WAITE PARK, Minn. – WACOSA will open a thrift shop called THRIFTWORKS! as part of its plan to help people with Asperger’s Syndrome gain employment.  The store will open May 4 in Waite Park.

Ann Kennedy, the sales and marketing manager for WACOSA, said starting a new business was a part of the non-profit’s strategic plan “to serve people who were not getting services in our community.”

WACOSA’s mission is to give people with disabilities “the opportunity to work and live in their community,” according to the organization’s website.

Kennedy said people with disabilities “are such a wonderful, untapped resource.  They show up on time and they’re there every day.  They are fiercely dedicated.”

WACOSA served almost 600 people last year, placing them in employment programs through companies such as Malco and Docushred.

And they help people with all levels of disability.

WACOSA’s says they practice a “can do” attitude, focusing on their employees abilities instead of their disability.

Kennedy said the organization chose to focus on Asperger’s Syndrome because it “saw an unmet need.  There is no funding to help them get out on their own or to help them with skill training.”

WACOSA helps people with disabilities gain the skills they need to succeed in employment through special training programs.

For people with Asperger’s, Kennedy said this involves targeting “soft skills” like understanding facial expression, body language, and social skills.

Kennedy said WACOSA specifically chose to create a retail business because “St. Cloud is such a retail hub.  It made sense to stick with retail because there are a lot of jobs in the community in retail, and it would be an easy shift from this training program into an actual employment situation.”

She said the thrift store “is a way for them to bring in some income, pay them a livable wage while they’re working here, and then get them back out in the community.  We thought this would be a unique way to help people in our community.”

WACOSA is accepting donations of gently used:

• Women’s, men’s and children’s clothing and shoes
• Books, movies, games
• Toys
• Small household appliances
• Jewelry & accessories
• Linen and bedding
• Tools
• Furniture
• Other items

Items can be donated at several locations:

• 310 Sundial Dr.
  Waite Park
  Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• 712 Lincoln Loop
  Sauk Centre
  Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

THRIFTWORKS! is located at 310 Sundial Dr. in Waite Park.  For more information about WACOSA, visit www.wacosa.org.

by Natalie Davis
www.utvsnews.com

I am excited to announce that I was a part of four UTVS productions that received awards from the national Broadcast Education Association.  I will be traveling to the BEA Festival of Media Arts convention in Las Vegas in April!  Congratulations to my colleagues at UTVS for a strong showing!

Best in Show (Sports Broadcast):  Husky Productions
2nd Place (Television Newscast [3 days a week or less]):  UTVS News en Español
3rd Place (Television Newscast [4 or 5 days a week]):  UTVS News
Honorable Mention (Studio [multi-camera]):  Husky Mag

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Siri Freeh has spent her year as Miss Minnesota 2012 promoting her platform, “Living Heart Strong.”  Freeh, a nursing student at the University of Minnesota, focuses on heart health education to prevent heart disease.

When Freeh’s father was diagnosed with heart disease a few years ago, she said she felt blindsided.  ”We don’t have a history of heart disease in our family, and he has never had heart problems.”

She said doctors warned her father about his high blood pressure and his lifestyle choices, saying that next time could be a “full-blown heart attack.”

Walgreens has partnered with the American Heart Association to promote heart-healthy living.  They are offering free blood pressure tests during February, American Heart Month.

Dr. Tracey Stevens, American Heart Association spokesperson and cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo. said, “The American Heart Association encourages people to know their numbers and get blood pressure tests regularly.  We applaud Walgreens for making blood pressure tests so accessible during Heart Month.”

Michael Carbonneau, a Walgreens pharmacist, said, “It’s important to check for high blood pressure because early detection can prevent heart attack, stroke, and other health conditions.”

But Carbonneau said that heart medication is the most common medication he dispenses at Walgreens.

The Minnesota Department of Health said heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Minnesota.  And despite significant progress reducing heart-related deaths, it kills thousands of people and costs nearly two billion dollars each year.

Heart disease is common in Minnesotans ages 65 years and older, affecting 1 in 5 Medicare beneficiaries in Minnesota. Of the approximately 48,000 hospitalizations for heart disease in 2010, 8,460 were for heart attack and 11,243 for congestive heart failure. Total charges for these hospitalizations totaled over $1.8 billion.

