PR For $25 (beta)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT INFORMATION
Steve Tarr
Columbia-Capstone
www.columbia-capstone.com
Redmond, WA
steve.tarr@columbia-capstone.com

Why Don’t We Take Action? Perfect for Dads and Grads

Yes You! Yes Now! Leadership: a book for busy people who want to reach goals in
helpful ways, without making excuses for themselves or others. Enjoyable to read and
easy to apply.

Redmond, WA – June 1, 2009 –“I always try to do what I know to be right but I
do not do it. Instead, I do the very thing I should not!” said St. Paul in 55 AD.

Haven’t we all experienced the same frustration?

Now there is a solution. Yes You! Yes Now! Leadership, a book written by Dr. Steven
C. Tarr provides the reader with 50 short stories in an easy to read, enjoyable
format illustrating how you can take action right here, right now. At work and play,
Dr. Tarr recognized patterns of low performance because “I’m new here”, “I
need to go back to college”, or “My ideas aren’t good enough”. He realized
that ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things did so by simply taking
action – now, with no excuses.

Yes You! Yes Now! Leadership is organized into sections: The Basics, Leading
Yourself, Leading Your Team, and Leading Your Leader. Each section contains short
chapters that open with a compelling quote. Dr. Tarr sketches a topic, and then
creatively provides solutions drawn from extensive experience and research,
skillfully incorporating behind-the-scenes stories from famous and not-so-famous
events and people – Apollo 13, the New York Yankees, John Wooden, the Eroica Trio,
and Colin Powell.

Kids are smart. The Appendix includes delightful observations from grade school
children and high school students with gems such as, “Sometimes I am not good at
listening because I am talking” and “Do I communicate well? I’m not sure but
Alyssa thinks I do”.

Yes You! Yes Now! Leadership is 288 pages soft cover and is available through major booksellers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others. The retail list price is $24.95.

About the Author
Steven C. Tarr learned the power of yes-you yes-now leadership in front-line jobs
and executive roles, in high tech companies and world-class healthcare institutions.
He learned the value of taking action early by cleaning offices, delivering
newspapers, stocking grocery shelves, programming computers, and eventually leading
large teams of people. In each case, he has been both a leader and a follower,
learning to work with others to achieve team goals. He earned his B.S. and M.S. from
Washington State University and his Ph.D. from Portland State University. He enjoys
volunteer coaching high school basketball and seeing the growth of people, young and
old, as they persevere to achieve more than they thought possible.
For more information please visit www.yesyouyesnowleadership.com

Contact:
Susan Hoekstra
201-445-2445
201-970-4693 (C)
shoekstra@optonline.net
www.theservicejourney.com

or

Marlene Caroselli, Ed.D.
mccpd@frontiernet.net
www.caroselli.biz
585-249-0084

Virtual business partners Susan Hoekstra and Marlene Caroselli have joined forces to
offer corporate training, consulting, and business books to corporations, government
agencies, and non-profits. Introduced by Mindy Schwartz of Full Circle
AdminServices, the training/consulting team collectively has a
half-century of experience to offer their clients.

Susan owns Susan Hoekstra & Associates and is an experienced senior manager and
consultant who spent the past 25 years working with multi-sized, fast-paced
companies in the manufacturing, distribution, membership services, franchise and
financial services industries. Over the years, she has developed a penchant for
developing strategic service initiatives that drive growth and value to clients,
employees and shareholders. Most recently, she worked at a $5 billion corporation,
responsible for their service strategy, and released book, The Service Journey, now
available from Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.

The Service Journey is a no-nonsense, straightforward approach to delivering
excellent service that will give the direction and confidence needed to get you and
keep you on track. Susan has found that often managers start out very enthusiastic,
convinced they too can differentiate their firm through the service they provide.
Often that enthusiasm dissipates as the challenges of running a business interfere.
Susan shows why it’s so important to stay the course and do what is right by the
client, and through real-life service experiences shows how to align your
organization's behavior with your vision, avoid missteps and develop a customized
12-step service strategy.

