Lehigh Valley Source

Good Shepherd – CedarPointe to Offer Free Health Screenings on Nov. 18

Allentown, Pa. -- Good Shepherd Outpatient Rehabilitation – CedarPointe, part of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, will offer free health screenings from 2 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009, at 1651 N. Cedar Crest Blvd., Allentown. To schedule an appointment, call 484-788-0728. Appointments are recommended, but walk-ins are welcome.
 
 The following free health screenings will be offered:

• Heel scans for bone density;
• Blood pressure check;
• Neck and back pain screening;
• Balance/fall risk evaluation;
• Upper extremity strength test; and
• Repetitive stress injury screening.
 
Good Shepherd Outpatient Rehabilitation - CedarPointe offers a wide range of physical, occupational, aquatic, and hand-therapy services for adults and children, including rehabilitation services for neck and back injuries, osteoarthritis, pain management, hand injuries, sports injuries, work injuries, joint replacements, vestibular/balance disorders, multi-trauma injuries and neurological conditions, such as stroke. Speech therapy is also available for patients who have communication problems related to developmental speech and language delays, neurological injuries and illnesses, central auditory processing disorders, autism, fluency problems, and voice disorders.

For more information about Good Shepherd Outpatient Rehabilitation – CedarPointe or to schedule a screening, call 484-788-0728.

 

Angel 34 Foundation to Sponsor Events for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the Angel 34 Foundation is sponsoring several 2009 events to raise awareness of and funds to benefit those affected by childhood cancer.
 
Angel 34 Sixth Annual 5K Walk for Hope
This event will be held Sunday, Sept. 20, at Northampton High School’s Al Erdosy Stadium. Registration starts at noon, and the opening ceremony at 1 p.m.. To obtain a registration form, visit www.angel34.org or call 610-533-1923. Before the walk, District XI field hockey teams will participate in the Field Hockey Olympics. Last year, 400 field hockey players participated in the walk.
 
Friday Nights for Hope
District XI cheerleading teams will be the “Voices of Hope” at Friday night football games. Home and visiting teams will work together to promote awareness and raise funds via such activities as can drives and T-shirt, pin, and gold ribbon sales.
 
Angel 34 Second Annual Duck Pluck
Rubber ducks will be randomly chosen for prizes from a “flock” of 5,000 at the Angel 34 Second Annual Duck Pluck at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, at Northampton High School’s Al Erdosy Stadium. To adopt a duck for $5 or a Quack Pack (six ducks) for $25, visit www.angel34.org. The Duck Pluck follows the Cheerleading Olympics to be held from 1 to 3 p.m. at the stadium that day. District XI cheerleaders will compete.

Angel 34 Third Annual 5K and 10K Race Against Time for Childhood Cancer
These events will be held Saturday, Nov. 7, at Northampton High School’s Al Erdosy Stadium. Registration is 10 to 11 a.m. Races begin at 11:15 a.m. For a registration form, go to www.angel 34.org or call 610-533-1923.

Via College Cup Challenge to Raise Money for People with Disabilities

Allentown, Pa.--Professional hockey has the Stanley Cup, football has the Lombardi Trophy, and now the Lehigh Valley has the Via College Cup. Teams from colleges and universities across the Lehigh Valley will come together to compete on Sunday, Sept.13, in the College Cup Challenge as part of the Lehigh Valley Health Network Marathon (LVHN Marathon) for Via.
 
“Higher education is a major component of this community,” said Paul Pierpoint, LVHN Marathon chairperson and dean of Northampton Community College’s Southside campus. “With all these great colleges right here in the Lehigh Valley, this was the first time I can imagine for all of them to come together and compete in something that everyone can be competitive in—running and fundraising.”
 
Ten teams have already registered for the Via College Cup Challenge, a new relay team category added this year to the LVHN Marathon. Last year at this time, 700 runners were registered for the race. This year, more than 1,330 have registered.
 
“We think we’ll have 10—possibly 11—schools involved,” said Pierpoint. “We’re also reaching out to local alumni associations from colleges and universities across the country.”
 
