and day-to-day uncertainty it’s nice to know there’s someone who actu-ally cares about the human element in our community. Family Promise is just such an organization. I spoke with Elliott Brown, Executive Director of Family promise of Beau-fort County.

Family Promise’s mission is to provide “temporary shelter, family stability and per-manent housing solutions to homeless fami-lies with children” by drawing on resources from interfaith and secular communities. It is a national organization – there are about 170 of them throughout the country. Their main goal is to help Beaufort County’s homeless families find creative ways to work toward bettering their lives. The goal is to make

families sustainable and responsible for the transition into mainstream housing, jobs and schools with dignity. Brown says that to help with this, they refer to the homeless families as “guests” or “clients”. “The word homeless has negative connotations so we stay away from use of that word,” she says.

Many of the guests served come to Fam-ily Promise due to loss of a job or home, lack of transportation or the lack of medical care. Families are screened carefully for drug abuse, criminal violence and untreated severe mental illness. Since each family’s situation

is unique, families are accepted into the pro-gram on a case-by-case basis. The organiza-tion operates on about one-third the budget of a traditional homeless shelter. “We’re not looking to give away food and shelter. We’re here to help these families find their way back into the mainstream while providing them with the daily necessities of life,” says Elliott Brown.

Family Promise partners with 35 local con-gregations and other local agencies to provide sleeping accommodations, meals, supplies, minimal transportation, and help to transition families into affordable, decent housing, jobs and schools. Congregations provide meals and sleeping accommodations for families. Goodwill and Crossroads work with fami-lies to assist in resume preparation and job

by Ruby Francis

“We have about an �0% suc-cess rate of placing families in homes and jobs and them stay-ing there.”


Charitably Fitsearch. The Day Center, located in Bluffton, provides resume writing services, assistance with making sure children get to school, help finding child care, and help with any other issues that may prevent families from getting housing or jobs.

When asked if there were success stories to share, Elliott Brown beamed with delight. “We have about an 80% success rate of plac-ing families in homes and jobs and them stay-ing there.” She tells the story of a family with three children. The mother came from very tough beginnings. The family came to Family Promise in anticipation of gaining their inde-pendence. With a little assistance and lots of love and encouragement that family now owns a home and a car. The mother has taken the GED exam and passed it so that she can now get a better job.

Another family, due to job loss, was sleep-ing in their van. The parents had sent their 4-year old to live with grandparents. Within two months of entering Family Promise the family was able to find jobs and housing. They are now all back together, living in decent hous-ing, and working.

The pictures shown are of a family that re-cently entered Family Promise and a few days later had a baby. The proud dad is now look-ing for a job.

All of the efforts of the Family Prom-ise staff are fruitless without help from our community. To volunteer or to see how you can help, contact Family Promise of Beau-fort County at 843-815-4211 or email them at [email protected]. For more information, please visit their website at familypromisebeaufortcounty.org.

Baby Ashlie

Did You Know: Coins of various types have been

around for about 2,600 years. Before that, people used bartering (that is, trading one item for another). It is thought that paper money first came into use about 1,000 years ago in China as a replacement for heavy coins. They started as a written promise of the coin holder that the paper would be ex-changed for coins on demand.

Financially Fit

Tidbit

by Larry Beaupre

The Everything Kids Money Book by Brette McWhorrter Sember

A college education is a gift that most parents would love to give their children. But with higher education becoming pricier each year, it’s important to use time to your advan-tage by starting to save early.

College education expenses grew an aver-age of 5.6 percent a year beyond general in-flation from the 2010-2011 academic year to the 2011-2012 academic year, according to the College Board. If costs continue to rise at that pace, the College Board estimates that today’s high school students could expect to pay close to $100,000 to attend a public, in-state univer-sity for four years, and more than twice that for a private institution.

Start Saving Now

The sooner you begin saving for your child’s education, the better: A head start will

give your investment more time to grow, as well as more time to ride the market’s ups and downs.

Many students do receive financial aid; for the 2001-2012 academic year, more than $178 billion in financial aid was awarded to undergraduate students, according to the Col-lege Board. Still, most colleges expect parents and students to contribute their share. In ad-dition, typical financial aid packages also rely on loans.