Susan delivers dynamic, interactive service presentations, customized for each
business, around various service topics that engage the small or large audience.
Audience members walk away with a strategic understanding of service and tactics
that can be immediately applied to improve the clients' experience. Consulting
services are also offered that can help develop, implement or evaluate customized
service programs. Topics for both presentations and consulting services include:
implementing service standards, proactive service, service recovery, and service
alignment.

Marlene is a curriculum designer, keynoter, and the author of 60 business books. She
works with universities, non-profits, corporations and government agencies to help
working adults enhance their careers. Her most recent book is part of the Crisp
Fifty-Minute Series. Titled 8 Leadership Tips from Real Leaders, it features a
number of leaders who share the secrets of their success. Among them are Colleen
Barrett, President of Southwest Airlines, retired Brigadier General Preston Taylor,
and Salva Dut, one of the Lost Boys of the Sudan and founder of the Water for Sudan
project. Visit www.axzopress.com to obtain your copy.

One of Marlene earlier books, Principled Persuasion: Influence with Integrity, Sell
with Standards, was named a Director's Choice by Doubleday Book Club. The book
acknowledges that it's fairly easy to influence but much harder to influence with
integrity. Various integrity gauges are included in the book, which is a
comprehensive, user-friendly compilation of checklists, interviews, insights,
self-assessments, and tips for increasing your personal influence in order to
achieve win/win/win outcomes.

Now available as an e-book, Principled Persuasion has a list of Do's and Don't's, as
well as an equally valuable list of Will's and Won't's. For example, the e-book
cites the ancient Buddhist saying "Anything you do is everything you do." It then
offers this "Will": [You will] "Find others influenced by your every gesture. Act
with integrity in every case." The e-book, like its author, is an encourager of
risk-taking, as shown in this "Won't" recommendation: [You won't] "Grow unless you
challenge yourself in big and/or small ways."

No matter your training, consulting, seminar or conference needs, Susan and Marlene
will respond to your inquiry with professionalism and full attention to the details
of your situations. Contact them at the addresses provided above.

Is Your Dentist Qualified to Place Dental Implants?

A big problem is happening in implant dentistry with serious potential consequences! And most patients are not aware of it.

Here is what you need to know and the questions you should ask if your dentist wants to do implants on you!

There are three things in life that we protect more than anything else: our family, money, and health. We carefully protect them with every resource we have to avoid irreversible loss. And we follow some innate behaviors: We don't hire a stranger to babysit our kids no more than trusting our attorney who took some accounting courses with managing our hard earned money. But somehow we have lost the grip on protecting our health. We blindly accept doctors' recommendations regardless of whether it's their area of expertise or not. We select a doctor because they accept our insurance and pay little attention to how good they are and what their training and qualifications are. It makes no sense any more than trusting our tv repairman to fix our computer logic board or have our internist do a bypass surgery! The reason behind this inconsistent behavior may be because for years people did not have a better option. Medical and dental knowledge and technology even up to two decades ago was a fraction of what is known now. Physicians and dentists managed to learn a lot and do a lot and it worked. And frankly it was not easy for people to access information, so they had to go with what their doctors told them.

But times have changed. We live in a specialized world, with an immense amount of knowledge in each field which continues to grow at a rapid rate. In-fact, there is so much information and knowledge that it is practically impossible for any one person to master any more than one or two disciplines in their lifetime. It's time to come to grip with reality and take more responsibility for our health and make decisions that make sense, protecting our health like we protect our families and money.

Dental implants have revolutionized dentistry and the way we as dentists can help millions of patients with missing teeth regain their confidence, function, aesthetics, and overall oral health. The science and knowledge of dental implants has evolved greatly since they were first introduced by the father of implant dentistry, professor Branemark almost 50 years ago. It has now become one of the most successful procedures that we perform, approaching 98% plus success rate. This is mainly related to highly skilled implant surgeons trained in accredited residencies, continued advancement in technology and techniques, and better understanding of its biology and healing. But this knowledge is not achieved easily. Some clinicians spend their lifetime doing and learning about dental implants, performing hundreds and thousands of procedures, attending many conferences, and reading endless numbers of related literature each year........to reach what I call a "Level of Mastery". Our great success is a reflection of this dedication and mastership by these clinicians.