The LVHN Marathon raises money for a great cause—Via of the Lehigh Valley¬—and community support is vital for the programs provided for children and adults with disabilities, said Pierpoint.
 
“It’s also important for our Lehigh Valley students to learn now that they are a part of something bigger—that their community extends beyond the walls of higher education and it is important to give back and support your community,” he said. “We’re looking forward to race day and seeing all the universities in their school colors, showing how important higher education is to our community.”
 
More than 1,650 walkers and runners participated in the 2008 LVHN Marathon for Via,  supported by 400 volunteers. This unique event features a five-person team relay, full and half marathon, and 5K walk. The 26.2 mile course starts at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown and takes runners through the Lehigh Parkway to the Lehigh River Canal Towpath, continuing through Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton. Along the way, runners will enjoy the scenic beauty of the Lehigh Parkway and the Lehigh River, pass through Bethlehem’s Historic Quarter, utilize miles of beautifully canopied trails including cinder, paved, and grass surfaces, and end at Center Square in Easton.
 
The LVHN Marathon raises funds for Via’s services for people with disabilities so they can connect and live in their communities. Via of the Lehigh Valley is a nonprofit human service agency that provides services for children and adults with disabilities, such as  autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome. Serving the community since 1954, Via’s staff help individuals and families from birth through retirement, focusing on children’s services, community connections, and employment. Visit www.ViaNet.org to learn more about Via’s services.

Registration for runners closes on Aug. 23. Walker registration continues right up to 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 13. Volunteers are needed for race day. Volunteer, register, or donate online at www.ViaNet.org. Questions should be directed to Via@ViaNet.org or 484-893-5389. 

If You’ve Got the Muscle, MDA’s Got the Plane

Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Goodwill Ambassador Tyler Schoup, 14, of North Whitehall Township, in front of the airplane. He will join participants at the Fourth Annual MDA Airplane Pull Challenge at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, at Lehigh Valley International Airport. Teams will compete to pull a 727 plane 12 feet, by a rope around its front tire. Proceeds benefit MDA research programs.
Photo by Diana Morse

Pediatric Cancer Patients to Benefit from 7-Year-Old’s Generosity

By Doug Sherrif
Special to Lehigh Valley Source

Like most boys, Lehigh Valley resident Brendan Alvino was looking forward to his seventh birthday. But this year he decided he wanted to make a difference by helping other children for his special day.

After talking it over with his mom and dad, they searched online for local organizations that could use help. Alvino didn’t know which one to choose until Fran (Hall) Rowley, a family friend and field hockey coach at Pen Argyl High School, suggested Angel 34, a six-year-old nonprofit organization in the Lehigh Valley that raises awareness of and funds for children battling cancer.

While visiting Angel 34’s Web site, Alvino became interested in Angel 34’s ICEE program, in which the organization provides ICEE machines to children’s hospitals. ICEE drinks were a favorite of Angel 34 founder Nicole Sheriff, who discovered, during her own battle with cancer, that the cool drink helped to offset the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. An ICEE fan, Alvino asked his mother to phone Angel 34 President and Executive Director Doug Sheriff, and it was agreed that Alvino would sell ICEES during Nazareth Day on Saturday, July 18.

Before the event, Alvino had raised $124 by asking friends, family, and members of his church to donate. Alvino and his sister, Cameron, emptied their own piggy banks.

On the day of the event, Alvino and his friends—Aidan Palochik, Eli Laurin, and Anthony Harris—sold ICEE drinks from noon to 2 p.m. at country gift shop Missing Piece. The boys took turns serving up cherry and Coke ICEE drinks to customers, while sampling for themselves.

They raised $310, which Alvino combined with previous funds for a total of $434. Alvino presented the money to Sheriff and Angel 34 Vice President Linda Sheriff. It will benefit children battling cancer in the Lehigh Valley and surrounding communities.

For more information about Angel 34, go to www.angel34.org.

— Doug Sherrif is president and executive director of Angel 34.