Thankfully, the federal and state govern-ments have made saving for college easier with tax-favored education funding options. But how do you decide which vehicle is right for you?

Options For College Funding

To determine how to best save for your

child’s college education, you may want to start by comparing the following popular in-vestment alternatives:

529 Plans

Section 529 Plans are higher education saving and pre-paid tuition plans established under Section 529(b) of the Internal Revenue Code as qualified tuition programs. There are two types: the 529 college savings plan and the 529 prepaid tuition plan.

The 529 college savings plan is an invest-ment program that allows you or other family members and friends to invest in an account designated for qualified higher education ex-penses. Contributions may be used at any eli-gible U.S. higher-education institution, as well as some abroad.

With a 529 prepaid tuition plan, you es-


Did You Know: The US Mint has been trying to get

Americans to use $1 coins which last about 15 times longer than paper $1 bills. However, the $1 coins have not been popular. Some countries have solved this problem by introducing $1 coins and printing no new $1 bills. Several countries have done the same thing at the $2 level.

Financially Fit

Tidbit

by Larry Beaupre

Funding Your Child’s College EducationBy Staff writer State Farm™ Employee

www.usmint.gov/kids


Step Up For KidsGroups and individuals enter to walk (or run) together in support of Child Abuse Prevention. April 21 www.capabeaufort.org

Healing Heroes Golf WeekApril 23, 24, 26, 27 www.healingheroesgolfweek.com

Everyone Counts The Link Church hosts this program for the homeless twice a year to provide necessities to those in need. Green Street Gym. April 28th. Volunteers needed. 843-592-1352

Beaufort Charities Invitational Golf Tournament Ocean Point Golf Course, Fripp Island. May 12-14. Raises money for a variety of local charities.www.beaufortcharities.org

Upcoming Charity Events

Discover, Rescue & Perform @ ART-works After School program $50 per seven-week class, 4 to 5:30pm April 17 - May 31. 843-379-2787 www.ArtWorksInBeaufort.org

Forts of Port RoyalWednesday, Jan 18, 2012 - Dec 27, 2012Forts of Port Royal on Hilton Head Island: Learn about the area’s early explorers and the importance of the island during the Civil War. 843-689-6767

Honey Horn Nature TourMonday, Mar 5, 2012 - Dec 18, 2012Horn including the Salt Marsh, Butterfly Enclosure, and three separate gardens. Fort Fremont c. 1898 Exhibit at the Verdier House, Beaufort, SC. March 23 through June 30, 2012. History of Fort Fremont’s coast defense heritage from the Spanish-American War.

Upcoming Educational Events

sentially buy all or part of a public in-state education at present-day prices. The program will then pay for future college tuition at any of your state’s eligible colleges or universities (or a payment to private and out-of-state insti-tutions). Most 529 prepaid tuition plans have residency requirements and are sponsored by state governments, which then guarantee the investments.

Coverdell Education Savings Account

The Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) is a trust or custodial account that pro-vides you with a tax-advantaged method to save up to $2,000 per year for your child’s edu-cation. Included is elementary and secondary education as well as post-secondary educa-tion, such as college, graduate school or voca-tional school.

An ESA may be established for the benefit of any child under age 18, with contributions beginning any time after birth and continuing

until the 18th birthday. Contributions will only be accepted after the 18th birthday if your child is a special needs beneficiary as defined by federal tax law.

Custodial Account (UGMA/UTMA)

You can establish an account for your child under the Uniform Gift to Minors Act (UGMA) or the Uniform Transfer to Minors Act (UTMA), depending on which law applies in your state. The UGMA/UTMA account al-lows you to make gifts to your child without setting up a trust. The contributions made to an account of this type are considered irre-vocable gifts to the minor in whose name the account is registered.

By Staff writer State Farm™ Employee

Financially Fit


Teaching Children. . .

Prepared/Edited by Larry Beaupre, MBARegistered RepresentativeLincoln Financial Securities CorporationMember SIPC 843-379-04606 Le Chene Circle, Beaufort, SC 29906

Explain to your children at an early age what bills and coins are, who issues them and how they are used. For example, show them a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half dol-lar and dollar coin. (The latter two are hard to find.) Help them note that each coin is a different size and has a different value. Ex-plain that these are made by the US Mint and are backed by the US Government. The US mint link (listed below) has several interest-ing facts and games for children to help them learn more about coins and bills.