Here is the problem and a potential disaster in the making: In the past few years, there has been increasing trend for dental implant companies and some study groups to sponsor "weekend" courses targeting the general practitioners to buy their products and perform these highly technical and demanding procedures on their own patients. There is huge profit for these companies to do so as the general dentists make up the majority of the dental practitioners and therefore potential sales.

The current state of economy has amplified this problem. For number of dentists patient flow and treatment acceptance has declined. With decrease in production, many decide to perform such procedures themselves where they would have previously referred them to specialists.

And we are starting to see the results of this: Failed implants, increased infection, poorly positioned implants that can not be restored, nerve damages, loss of jaw bone, etc. This is very concerning, because the industry has worked so hard and so long to bring this unique service to patients transforming their lives with such great predictability and success.

Weekend courses clearly do not cover appropriate areas of study to meet the legal standard of care for implant placement. Most expert clinicians attest, "implant surgery is never simple". In response to this alarming trend, the Institute for Dental Implant Awareness (IDIA) recently released new training guidelines for basic implant placement. It is hoped that implant companies and organizers of these "weekend" courses comply and change their protocols. But this will take time and will certainly not be an easy battle.

So what should you do as a patient if you are planning to get dental implants? Here are some key questions to ask your dentist to help you make an engaged decision about your treatment and ultimately your oral health:

1) What is your specialty? Only oral surgeons and periodontists receive formal implant surgery training in accredited residency programs; some prosthodontists may also have advanced surgical training, but less common. Caution: An "Implantologist" is not a recognized and accredited specialty nor does it indicate proper training.

2) What is the extent of your training in implant surgery? Ask specifically the names of the courses, dates, durations, and who sponsored them. Search these courses and see if they are legitimate programs endorsed or supported by professional associations.

3) How many dental implants have you placed? A specialist or any skilled surgeon has placed hundreds if not thousands of implants. They do these procedures day-in and day-out. Question their qualifications if they have only placed a few of them in the past few months or year!!!

4) Do you work with any specialists? Even if a dentist places some dental implants, they almost always work with specialists in their area; Ask if it's OK for you to speak with them and get a different perspective. It's your right

5) Ask to speak to other patients about their experience. Personal testimonials are very valuable and meaningful.

6) Ask the assistants and receptionists about dental implants (how they work, how long it takes, what are the steps, etc); If they can not answer your questions or defer you constantly to the dentist, then they most likely do not perform many of them!

7) Ask for brochures, supporting articles, before & after photos, and other detailed information. A practice with focus on dental implants will have all of these readily available. No need to look for it!!!

Here are some other red flags:

1) "This is an easy one, I can handle it".........It almost never is...that simple!

2) Dental implant sales person in the office during your treatment! You can guess why they are there!!!

3) 'The lone star'......A dentist who seems to know everything and do everything!!!

Such engaged questions can also be asked of other highly specialized procedures such as extractions, grafting procedures, wisdom teeth, root canal procedures, orthodontics, etc.

As dentists, we have the responsibility to provide the finest care that we can to serve the best interest of our patients and we must remain committed to this oath. But it is also the responsibility of every patient to get involved and make engaged decisions about their health.

Dr. H. Ryan Kazemi

To reach Dr. Kazemi for this story and others:

Email: Hkazemi@facialart.com

Tel: (301) 654-7070

web: www.facialart.com

Visit our video podcasts on:

1) iTunes: search word- 'dr. kazemi'

2) Vimeo.com: search 'dr. kazemi's oral surgery channel'

3) YouTube: search 'implantguru'

Legacy Travel

http://www.legacytravel.com

I would like to share an experience I was honored to witness a few days ago.

I was in Mexico with two of my agents. We were eating lunch at El Dorado Maroma with
Joe Martinez, owner of the El Dorado Resorts. I had already learned from a mutual
friend that Joe had rejected the advice to consolidate his customers in order to
save money via layoffs. Joe immediately said that no workers would be laid off. He
was very concerned about how his workers would feed their children if they were not
working. Even after he was told how much money it would cost, Joe said he was
prepared to lose that money to keep all the employees.

So, while I had been told this story, apparently his employees had not heard this.
They knew that most hotel chains were laying people off and they must have thought
that layoffs were coming to the El Dorado hotels, too. Apparently, while my agents
and I were having lunch with Mr. Martinez, the GM of the El Dorado Maroma was having
the staff meeting informing the employees of Mr. Martinez’s plan to not layoff
anyone.

I looked up from my lunch and saw approximately 10 staff members, department
managers, walking toward us. The look on Joe’s face told me that he had no idea
why they were approaching our table.

Even though there was a language barrier, I could make out enough to know what was
being said. Even if I spoke no Spanish, the tears welling up in these ten workers
eyes would tell me everything. The words I was able to understand were “job” or
“work”, “honored”, and “thank you”. I am also not a mind reader but the
tears in Joe Martinez’s eyes told me how touched he was. The tears in my agents’
eyes told me that they also understood what they had just witnessed.

In that one moment I witnessed the resort employees’ fear turn into relief.
Joe’s obligation turned into determination. My self-pity turned into empathy. My
agents’ inquisitiveness turned into resolve. At that moment, I think we all
realized that we were all on the same side, trying to solve the same problem.

This is the time to support Mexico. They need us now more than ever.

Philip Banks
Legacy Travel

Have you read countless self help books and still your life isn't what you've 
hoped it would be?

Have you discovered your true calling is this life? Or are you still 
struggling to find something that you're passionate about?

Are you in the midst of transition and just don't know what your next step 
should be?

Do you have a dream but can't seem to get it off the ground?

Are you plagued by blocks such as overwhelm, procrastination or 
perfectionism to name a few?

THE GOOD NEWS IS CREATIVITY COACHING CAN HELP!

COMPASSION, CREATIVITY, FUN

Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching honors the non-linear process of creativity. 
It works well with people who are new to coaching as well as with those who 
have been turned off by goal oriented life coaching in the past. It is a 
completely different approach.

Coaching creatively

Emphasis is placed on the pure enjoyment of the process allowing for 
unlimited possibility in the product.

Creativity coaching is a gentle, nurturing experience, that fully takes 
into consideration the rebellious nature of the creative spirit within all of 
us.

The process is geared toward all areas of life!

Although it is highly beneficial for those pursuing a specific creative 
venture and for those wishing to re-visit an old hobby or passion, and for 
those who wish to pursue a new creative outlet, it is definitely not limited 
to the arts.

The truth is that each and every human being is creative...each in our 
own unique way.

Painting, Gardening, Cooking, Music, Business, Writing, Pottery, Playfully 
enjoying life...the list is endless!

What is your way?

Throughout the coaching, focus is placed on: Awareness, Tools and 
Education, all within the spirit of playful discovery. Emphasis is placed 
on continual growth!

Simply stated, Kaizen-Muse Creativity Coaching sessions are HIGHLY 
EFFECTIVE but they are also FUN!

Blocks are met and overcome through a gentle approach of compassion, 
play and awareness building activities.

Through the coaching process, hidden blocks are also unearthed and 
managed in the same effective way.

You will gain wonderful new tools that you can use in both your specific 
creative pursuit and in your life as a whole. Because...

When it comes right down to it...

Your life IS your ultimate creation!

The Kaizen practice of asking small questions, thinking small thoughts, taking 
small actions, solving small problems, giving yourself small rewards, and 
identifying small moments is an integral component that is utilized throughout 
the process. This effectively helps to bypass fear and encourages continuous, 
steady growth.

All coaching packages include specialized guided imagery sessions which are 
tailored specifically for you. These sessions may be taped for you to use 
whenever you’d like.

Joy in the process
Awareness in the moment

To find out more about an incredible opportunity, introductory offer
visit http://KaizenInspiredLife.com

Dental implants have become the optimal treatment option for replacement of 
missingteeth. They have 98% + success rate and have allowed many patients 
achieve normal eating and smile without the irreversible damaging effect of 
other alternatives such as bridges or dentures. 

To achieve optimal functional and aesthetic results with dental implants, it 
is crucial that the patient has adequate bone and gum tissues and the 
implants are positioned properly in all dimensions. Utilizing readily 
available office CT scans, it is now possible to obtain cost effective cross 
sectional images of the patient's jaws that can then be converted to 
3-dimensional images. These images reveal accurately the dimensions of 
the existing bone as well as the vital anatomical structures in proximity, 
such as nerves and sinuses. Often, the dentist first makes a special 
prosthesis (embedded with barium sulfate) that takes into account the 
final bite and teeth positions. Patient then wears this prosthesis during the 
CT scan creating radiological marks on those images. These marks 
represent the future sites of the crowns and the proposed positions of the 
dental implants, a critical tool in initial diagnosis and planning.

Utilizing a special software, we then convert the obtained CT scan into 
3-dimensional computer images that give us a 360 degree view of the 
patient's jaw, available bone, its anatomy, and the surrounding vital 
structures. Next we place virtual dental implants in their previously 
determined and planned positions guided by the marked sites on the CT. 
The result is a computer model demonstrating the the existing bone 
anatomy, vital structures, and accurately positioned dental implants that 
will eventually support the patient's teeth.

This 3-dimensional computer model is then used to fabricate a surgical 
guide or stent that translates the implant positions in the computer to a 
working jig that will be used by the oral surgeon during placement of the 
implants. These custom made gigs are extremely well fitting allowing the 
surgeon to easily and accurately place the implants in their appropriate 
positions. Once healed, the implants can easily be restored by the patient's 
dentist knowing the foundations (i.e. dental implants) are in the right place 
and orientation.

We are utilizing this cutting edge technology on many patients allowing us 
better diagnosis, less complications, more accurate implant positioning, 
shorter and less invasive surgeries, and enhanced results that meets the 
patients' goals. 

Dr. H. Ryan Kazemi is a board certified oral and maxillofacial surgeon in 
Bethesda, Maryland. He is a clinician and lecturer on the topic of dental 
implants, bone grafting, and other oral surgery procedures. He also produces 
video podcasts on dental implants and oral surgery to educate dentists and 
patients for making better and more engaged decisions about their oral health.

To reach Dr. Kazemi for this story and others:

Email: Hkazemi@facialart.com
Tel: (301) 654-7070

web: www.facialart.com

Visit our video podcasts on:
 1) iTunes: search word- 'dr. kazemi'
 2) Vimeo.com: search 'dr. kazemi's oral surgery channel'
 3) YouTube: search 'implantguru'

Contact: 
Heather Courtney
Pop Art Creations
408-772-4071
heather@popartcreations.com
www.barack-in-the-box.com

SMALL BUSINESS COMMEMORATES PRESIDENT OBAMA’S 100TH DAY WITH AN OBAMA-THEMED 
TOY GIVEAWAY
Toymaker Gives One Hundred San Franciscans’ a Reason to Smile and Celebrates
Obama’s First One Hundred Days in Office 
 
San Jose, CA, April 22, 2009 – Pop Art Creations, a small San Jose-based,
toymaking company will be giving one hundred Barack Obama jack-in-the-box toys 
to unsuspecting San Franciscans’ outside the Ferry Building on Monday, April 
27th at 4pm. The giveaway is meant to commemorate President Obama’s 100th day 
in office, and give folks a little something to smile about in the face of 
our ailing economy. 

Pop Art Creations’ owner, Heather Courtney, also plans to catch on film what 
San Franciscans’ think about our new President and how he is doing so far 
and ask what people think of her pop-up creation. “An attempt will also be 
made at a mass ‘popping’ of the boxes”, says Courtney, “if I can pull it off!” 
She planned the event to occur two days ahead so that the video can be 
edited and ready for YouTube on Wednesday, the 29th- the 100th day.

The husband and wife run company designed the Barack-in-the-Box toys 
and had 6000 of them manufactured last year. The toy is a classic, tin 
jack-in-the-box with a twist. Each side of the box features different 
caricatures of the POTUS, and when you turn its crank, “Hail to the Chief” 
plays and out pops a smiling President Barack Obama. The two 
self-proclaimed “underdogs” of the Obama Merchandise Industry put up 
every cent they had to manufacture the toys, in an effort to ride the 
Obamania wave like so many other companies. With limited resources 
the company has been slow to get the word out about their creation, even 
though the product has been acclaimed as one of the most unique on the 
market. 

