Breast Cancer Support

The Alliance is supporting Denim Day at the Orlando Convention meeting. The idea is to wear jeans on Oct. 8th and give $5.00 to support Breast Cancer and Research Cures.

You can participate or not - wear jeans or not - donate or not.

Some of our members have had breast cancer and most people have a family member or friend who has been touched in some way. We would love your support in anyway you can give it.

Please click on the above link to learn more about Denim Day and how you can donate!

It's in the Mail

Don't be afraid to contact your legislators. You elected them and they are aware of this. If they want to be re-elected, they know they need to represent their *constituents; so your input is very important. (Click on the Elected Officials link below to find yours and how to contact them.)

Emails are preferred in most cases, especially during legislative sessions, but all communication, whether mail, email, or phone calls should always include the following.

• Your Name
• Your Address
• Your Phone Number
• Whether you are a Constituent of that District (preferably include your District #).
• Keep It Short & Simple (KISS).
• Know the title of your bill, its sponsor or sponsors and its number.
• Know enough about your bill to be able to discuss it with your legislator...be ready to counter any talking points they may have heard for or against your bill.
• Remind your legislator that you represent a non-partisan organization.
• Address correspondences to "The Honorable..." or to "Representative..." or to "Senator..."
• If you know your legislator, even in the vaguest sense, include this fact at the beginning or your communication.
• Be courteous
• Share why the bill may affect you personally. Use clarifying examples to support your position. (Your own personal experience is the best supporting evidence.)
• Be constructive. If you oppose something, try offering a positive alternative.
  
• Never threaten to withhold a vote in the future based on the outcome of the issue.
• Do not remind the legislator that you are a taxpayer.
• After the vote, regardless of the outcome, be sure to send or email a note thanking them for considering your position. This creates a more favorable atmosphere for future communications.
  

Letters-

• Are better if they are personal instead of form letters.
• Put on letterhead, if possible.
• Make sure the envelope is addressed correctly.
• Most prefer letters to be sent to their homes.

This information was put together by: Janice Gerritsen

Legislation is important!

Check out who your Elected Officials are.

Some fun...

During her travels as Well-Being Chair, Mary Ellen collected a couple of pictures from her travels to share with us.

(left to right) Mary Ellen, Mella Glen, & Ruth Blythe, gather for a photo last spring last spring, in Tulsa, Oklahoma

San Antonio, Texas
(left to right) Mary Ellen, the Chef from the Marriot (his food must have been really good for the ladies to want their picture with him:), Cindy Bates, Janet

Well-Being Chair-Mary Ellen Psaltis

During the month of May I thought it would be fun to feature our Well-Being Chair, Mary Ellen Psaltis and see what it is like being...In her shoes! Some fun questions and answers (from Mary Ellen) are featured below.

1-In your words what is well being?
A. Taking care of your physical, mental and spiritual needs and wants in a mindful, nourishing way.

2-Personally, what has been your goals for the Alliance while filling the office of Well-Being Chair?
Already accomplished: I have visited numerous states and Alliance groups to encourage overall well being and Alliance membership. The articles that I write for our Key and other publications are uplifting, informative and helpful.
Still looking forward to accomplishing: It has been challenging for me to narrow the focus of Well Being as it is an incredibly broad topic. I have been inclined to concentrate on the well being of the actual member who serves in the first line of well being of the dental family. It is essential for us to care for ourselves so that we have the stamina and ability to live our lives to the fullest and to attend to the others in on our lives. I look forward to reaching more people.

3-What have you loved the most about being the Well-Being Chair and what do you spend the most amount of time doing?
A. Speaking about making healthy live choices as an Alliance representative is an honor and privilege. The time I spend with other Alliance members and the relationships that are created are a fountain of strength and inspiration, as well a plenty of laughs.

4-What do you consider some of the key elements or most important techniques in regards to taking care of one's personal well being?
A. Well being is a life choice, not just something you do once in a while. It means incorporating food, fun activities and down time in to your regular life. You are not always first on your list of Things to Do, but you cannot always be last.

5-What positive impact have you seen come from dental spouses who focus on taking care of their personal well being suppose to those who don't?
We all care for ourselves on some level. Some of us are more diligent than others. I have noticed that our life style makes a difference over time. All the little bits add up over time. Our requirements to life at our highest and best vary greatly from person to person. Remembering to tell yourself the truth about how your body feels, how your mind operates and the way you feed your soul is essential to staying well. It is the denial that gets us in trouble.
I encourage people to eat well, have fun and to not take things too seriously. I remind myself that my well being is important and that I am the best person to take care of it.

Thank you, Mary Ellen, for the personal and applicable tid-bits of wisdom! -Kaleena

2 Simple Steps to Becoming Blog Savvy

I thought I might write a little about blogging as we go, just a few how-to's to get you started. Here are some questions you might have. If you have others, just let me know.

Q. How do I comment?
A. At the end of each post, there is the word COMMENTS. Click on this word to go to the commenting page. Type your comment, question, or reply. Then, there is WORD VERIFICATION: You have to type in those funny looking letters into the word verification box. This is a security feature so random companies and people can't put junk on our blog. Next is USER IDENTITY: You need to click on the Google Account circle and type in your Google username (gmail address) and password. YES, it does have to be a gmail account. Finally, push the orange PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT button, or if you prefer to preview first, click onto PREVIEW. WALAH, YOU DID IT!

Q. How do I sign up for a gmail account so I can publish comments on the blog?
A. Go to www.gmail.com. Click on "Create an Account", and follow the easy steps. Please do this if you don't have a gmail account. We want to hear from you!!!

Our Well Being & the Gym

      Mary Ellen Psaltis, our wonderful Well-Being Chair, has written an insightful article comparing Alliance membership participation to going to the gym. Go check her article out on the Alliance website.
       Sometimes the activities that make us grow into better people are tortuous, but resistance is what makes us stronger. Here are my favorite lines because they are so true...

       "My husband has never been crazy about working out with weights but  something about being led by a friendly instructor through a series of  tortuous motions works for him. It is a class we do together." -Mary Ellen Psaltis

Saturday Conference

Thursday & Friday Conference

Now That We Are Home

       Conference in Tempe was wonderful! I think we all felt Recharged, got a bit of Relaxation, and felt the need to Renew membership in the Alliance with a new vigor! If you are anything like me you still have a pile of "stuff" to go through now that you are home. Now is the time to look at and put it to good use some of the wonderful materials and resources we brought home. In no particular order, they are:

• The Reason to Smile Membership Manual on CD. (This thing is loaded!)
• Alliance Membership Invitations (Remember the ones that looked like postcards, but weren't.)
• Meth Mouth information papers and pamphlets
• Julia P.E.A.R.L. healthy living methods: Peace, Exercise, Awareness, Rejuvenation, Laughter (Which one did you pick to work on?)

       Remember to...

• Get on Facebook, go to the group page for the Alliance and the American Dental Association, and add yourself as a friend and invite others to do so.
• Fill out and send your Conference Meeting and Evaluations Sheets to Trish at Central Office.
• Send your personal or state blog address to aadachat@gmail.com if you want me to add you as a link on our page!!!
• Invite others to visit aadachat.blogspot.com

     

Pictures Coming Soon

      We had a great time in Tempe Arizona this past weekend! I caught some great photos and video. I will be putting these up probably by Monday, so check back then. Its going to take a while to go through them all and figure out how to post video.
      If you want to set up your own blog remember to go to blogger.com and follow the steps. There are tutorials to watch on there as well. You can email aadachat@gmail.com and ask me questions too.
      If you would like your personal, State or component blog linked onto your site just email it to me and I will add it.
      Please send me stories or your own or some pictures to add if you got some great ones.
   -Thanks, Kaleena

P.S. Just for fun I put the song, "I shot the Sheriff" at the bottom. I had it in my mind everyday after the Grant winner ceremony where certain Alliance members where made Sheriffs and designated to take some of the newbies or should I say Deputies under their wing! When I asked people at the District breakfast to sing the song for me no one knew the words...or maybe they feigned ignorance.

Conference in Tempe, Arizona

This year the Alliance is hosting their annual Conference in Arizona April 15-18. Alliance members from all over the country will be flying and driving in to Relax + Renew + Recharge in the temperate weather. The perfect remedy for the winter time blues. This years Conference will feature a five hour tour and low key itinerary. WE are very excited to feature Juila Pearl, well-being specialist and The Reason to Smile Event on Friday. Saturday is packed with fun educative events and spotlights honoring those great members of the Alliance who serve us and their communities so well. Sunday brunch concludes the conference.
As many of you know Conference events are not to miss and full of laughs, fun, and connection. Make sure you do everything you can to join us for this great event in April!

Check out the Alliance website for all the need to know details and registration information!

Western Regional Dental Conference

This weekend, March 4-6 at the Phoenix Convention Center Alliance members are trying to recruit new members for Arizona! Pictures will soon be added. Hope it's a big success!