Letters To Editor – April 17, 2008
Band Stand No Longer A Concrete Slab
Dear Editor:
I couldn’t find the link to submit comments directly to the “My Two Cents” feature, so I’m sending this to the Herald’s email address. But my intention is for this to appear in that section. (Or “Letters to the Editor” if that’s your preference.)
Charles Cooper needs to visit the Valley a little more often if he thinks that prior to World War II “the band stand looked much as it does today.” The band stand today would hardly be recognizable to a time traveler from the 1930s. The Town and Country Garden Club has transformed the band stand from a simple raised concrete slab into a thing of beauty that has greatly enhanced the appearance of downtown Water Valley. And not only the band stand, but also the surrounding park has undergone major improvements at the hand of the garden club. Those ladies deserve better treatment and recognition than Mr. Cooper’s inaccurate and dismissive comment offers.
Ersel King
Help Promote A Healthier Mississippi
Dear Editor:
Good employee health is everyone’s business!
The time is right for Mississippi employers to promote healthy lifestyles at work. Consider the benefits of work-place health promotion activities– improved employee productivity, reduced stress levels, decreased absenteeism and turnover rates, enhanced job satisfaction and lower health-care management costs. Equally significant are the benefits directly related to employee health, such as obesity prevention and reduction of risks for developing chronic illness associated with obesity.
Statistics indicate that 65 percent of all Mississippians are obese and 800,000-plus are at risk for developing diabetes. There is a strong correlation between physical inactivity and being overweight or obese. Most adults spend the majority of their waking hours at their place of work. Therefore, it is very likely that a Mississippi employee has or could be at risk for developing diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or other conditions related to physical inactivity.
The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi encourages Mississippi workplaces to promote active lifestyles to help alleviate some of the major health issues facing Mississippians. Employees need access to information on a wide variety of health and wellness topics while on the job. All businesses can benefit from workplace-wellness initiatives. The Foundation is available to promote good health by providing blood-glucose and cholesterol screenings or give a talk on the importance of good health, as it relates to optimal work performance. A company with healthy employees has a positive impact on its community and customers. It is vitally important for all of us to team up to promote a healthier Mississippi and change our position as No. 1 in obesity and prevalence of diabetes to a No. 1 in health and well-being of our citizens!
Put your tennis-playing skills to good use in a friendly match after work! Team up with your coworkers and start walking during your lunch break or meet at a fitness club after work. Join other Mississippi companies and tee-off with your friends and favorite college football coach at one of the Diabetes Foundation’s four golf tournaments around the state. The Bulldog Scramble, Rebel Classic, Eagle Classic and Legislative Shoot-Out tournaments will be held May 12, May 16, May 19 and June 2, respectively.
The Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi is the state’s only nonprofit health organization that provides diabetes research, information, patient services and advocacy. Every dollar raised by the Foundation stays in the state. The Diabetes Foundation is the only diabetes organization totally dedicated to caring for our children and adults with diabetes.
For more information about any of the programs and services offered by the Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, to register for one of the golf tournaments or to schedule an office blood-glucose and cholesterol screening, call 1-877-DFM-CURE. Visit the DFM’s Web site, www.msdiabetes.org for a complete listing of all of the programs, services and upcoming events.
Irena McClain, MPH
Associate Director
Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi