I remember one day in particular. I was playing with the kids and a blond-haired girl of about 5 or 6 years said to me dreamily in passing, “I’ve always wanted to make a gingerbread house.” I realized that she wasn’t asking me for anything specific. It was Christmastime and I guess gingerbread houses were just on her mind. The solution seemed simple. I went home, bought graham crackers and candies, made icing, wrapped pieces of cardboard in foil as a base, and packed everything up.

The next week the volunteers and kids made gingerbread houses, or rather piles of candy, icing, and graham crackers, in the playroom. The blond-haired girl constructed her house with purpose, like she had a blueprint in her mind. This wasn’t surprising—she was the oldest of three kids and obviously mature for her age from taking care of her younger brother. When all was said and done her house was not terribly sturdy, but it definitely pleased her.

Soon her mother came to the playroom door and the girl was out of her seat, balancing the house in her hands, eager to show her mom. I turned back to the table to clean up what could only be described as a disastrous mess, when I realized someone was standing behind me. I turned around and there was the little girl, smiling.

She said still smiling but also very seriously, “Thank you, Katherine. I’ve always wanted to make a gingerbread house and now I have.” It was obviously an important moment for her and as she left the room, I realized that moment would change my life.

Ever since that day I’ve listened to what the children of Margaret’s House homeless shelter have wanted and have tried my best to deliver. Their requests are never difficult to fulfill—a holiday coloring book, popcorn at snacktime, a Halloween costume. I’ve learned that although the circumstances in their lives are complicated and often overwhelming, the kids live moment by moment, day by day. Because of that and their understanding of loss and pain, it takes very little to please a child in need.

But it’s not just about getting gifts or doing fun holiday activities. Through donations and volunteering, we show homeless families that they matter to us—a group of perfect strangers with our own lives and problems. And we teach kids in need that there is always room for hope as long as someone cares.

This holiday season, reach out to those in need. You won’t regret it. In fact, I bet it will be the best holiday you’ve celebrated.

I try to mix things up so there isn’t much repetition between the two sites. I’m always looking for feedback, so please check them out and tell me what you think!

Social marketing is way of influencing people’s behavior, with the purpose of improving the greater good. Some of the techniques are similar to commercial marketing, though it is the target audience, not the marketer, who is the intended beneficiary.

One interesting point in the brief is that there is little published research on how social networking (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.) may benefit social marketing. Social media is so big these days – like it’s a cure-all for marketers. But health communications experts use social media with caution until more research is available.

Download the brief or check out NIHCM’s web site.

Image by Hackfish

And that’s when it started. The mom turned to her daughter and said, “Go ahead and pay for them.”

Her daughter looked shocked. “I can’t afford that,” she said.

“You have a job, don’t you?” her mom quipped. She turned to the receptionist, who was a friend, and started going on about how her kids were always losing things and she didn’t have the money to keep replacing every pair of glasses, etc. The receptionist agreed and the two continued to trade stories about kids not understanding the value of valuable things.

All the while, the daughter was texting feverishly, occasionally lifting her head to make a comment about how it wasn’t her fault that her job didn’t pay well and she didn’t have the money.

At this point, the daughter’s doctor, a young guy wearing a red button down shirt and tan slacks, said quietly but firmly, “It’s important to wear your glasses or you’ll keep having headaches. You shouldn’t wait to buy them.”

The mother was unfazed. “Save your money,” she told her daughter, “and buy the glasses when you can afford them.”

The daughter looked like a victim, but her mother insisted they discussed payment in the car on the way over. She was clear that she wasn’t going to pay for the glasses. Even though the daughter acted like this was all news to her, it probably wasn’t.

I sat there watching the scene. Ultimately, the daughter walked out of the office without her glasses. And like the doctor said, headaches are only one of the side effects of not wearing corrective lenses when you need them.

Something went wrong in that conversation and the ultimate goal of any doctor’s visit – leaving healthier than you were when you walked in – wasn’t met.

Of course, I can’t lay blame because I don’t know the whole story. But I do know the conversation was adversarial as opposed to goal-oriented. The daughter was in a subordinate position and publicly ridiculed by the mother and her friend. She also wasn’t honest and instead of owning up to the responsibility her mother placed on her, the daughter played the victim. The doctor was on the sidelines, unable to get his concerns across to the mother. I’m sure he felt defeated when they left.

But it was really the doctor who had the power to change that scene. He was genuinely concerned yet not overbearing – a rare trait in doctors. I suspect that if he had educated both the mother and daughter as to the importance of wearing glasses from the minute they walked into his office, eventually his message would have sunk in. They would have listened to him, but I don’t think he had the confidence in his position to push the issue.

But here I was, having worked with lots of families on similar issues, sitting quiet as a mouse.

For more information on teen eye health, check out the new guide I wrote for the Center for Young Women’s Health at Children’s Hospital Boston.

For the latest news from media outlets, scientific institutions, and non-profits on youth health, check out @youthhealthnews.

Keep me abreast of what’s going on at your organization or any news I may have missed!

“Reading was a refuge for [Conroy], both emotionally and physically. Conroy’s father wouldn’t hit him when he was reading; he thought his son was studying and approved of it. “It was the one place you could go to get away from his fists,” says Conroy. “And it worked every time.” (Excerpt from Weekend Edition’s story.)

Conroy’s honest and public portrayal of his childhood trauma, through the lens of maturity, is not often heard. Though the profession is no doubt cathartic, abuse victims must want to move on with their lives and not be defined in their adulthood by childhood trauma. Public profession raises the stakes even higher, making not only friends and family, but strangers, see the person in a different light.

