January 28, 2012

THE ORCHID INTRIGUE



Guests: Judy Stevenson and Heidi Maenner, Orchid Growers' Guild of Madison
Glen Decker, Piping Rock Orchids, Galway New York

Have you ever had an orchid obsession? It happens. People who have never rubbed shoulders with an orchid before, find themselves captivated once they are introduced. You'll learn from our three guests, Judy, Heidi and Glen, just what the orchid frenzy is all about and how infectious it can become.

They also talk about ORCHID QUEST 2012, the largest orchid show in the Midwest, which returns to the Alliant Energy Center, Saturday and Sunday, February 4th and 5th, for their 25th appearance. Huge orchid displays and thousands of fragrant orchids plus seminars, artwork and painted porcelain will turn Exhibition Hall into a tropical paradise. Pretending you are on an exotic island won't take much imagination!

And there's more. Underneath the color and unique beauty of orchids lies a story of international intrigue, smuggling - the ingredients of a mystery novel. But this story is true! Hear more about the Kovachii orchid, how it was discovered and smuggled from Peru, and how Glenn Decker, Orchid Quest keynote speaker, became one of the few American nurseries with extensive and all totally legal stocks of Kovachii.

For more information about Orchid Quest, obtaining tickets or making reservations for the Saturday banquet featuring Glen Decker, go to www.orchidguild.org, or call 608-231-3163.




January 20, 2012

WISCONSIN WOMEN'S POLICY INSTITUTE: TRAINING WOMEN TO BECOME SKILLED ADVOCATES



Guests: Eve Galanter, Chair, Wisconsin Women's Network
Helen Marks Dicks, Associate State Advocacy Director, AARP Wisconsin

One person can make a difference; influencing policy changes society. Training women to be advocates in their communities and to navigate Wisconsin's legislative process to advance legislation which improves the lives of women and girls in Wisconsin is the goal of the Wisconsin Women's Policy Institute. The Institute, recently created by the Wisconsin Women's Network, will launch its first-ever training session over the next five months. First on the agenda: focusing on elderly justice and security issues.

On this program, Eve Galanter and Helen Marks Dicks describe how this model-for-the-nation Institute came about and the kinds of things graduates can expect to accomplish. For the women recruited to participate, this will be new territory. But they will be well trained to have their voices heard and improvements made in areas important to them.

For more information on the Wisconsin Women's Network and the Wisconsin Women's Policy Institute, go to www.wiwomensnetwork.org, or call 608-255-9809.








January 6, 2012

GET FIT FOR HUNGER RELIEF



Guests: Dan Stein, President and CEO, Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin Jake Salzman, Personal Trainer, The Princeton Club

How many times have you welcomed the new year with the resolution that you were going to lose weight - exercise more? The Second Harvest Foodbank and The Princeton Club's Million Pound Challenge just might be the motivation you need. While YOU lose weight and get in better shape, YOU will also HELP raise one million pounds of food for food pantries in a 16-county area.


On this program, Dan Stein, president and CEO, gives us the inside story of Second Harvest's challenge to meet the increasing demands for emergency food assistance. Jake Salzman, Personal Trainer at the Princeton Club, then outlines specific steps to put us on a straight line to success. Yes, we can lose weight and reach our fitness goals.

Then, to have your fitness success contribute to the emergency food needs in Southern Wisconsin all you do is sign up at www.Princetonclub.net/mpc and record your hours of exercise or pounds lost. You can even select a Second Harvest Foodbank emergency food pantry as a beneficiary. For every pound of weight lost or hour exercised, the Princeton Club will contribute 10 pounds of food - up to one million pounds. There is no cost or obligation to join a health club in order to participate!

Sign up to be part of the Million Pound Challenge at www.Princetonclub.net/mpc.

For Jake's own healthy recipes, google or search on Facebook, "Jake the Trainer."





OVERCOMING ADDICTIONS: MORE THAN A NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION



Guests:
Tom Morgan, recovering alcoholic, author,
Journey to Sobriety: 34 years and counting
Verne Johnson, former drug dealer, addict, gang member, author,
When Tears Fall

"You don't have to live this way," Tom Morgan was told when he finally sought help to end his life of drinking. "I honestly didn't know that," he said. And that was the first day on his Journey to Sobriety, the title of his book and the beginning of his 37 years without a drink. On this All About Living program, Tom Morgan shares personal moments from his road to recovery - why his annual New Years Resolutions to quit drinking never worked, and what finally did. Tom now counsels others on freeing themselves from alcohol addiction.

Joining Tom is Verne Johnson whose book
When Tears Fall, reveals his personal story of an early life growing up in the projects in Rockford surrounded by drugs, alcohol, violence, incarceration, sexual abuse, poverty, and five siblings with different fathers. That culture was all Verne knew, and he soon moved into drug dealing, joining a gang and becoming addicted to drugs. Escaping that world is "very, very difficult," says Verne, but he did it and has remained drug free for 13 years. "It's not about making a New Year's Resolution," he said. "It's about making a commitment." Verne is now a motivational life speaker, substance abuse counselor, minister, husband and father in Rockford.

Their books,
Journey to Sobriety by Tom Morgan and When Tears Fall by Verne Johnson are available on www.amazon.com.