Courtney admits that her product and her motives for creating it have been 
met with mixed reviews. “When they see it, they either laugh and tell me it’s 
great or they wag their finger at me saying that it’s disrespectful”, Courtney 
recalls, “it’s really meant to be fun - a celebration of the history-making 
election.” Lately, Courtney’s mantra is “Lighten up”, as she believes it is 
times like these where people really need to “relax and have a good belly 
laugh, at least once in a while. It takes the edge off after crying in your 
latte everyday as you watch the morning news”. Her new Barack-in-the-Box 
serves to meet that need.

Pop Art Creations was founded in 2003. Heather Courtney creates custom 
handmade, wooden jack-in-the-boxes that feature the likenesses of her 
customers, which she sculpts by hand. Her business hit a new level in 2006, 
when Ellen Degeneres featured Pop Art Creations Ellen-in-the-box, on her talk 
show. The work is all done by Courtney and each is one-of-a-kind. Her Hillary 
Clinton design created in 2008 and the new Obama jack-in-the-boxes are the 
first mass-produced products for the small company.

If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview 
with Heather Courtney, please call her at 408-772-4071 or e-mail at
heather@popartcreations.com

Contact:
Calvin Mims
POP TOSS INC.
Phone: 224-858-4159
Web site: http://www.21stcenturybattingtees.com
E-Mail: info@poptoss.com

POP TOSS Introduces New, Innovative Baseball Training Aid for Youths

Youth baseball teams for both boys and girls lose many players to other
sports because they get “beaned” (struck) by young pitchers who are 
inadequately trained, and also because they haven’t yet learned the skills 
of consistently connecting the ball with the bat. To bring back a superior 
level of play and supercharge young players’ enthusiasm for the game, 
Pop Toss introduces a new, state-of-the-art batting tee that replaces the 
conventional, stand-alone baseball tee that has been used in the USA for 
decades. Since Pop Toss has associates who are Major League Baseball 
players, this new, unique training aid has a huge potential to result in 
better skills, more fun combined with training, shorter practice times by 
75% without a loss of results, and building players’ confidence in their 
abilities.

“Pop Toss has been making sports-related products since 1995,” said 
spokesperson Calvin Mims. Our new 21st Century Batting Tees are already 
in use by players and coaches on every level. The Pop Toss is proving its 
worth by increased “wins” in tournament play.”

The Pop Toss is advertised as being simple to use, affordable, and a highly
effective training aid. All types of balls – real or plastic- can be used with the
Pop Toss batting Tees. Coaches and players can easily adjust pitching heights 
with any ball type. It also eliminates hitting errors like long swings, 
upper-cut swings, inability to hit change ups, increasing hit strength, and 
failure to watch the ball when hitting. 

“Our 21st Century Batting Tee, the Pop Toss, will help coaches train their 
young players to become better hitters,” said Mims. “To prove it, we’re 
giving away 10 free samples on a first-come, first-served basis. The Pop Toss 
is invaluable in teaching batters to hit pitches thrown inside or outside of 
the strike zone.”

Pop Toss Inc. has already received numerous accolades from satisfied new 
customers. Coaches and players have described this batting tee as a 
superlative and fun to use training aid. Among its most prominent benefits 
are teaching batters to hit to the opposite field, hitting hard line drives, 
mastering ground balls, avoiding pop-ups, and connecting with the ball 
anywhere within the strike zone. 

For more information about the Pop Toss, contact Calvin Mims at 
info@poptoss.com.

The perfect gift for the Mother who appreciates classical music, is a subscription to Classical Music Today - the newsletter for listeners. To honor Mother’s nationwide, Classical Music Today will include its bonus CD - “Symphony for the Seasons” – with each first issue. Orders must be received on or before May 1st for Mother’s Day delivery of the gift announcement; code MD09 must be mentioned to receive the bonus CD.

Annual subscriptions are $35. Please make checks payable to Classical Music Today, POB 3080, Garden City, NY 11531, or pay by credit card at the website www.classicalmusictoday.com . Gift subscriptions must indicate if the announcement is to be mailed to the presenter or recipient.