But occasionally child abuse victims discuss their trauma in public, sometimes with serious consequences. Recently in Massachusetts, a woman who was stripped searched by a police officer when she was 14 years old upset the political aspirations of U.S. House of Representatives hopeful Jeff Perry by making a public statement as to his involvement in the 1991 incident.

“He had to hear me screaming and crying. Instead of helping me, Jeff Perry denied anything happened,” said Allen, who released the statement to the Globe through her lawyer.” (As quoted in the Boston Globe. Read the full story.)

These confessions, though extremely difficult for the victims, lift the veil of silence that surrounds child abuse and helps break the cycle of violence. I hope they do not regret their decisions.

For more information on how to recognize signs of abuse in children, visit the U.S. Administration for Children and Families’ web site.

Be safe this Halloween.

When you’re choosing a costume:

• Pick something you feel comfortable wearing. Avoid itchy or see through fabrics.
• Test costume makeup on the back of your hand to see if it’s irritating.
• Wear comfortable shoes if you’re walking long distances.
• Don’t wear decorative lenses. They can hurt your eyes.
• Bring a jacket or raincoat if the weather is bad.

When you’re trick or treating:

• Avoid dark streets.
• Stick with your friends.
• Don’t talk to strangers.
• Let your parent(s) or guardian(s) know where you are.

When you’re eating treats:

• Dump your treats out onto a table instead of reaching into your bag.
• Check every treat.
• Throw out open candy, bruised or cut fruit, or anything suspicious.
• Eat a one or two pieces a day and put the rest away.
• Brush your teeth after you eat your treats.

Help kids in need this Halloween by trick or treating for UNICEF!

UNICEF trick or treat box

Photo Courtesy of NPR

Johnny Robinson was shot and killed by Birmingham police during the rioting and unrest that followed the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church on September 15, 1963. He was only 16. In light of new evidence regarding the case and the bombing’s anniversary, NPR recently revisited the moments leading up to and immediately following Johnny’s death, which were all but forgotten in the annals of civil rights history. (Read the story.) (1)

The violent death of a child is almost unthinkable. But for Birmingham’s black community, which lost at least six children in one day, the pain was unbearable. On the same day Johnny Robinson was killed, Virgil Ware (2) was shot by 16-year-old white boy named Larry Joe Sims while riding his bike. And four black girls (3) died in the bombing of the most prominent church in the black community: Cynthia Wesler, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins were 14 and Denise McNair was 11.

Photo Courtesy of Northeastern University

The girls’ deaths “shocked the nation and galvanized the civil rights movement.” (4)

It was a turning point in America’s history. And yet Johnny Robinson’s death received little media attention or notice in the community, outside of his friends and family.

According to NPR’s report, even the boy’s family barely spoke of him in the 47 years since his death. This is not uncommon. Silence envelops the deaths of many victims, especially in communities disproportionately burdened by violence.

Johnny’s story continues today, in the lives of the many young black men lost to violence.

According to the CDC’s 2010 data:

• Homicide is the leading cause of death for 10 to 24 year old African Americans.
• Homicide rates among African American males ages 10 to 24 is significantly higher than other racial groups. (See table below.) (5)

The circumstances surrounding these deaths may have changed, but the damage to the black community—the loss of potential and hope—has not.

Until we reach the time when no child, regardless of color, is lost to violence, we should remember every victim, not as a statistic, but as the sum of too few years experience. I thank NPR for remembering Johnny Robinson, so long after he was lost.

Homicide Rates for 10 to 24 Year Old Males (5)

1 “Johnny’s Death: The Untold Tragedy In Birmingham” by Carrie Johnson. National Public Radio. September 15, 2010.

2 “The Legacy Of Virgil Ware” by Tim Padgett and Frank Sikora. Time Magazine. September 22, 2003.

3 “16th Street Baptist Church Bombing: Forty Years Later, Birmingham Still Struggles with Violent Past.” National Public Radio. September 15, 2003.

⁴ The National Park Service. We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement.

Flu season begins in fall – usually October, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It can last into early spring.

Children may be more susceptible to the flu virus, since their immune systems are still developing.

“Each year an average of 20,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalized because of flu-related complications. Influenza causes more hospitalizations among young children than any other vaccine-preventable disease,” according to HHS¹.

Vaccination is the “best protection against the flu,” according to HHS. Flu shots are now available through many pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and clinics.²

Two things to remember when preparing for flu season:

There is more than one strain of flu virus. Strains fall into three categories – A, B, and C. According to the CDC, the 2010-2011 flu vaccine protects against H1N1, H3N2, and a type B strains.³

Flu vaccines come in shot and spray forms. This table from HHS recommends which is best for kids.

Vaccine: Flu Shot or Nasal Spray?² (Taken from HHS’ Seasonal Flu Vaccination Web Site)

• For decades, vaccines have been produced in chicken eggs. This process is time-consuming and for some flu seasons has resulted in flu vaccine shortages early in the flu season.  Cell-based vaccine production takes less time, and has the added benefit of allowing persons who are allergic to eggs to receive the vaccine.  Cell-based vaccine is not expected to become available until 2011.  More information about cell-based vaccine productions.

• When a critical portion of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak. Even those who are not eligible for certain vaccines get some protection because the spread of contagious disease is contained. This is known as “community immunity.”

¹U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). School Planning for the Flu. (Emphasis added)

²U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Flu Vaccination.

³U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine.