Good News Break | January 2016

January 2, 2016

Press Releases

“Any new beginning is forged from the shards of the past, not from the abandonment of the past.”
-Craig D. Lounsbrough

Dates to Remember

Jan. 1st: New Year’s Day – Ah a brand new year! Can you believe it is already 2016? I hope everyone had a great New Year’s Eve filled with laughter and maybe even a New Year’s kiss?! New Year’s Day is a time to relax and enjoy the start of a bright and promising new year….a new beginning. It is a time to be with family. After all, you haven’t seen your mother since last year! I wish you luck on accomplishing your resolutions!

Jan. 11th: Human Trafficking Awareness Day – Human Trafficking Awareness Day is dedicated to raising awareness of sexual slavery and human trafficking worldwide. It started in 2007, when the U.S. Senate designated January 11th as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Although it is a U.S. initiative, the United Nations has begun to highlight this topic and working towards global awareness.

Jan. 17th: Ditch Your New Year’s Resolution Day – If there’s a day to celebrate New Years and to make resolutions for the upcoming year, then there should be a day to ditch those resolutions. That’s the purpose for today! If you haven’t broken or given up all of those New Year’s resolutions, you’re doing better than most of us! Maybe, you’re well along the way to accomplishing them. Maybe, a few are already checked off your list. Good for you! For many of us, New Year’s resolutions are hanging heavily over our heads. They have become a burden, and perhaps were not such a good idea after all. If you haven’t accomplished, broken, or given up your New Year’s resolutions, today is your chance to get out from under them.

Jan. 18th: Martin Luther King Jr. Day – Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday held on the third Monday of January. It celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., an influential American civil rights leader. He is well-known for his campaigns to end racial segregation on public transport and for racial equality in the United States.

Jan. 21st: National Hugging Day – What a great day! This is an opportunity to give and to receive. Give a hug, and you automatically receive one in return. Sure, someone might not hug back. But, how often does that happen!? Hugs are loving. Hugs are therapeutic. Hugs make you feel good inside. Celebrate today by giving hugs to family, friends and loved ones. You’ll love the warm feeling you get.

PLA’s New Year’s Resolutions:

Pam Lewis: Eat less, pray, laugh, read, and travel more
Nicole Zeller: Pay off student loans
Mark Logsdon: To spend more off-time actually off. I want to build stronger relationships with my family and friends
Sara Shannon: Play the violin more
Brittney Wilkerson: To travel to a place where I’ve never been and try something out of my comfort zone while I’m there
Matt Williams: Travel abroad for reasons other than a beach vacation

Helping the Homeless Stay Warm

A group of young Canadians are taking the initiative to help the homeless stay warm this winter by dressing up lamp posts. Tara Smith-Atkins, her eight-year-old daughter, and seven of her daughter’s friends took to the streets in Halifax with bags of winter coats, hats, and scarves.

They wrapped the clothing around lamp posts with a hand written tag that reads “I am not lost. If you are stuck out in the cold, please take me to keep warm!” It all began when Smith-Atkins was fretting over how to help the homeless stay warm during the coming winter months. After some brainstorming, she began asking her community for coat donations and winter items still in good shape. After only two weeks, the family had plenty of items to distribute. “They definitely learned the importance of it,” Smith-Atkins told CBC News. “When we got back in the car after an hour on the street, they were all freezing and crying for the heater to be on and complaining because they were cold. And they were bundled up.”

Food For Fines

For the second year in a row, residents of Lexington, Kentucky can pay their parking fines with canned goods for local food banks.

The city’s local parking authority is allowing residents with outstanding citations to donate preserved goods in lieu of cash through December 18. The month-long “Food for Fines” program will help stock the shelves of God’s Pantry Food Bank throughout the holiday season.

“One expired parking meter ticket could mean two meals for hungry Fayette County families,” God’s Pantry CEO Marian Guinn said. Parking violators can donate ten 15-ounce cans of food for a typical $15 dollar fine. For heftier fines, the city’s parking authority is willing to accept more cans. Last year, Lexington’s first “Foods for Fines” program was limited to expired parking meter fines. It garnered 6200 cans for more than 600 citations — worth about $14,000.

This year, the charitable endeavor is open to all parking citations.

Having trouble coming up with your New Year’s resolution? Lucky for you, I have created a list of common resolutions! Good luck!

Lose Weight and Get Fit
Quit Smoking
Learn Something New
Eat Healthier
Get Out of Debt and Save Money
Spend More Time with Family
Travel to a New Place
Volunteer
Read for Pleasure
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Write Thank You Notes
Turn the T.V. Off at Dinner
Plan “Date Night” Once a Week
Call Instead of Text

This Month’s Recipe

If you are like me and are trying to eat better this year, check out this simple and healthy snack option!

Pin Wheel Veggie Wraps
These are perfect for a quick meal, lunch on the go, healthy snack for the little ones in your family and are amazing to do up a large platter and bring to your next party or event. Everyone will love this guilt-free, healthy appetizer.

Ingredients:
Cucumber
Red pepper
Avocado
Hummus
Ezekiel Wraps

Directions:

On Ezekiel wrap (or 100% Whole Grain wrap), spread hummus (over half the wrap).
Cut red and orange peppers into long thin slices, place the peppers on the wrap (on the hummus side) in a single layer laying them length-wise in the same direction.
Thinly slice cucumbers and add them length-wise the peppers and hummus. Then roll the wraps length-wise. Add some small pieces of chopped avocado if you choose.
Cut off the ends (your snack while cooking) and then cut the rest of the wrap into 1-inch rounds. Place rounds flat on a serving tray. Make sure if you are bringing them to a party you make lots, they are a hit!

About The Author

I hope you all have a Happy New Year! I have just finished my internship at PLA Media. I seriously could not have asked for a better group of people to work with! I learned so much about PR and the music industry during my time here at PLA. I also strongly believe that I have made some life-long friends during this internship. I am so thankful that 2015 brought me to Nashville and to PLA Media.

January is a great month to start new and make some changes in our lives. It is a time to reflect on who we are, and who we would like to become. Now that the holidays are over, it is time for me to start my New Year’s resolutions of eating healthier and getting more sleep. I am also making it a priority to get out and explore Nashville! I have been living here for almost 5 months now and I want to make the time to discover this great city that I now call home! I am looking forward to seeing what 2016 has in store for me!

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

– Lauren King