Classical Music Today is the quarterly newsletter about everything that’s new and interesting in the world of classical music. The publication, sent only via US Mail, is designed for those who enjoy listening to classical music – whether live in the concert hall or in the privacy of their home.

Classical Music Today is the source for inside information, celebrity news, who’s who, festivals, trends, reviews, behind-the-scene happenings, new recordings, orchestra news, profiles of present day composers and conductors, and much more – all national in scope.

The Editor of Classical Music Today is Robert Ardini, a Juilliard-educated musician whose training can be traced back to Beethoven. Classical Music Today is published by Ardini & Associates, Inc., a New York corporation.

A photo image of the CD and an Adobe sample of the newsletter are available upon request.

Contact: Rob Ardini

718 784-3879

robert@classicalmusictoday.com

Media Inquiries:

Jayne Spottswood

773.472.7663 (o)

312.209.5046 (c)

jspottswood@thousandwaves.org

PREVENTING VIOLENCE WITH “SPIRIT”

Thousand Waves Martial Arts to Join Local Fitness Enthusiasts in Fundraiser for Violence Prevention Programs

CHICAGO – (April 20, 2009) – Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center, NFP, will be hosting its fourth annual Spirit Challenge fundraiser from May 24 to May 31, 2009. Featuring multiple martial and athletic challenges to both karate students and outside fitness enthusiasts, the event will raise scholarship funds for students devoted to their practice, and help maintain Thousand Waves’ ongoing violence prevention programs in Chicago-area schools and community agencies.

As a non-profit organization, Thousand Waves holds the Spirit Challenge every spring and the Punch and Kick-a-Thon every fall. The events raise tens of thousands of dollars annually, as members and their families pledge to raise a minimum of $200 one time each year.

“We started this event several years ago to give our adult and teen members a chance to display their athletic skills, while also raising the necessary funds to keep our school and its programs running. We need these funds for our operations, self-defense outreach programs in schools and community agencies for youth and teens at risk from violence, and our scholarship fund that allows students with financial hardships to study self-defense and karate. This year may prove to be more challenging, so we are giving Sprit Challenge participants as much information as possible on how to fundraise,” says Thousand Waves co-founder Nancy Lanoue.

The opening event on May 24 will feature Thousand Waves’ own Spirit Challenge Team for Bike the Drive. Karate students and their families can bike for 15, 30 or 60 miles, starting 5:30 a.m. at Columbus and Jackson, and benefit both Thousand Waves and the Active Transportation Alliance.

On May 30, Thousand Waves members, their families and the general public will demonstrate their cardiovascular endurance by completing the 3/6/9 Mile Run-Walk along a lakefront path, starting near Montrose Harbor. This event is open to anyone ages 12 and up. Kids younger than 12 will have their own “Fun Run,” ranging from a quarter-mile to a full mile.

Other events to be held on May 30 and May 31 include the “Sole Survivor MuscleEndurance” challenge, Board Breaking, Sparring, Kata (choreographed martial arts routines), and martial arts performance pieces by Black Belt members of the school.

According to Lanoue, “We’ve set our fundraising goal for Spirit Challenge at $60,000, and we expect to meet it, and hopefully raise even more. Ultimately, we’d also like to establish ourselves in the community as a non-profit resource delivering ongoing violence prevention education. We believe that trying to prevent more violence from occurring is much easier than dealing with the aftermath.”

ABOUT THOUSAND WAVES MARTIAL ARTS AND SELF-DEFENSE CENTER:

Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center, NFP, is a 501(c) non-profiteducational institution located in Chicago. Key programs include traditional martial arts for adults, teens and children; free self-defense seminars serving over 400 people annually; Meditations on Violence, an ongoing public lecture series with activists in the struggle to reduce global violence; and a volunteer-led Performance Team that gives free educational and entertaining martial arts presentations for faith-based organizations, schools and community centers. The Thousand Waves Scholarship Fund gives grants totaling $1500/month to 25-30 individuals to participate in martial arts and self-defense programs. Funds are also used to support non-profits and schools that want to sponsor a program for their clients, but have no training budget. For more information, please visit www.thousandwaves.org.