Monday, April 12, 2010

“Senior Publicist - mediabistro.com (blog)” plus 2 more

“Senior Publicist - mediabistro.com (blog)” plus 2 more

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Senior Publicist - mediabistro.com (blog)

Posted: 09 Apr 2010 05:27 AM PDT

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Apple Vally couple shares laughter, kidney - KSTP

Posted: 10 Apr 2010 08:20 PM PDT

After 25 years of marriage, people say there is little doubt that Stacy and Wayne Waibel make a good match.

The laughter that fills the couple's Apple Valley home hides any sign of the obstacles they have had to overcome

"My world was pretty simple before I met Stace," Wayne Waibel said with a chuckle.

Stacy's world, however, was never simple.

At nine-years-old doctors diagnosed her with diabetes. At 19 she lost her sight and 11 years later the disease took her kidneys, Stacy said.

"When you go on dialysis it just drains you, physically and, I guess, emotionally too because you know you're just hanging on," Stacy said.

Her first kidney transplant lasted 14 years until the Stacy says she got the same bad news all over again.

"Your kidney's failing. You might want to start thinking about getting a donor," Stacy said, recounting what doctors told her.

After testing a dozens potential donors, only one match appeared. One with her husband, Stacy said.

"There was no doubt in my mind that I was it. It was 'Oh of course I match'," Wayne Waibel said.

So, in July 2009, Wayne gave his wife on of his kidneys.

"It wasn't something that I've always wanted to do necessarily or was even aware that it could be done. So, life with her has been quite an education for me," Wayne said.

Now the couple wants to educate others about the surgeries. Stacy wrote a series of childrens' books based on her poodle Rudy. The book "Rudy Gets a Transplant" teaches kids and adults the same lesson she and her husband learned, Stacy said.

"A lot of people don't know we're born with two kidneys and we only need one so we have one we can give away to help others," Stacy said.

And the Waibels are just thankful they really are a perfect match, Stacy said.

"I'm glad he did it. Yeah, he's special. He's a keeper," Stacy said.


Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Olathe educators spend spring break in Kenya - Olathe Daily News

Posted: 06 Apr 2010 07:21 PM PDT

While students from Olathe's Woodland Elementary School enjoyed time away from school during spring break, five of the school's educators continued teaching and learning—in Kenya.

The group traveled to Kenya to visit a new school, the Hope preschool, that recently opened in Machakos, a village of about 140,000 people southeast of Nairobi. Woodland Elementary Principal Stacy Shipley went on the trip and said the group took five 50-pound suitcases full of supplies that students and parents from Woodland Elementary collected for the new preschool.

She said one memorable moment of the trip was when Olathe educators gave each of the 32 Kenyan children and their mothers with a gift-wrapped book donated by Woodland Elementary staff.

"These children have never had a book of their own or been given a wrapped gift," Shipley said. "They didn't know how to unwrap the books or hold them at first. They were just so delighted to have them."

Along with Shipley and husband Rob, a school counselor at Clearwater Creek Elementary, the Olathe group consisted of Woodland Elementary teachers Janell Azwell, Terri Stein, Jonann Ellner and Katie Glasscock. Other Olathe travelers were Tom Bassford, executive director of Significant Matters, a local organization that provides assistance to non-profits, and John Gakuha Wilson, founder and chief executive officer of Hope Kenya, a non-profit community development organization.

Bassford's organization assisted Wilson years earlier in setting up Hope Kenya, which provides childhood and health education as well as economic development opportunities for his native country and community. The group funded their own trips and spent most of their seven-day stay in Machakos, Wilson's hometown.

The group's first stop was Nairobi, capital of Kenya, where they toured the city's slums and glimpsed the extreme poverty and challenges that exist in Kenya. Azell, a second grade teacher at Woodland, said it was overwhelming to see how many Kenyans live. She said about 500,000 people lived in the relatively small area and many don't have basics like food and water.

"That tour, along with our entire visit, made us feel we definitely aren't finished," Azwell said. "We all feel called to keep this relationship going."

The group also visited several schools in Kenya and found each classroom had about 50-60 students with several children sharing a desk. Writing utensils and school supplies were primitive or not available. Shipley said one school visit was particularly poignant.

"We drove through rain and thick mud to get to the school," Shipley said. "When we arrived, the children were standing in the rain in their gray, tattered school uniforms and no shoes, singing Kenyan songs to welcome us."

The teachers came back from their trip with several goals. They plan to stock the library at the Hope Community Center, which houses the preschool. Although the Olathe Public Library has donated older reader books to the library, the teachers want to provide childrens books and are planning a book drive for the preschool in the 2010-11 school year.

Stein, a third grade teacher at Woodland, said the school will kick off a program called "Save a Sole" during Earth Week (April 19-23) to collect used shoes that will be sent to Machakos for children and villagers who need them. Extras, however, will be sold with proceeds funding the operational expenses of the new preschool.

The educators are also encouraging sponsorship of the preschool's children. A teacher's salary, instructional supplies and two meals a day cost $30 a month. But the group's biggest project is the purchase of land behind the school, which includes two sheds where alcohol is currently being made.

"It's similar to a crack house being by one of our schools," Shipley said.

Shipley said the group "feels charged" to raise $7,000 to purchase the land so the community center can grow crops and provide an atmosphere more conducive to educating children. She also said 100 percent of donated funds will go to projects designated by each donor and that money will be managed by Significant Matters in Olathe.

Wilson said it was an honor to introduce American educators to the rural communities of Machakos. Their commitment to education reminded him of a quote by noted anthropologist Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

Wilson also said the group's dedication to change through community education in Olathe and around the world, can have far-reaching affects.

"These people took time away from their families. They spent their spring break learning about this little village in the middle of nowhere and they shared and demonstrated what education can do for both African children, many of them orphans, and American children," Wilson said. "That is a powerful gift from Kansas."

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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