Help your children understand the value of each coin in terms that they can relate to. For example (based on recent supermarket prices), a penny is worth one M&M. A nick-el is worth five grapes. A dime is worth five crayons. A quarter is worth three pencils. A half dollar might buy a navel orange. A dollar could buy a grapefruit.

Next show them paper money indicating that in America all paper money in circulation is the same size. Indicate to them that a $1 coin and a $1 bill have the same value even though they are a very different in size, shape and tex-ture. Show them what you can buy with a $5 bill (a gallon of whole milk). A $10 bill would buy “The Three Cups” book mentioned below. A $20 bill could purchase a Radio Flyer Red Wagon.

If you have any foreign money, you can show your children how these differ from American coins/bills. (Alternatively, the sec-ond link below shows coins and currency from many countries.) For example, unlike American currency, several countries use bills that are of varying sizes and colors. This makes them more distinguishable especially for people who have poor eyesight. Some for-eign coins (Egyptian, for example) even have holes in the middle like donuts. While others (East Caribbean States, for example) use non-circular edges. Again, this makes them easy to distinguish.

Financially Fit

Tidbit

Did You Know: It costs the US mint 1.4 cents to make a penny, but only a few cents to make a quarter. It costs very little to make a paper $1 bill but it only last 18 months in circula-tion on average. Seigniorage is the difference between the cost of making a coin or bill and its face value. When it’s positive, it puts money into the country’s treasury.


Financially Fit

Give your children an allowance to help them start learning the basics of money man-agement. Two ways of doing this follow. The first is to offer a fixed allowance. This allows your children to manage a set amount of mon-ey each week and teaches them basic princi-ples of spending and saving. A second option is to give your children money for completing chores. This teaches your child that money must be earned and encourages them to help around the house. The theme is “no work; no pay”.

I think the best alternative is to com-bine the two approaches. That is, first pro-vide a base allowance to cover core needs such as school lunch money, bus fare, school supplies, etc.

Next, develop a list of jobs that you con-sider essential and develop an allowance in-crement based on this. These jobs could be making the bed daily, washing dishes, keep-ing play area/bedroom picked up, etc. You

could indicate that to gain this increment in allowance, all these items need to be done on time at a quality level you set. A shortfall in this would see an appropriate reduction in this portion of the allowance.

Finally, develop an extra credit allowance for task beyond the essentials above. This could include washing the car, helping in ma-jor household cleanings, cutting the grass, raking leaves, etc.

For these items, set the amount of extra allowance and a description of the work to be done. List the dates these tasks are assigned and to be completed.

Having an allowance will shift some spending decision to your children. Espe-cially as they grow older, they should be able to fund their needs and wants from their al-lowance without asking for extra money from you. They should learn to keep their allow-ance in a safe place and (when old enough) to track how it is accumulating. This will help them save up for a discretionary item that they want to buy.

There are good books available on Chil-dren’s Financial Literacy at “The Storybook Shoppe” in Bluffton. Some are listed below. One of my favorites is “Three Cups” (pub-lished by Tommy Nelson).

This is an easy to understand book about a five-year old who gets a birthday present of three cups. It offers a simple method and an easy-to-read story that will guide children in the key principles of good money manage-ment. The three cups are for saving, spending and charitable giving.

Listed below are sources/useful links/books related to these articles/tidbits:

Jumpstart.org

coins.about.com/od/worldcoins/ig/

World-Coins-Gallery-Index/Cached - Similar

www.usmint.gov/kids

www.familymint.com

http://www.fpanet.org/docs/assets/20E04F�A-1D0�-��A1-�A�B�F1C�3��CE0/KidsAndMoney2.pdf

http://www.wedbush.com

www.financial-education-icfe.org

The Three Cups by Tony Townsley and Mark

St. Germain

The Everything Kids Money Book by Brette

McWhorrter Sember

Raising Financially Fit Kids by Joline Godfrey

Money doesn’t grow on Trees by Neale S.

Godfrey

by Larry Beaupre

www.usmint.gov/kids

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