Carbonneau said he thinks the high number of people diagnosed with heart disease is not helped by Minnesota’s long winters.  He said, “During many of the months, we aren’t able to get outside and be as active, so finding creative ways to get exercise and get that heart rate going, besides shoveling, is important.”

Freeh’s dad has begun to focus on preventable risk factors such as diet, stress reduction, and exercise.  Freeh and her father started running to get their heart rates up, and they recently ran in their first half-marathon.

“Heart disease shouldn’t be left to the individual that has it,” Freeh said.  ”Be there to support them.  Be there to encourage them to take their medications and to get their numbers checked… Live a healthy lifestyle as a family.”

by Natalie Davis
www.utvsnews.com

This semester, I am a producer for the UTVS News broadcasts that air on Tuesdays.  Typically, the last story of a newscast (called the "kicker") is an upbeat story meant to leave the audience feeling good.  Well, there is nothing more feel-good than this right here!  The Harlem Shake is an internet phenomenon that took over YouTube and, now, UTVS News! I have watched this about a hundred times, and I smile every time! Hope you enjoy!

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – KVSC Radio hosted its 34th annual trivia marathon February 8-10.  This year's theme was Trivia 2013:  A Space Oddity.

Jim Gray, Director of Operations at KVSC, said, "I think you could call it super fandom."  People start "bugging" them about what the coming year's theme will be as early as August.

KVSC finally announced the space theme in December, and the 62 participating teams embraced it with team names like Take Me to Your LDEr, Galaxy Girls, and ET.

UTVS hosted the trivia marathon with 50 hours of live television over the weekend.  Students stayed through the night to keep the live telecast going.  They hosted talk shows, played improv games, and even slept on the set to entertain viewers late at night.

Crew members spent months creating a replica of the starship Empire from Star Trek for the television set, and KVSC spent months writing space-themed trivia questions as well as perfecting their alien noises for the broadcast.

Teams from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, New York, and even Norway and Australia, tuned in to hear the trivia questions.  They called the volunteer phone bank to check their answers and earn points.

Even members of the phone bank sought to entertain, answering the phone with quirky sayings like, "Queen Bee. Let yourself bee heard," or "Hi, I'm Delirious.  What are you?"

Gray said around 200 to 300 volunteers helped in the radio station, TV studio, and phone bank during Trivia Weekend.  "This is a major alumni event for us.  We have a lot of volunteers that come from across the country to participate in the event just from the operational side."

While team size is unlimited, Gray guessed that several thousand people participate on trivia teams each year.

And, unless you live somewhere far away, attendance at the awards ceremony on Sunday night is mandatory.  Gray said, "Any team that doesn't show up gets scorned by the crowd."

St. Cloud's snow emergency made it more difficult for teams to get to the awards show.

Trivia Weekend participant Gwen Ruhoff said, "Most people will try to have some representation, because if you're not here, you get booed.  And nobody wants to get booed."

Many teams were booed that night, especially teams from the St. Cloud area who failed to attend the awards ceremony.

But the eight inches of snow in St. Cloud wasn't enough to keep the "die hard" trivia participants from coming.  Those in attendance received cheers and applause, not matter how they placed.

Ruhoff said, "It's not about winning.  It's about playing and being with family and friends.  It's about the camaraderie."


by Natalie Davis
www.utvsnews.com

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Two St. Cloud State University students are celebrating milestones in sobriety.  Thaddeus Rybka celebrated three years of being sober on Saturday, and Nathan Anderson will soon hit the one-year mark.

Rybka and Anderson are both participants in St. Cloud State University's new residential life program called the Recovery Community.  The Community offers support resources and special living arrangements with other students who maintain an alcohol and drug free lifestyle.

"My story is Thaddeus' story, and his story is mine," Anderson said.  "In the six months we've lived together, we've become best friends.  The camaraderie and the bond that we make as people together when we're growing is unparalleled.  It's something you can't find anywhere else."

Their bond is a result of their shared need to find themselves.

"I found God, and I realized I needed to get my life back in order.  I looked at myself in the mirror and I knew, 'This is not who I am'," Rybka said about his decision to make a change three years ago.  "I had no idea who I was when I was using.  Now I know who I am."

Anderson admits he's still trying to figure out exactly who he is, but his friend Rybka assures him, "You'll get there."

The two are hoping for a new roommate.  Rybka said, "I see so many students struggling out there."  

Anderson and Rybka hope their story will inspire others to change their lives for the better.


by Natalie Davis
www.utvsnews.com