Mike Tindol named Volunteer of the Year

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society names Mike Tindol its 2009 Light The Night Volunteer of the Year

(Atlanta- March 15, 2010)- Mike Tindol, vice president of Allgood Pest Solutions, was named The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Light The Night Volunteer of the Year at it’s annual Volunteer Recognition Event this month. Mike, a volunteer with the organization for seven years, beat out hundreds of volunteers to receive the prestigious award.

Mike first began his involvement with LLS through it’s Team In Training program and then got his company involved through the annual Light The Night Walk. The Walk, held each fall in downtown Atlanta and four other cities across the state, raises critical money to fight blood cancer. When Mike became involved with the walk, he was president of the Georgia Pest Control Association (GPCA). In addition to his own company, Allgood Pest Solutions, Mike recruited more than 30 other GPCA member companies to get involved—raising more than $630,000 over the last six years for LLS through employee fundraising and/or company sponsorship.

In addition to the Light The Night Walk, Mike has also lent his time and efforts in fundraising for many other LLS events including it’s annual Strike Out Leukemia & Lymphoma Radiothon and the annual Rhubarb Jones Celebrity Golf Tournament.

“I am sincerely grateful for this recognition from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.”, Mike said. “The efforts of our dedicated team at Allgood Pest Solutions and the wonderful relationships we enjoy with our clients and the partnership with the other Georgia Pest Control Association companies, has been the key to the success of our involvement. To be part of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society mission has enriched my life and brought additional purpose to our organization.”

“There is no-one more deserving of this award than Mike Tindol,” says Dick Brown, executive director of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Georgia Chapter. “Mike has been a tireless advocate for our organization and has worked extremely hard to enhance our awareness in the pest control industry and our community. We are tremendously blessed to have Mike working for our cause and join the hundreds of thousands of people fighting blood cancers in thanking him for his desire to make a positive difference in their lives.”

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET. www.lls.org.

Georgia Chapter, 3715 Northside Parkway, Building 400, Suite 300, Atlanta, Georgia 30327
1-800-399-7312, 404-720-7900, www.lls.org/ga

Cool Baby Gifts for New Moms

Wondering what to give a mom-to-be? Tired of the standard burp cloths, diapers and so on? Then check out these cool gifts any mom is sure to appreciate (if you have kids, you may even want them for yourself!).

1. Rotating car seat. Finally, someone made getting a baby in and out of the car a bit easier! The Zeus 360 car seat by Combi rotates in a complete circle, without having to be uninstalled. Designed for forward (up to 33 pounds) or rear facing use (up to 40 pounds), the seat locks firmly into position after rotation. http://www.combi-intl.com/

2. Baby care timer. Any mom has had those moments when she can’t remember what time the baby last ate or how long he napped. Enter Itzbeen, a multi-purpose tool that helps parents keep track of important details. Itzbeen has four one-touch timers for changing, feeding, sleep/awake and more (medication, exercise, etc.). It’s especially useful for those with twins because keeping track can be doubly hard! http://www.itzbeen.com/

3. Baby MP3 player. Having soothing music in the background can help comfort baby, whether before nap time or just any time. The Baby Bidou MP3 player has a built-in speaker, parental volume control (it will never play too loud), and can be loaded with your music or even record your own voice. It also has a fade feature, enabling the volume to slowly decrease as baby falls asleep. The cute animal shapes are easy for toddlers to hold and are made of safe, non-toxic plastic. http://www.babybidou.com/

4. The ultimate high chair. The Svan chair isn’t just an ordinary high chair. It’s a beautifully designed Scandinavian-style chair that grows with a child, from a high chair to booster seat to toddler chair to desk chair. Made of bent birch wood, the Svan chair seats children up to 3 years old, and, as it converts, adults up to 250 pounds. http://www.svanusa.com/

Heart-healthy Eating on the Go

It’s relatively easy to eat well at home. After all, a trip to the grocery store can yield an abundance of heart-healthy food, including berries, spinach, olive oil, salmon and nuts. But what about when you’re eating out - how do you pick an entrée that’s good for you? When it comes to nutrition and smart eating choices, deciphering a menu can be like trying to read Sanskrit. Here are some tips to help you keep your heart (and the rest of your body) healthy.

- Skip appetizers, cocktails and other extras like bread. They often contain extra fat, sodium and calories.

- Choose foods that are steamed, roasted, broiled, baked, grilled or poached.

- Pick chicken, seafood or a lean meat entrée.

- Have any condiments served on the side (butter, salad dressing, sauces, gravies, etc.)

- If you must have dessert, choose fresh fruit, sherbet, angel food cake or something similar.

- Substitute unhealthy items for healthy ones. Instead of French fries get a baked potatoes or vegetables.

- Ask the server if smaller portions are available. Or save half of the entrée for lunch the following day.

- Don’t be shy about communicating with your server. Many times, food can be cooked to order or substitutions can be made that aren’t on the menu.

- Choose foods cooked in monounsaturated or polyunsaturated oils: olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, corn oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil.

Celebrate National Women’s History Month!

Marie Curie. Queen Elizabeth. Georgia O’Keefe. Harriet Tubman. Throughout history, women like these and many more have left indelible marks on the world. This month, the National Women’s History Project is celebrating 30 years of honoring famous women. In 1980, through the efforts of the NWHP, President Carter declared the week of March 8 as women’s history week; and, in 1987, Congress extended the week to include the entire month of March.

We’ve all heard of the more well-known women, like those mentioned above, but how much do we know about those women who came from our own great state? Take Juliette Gordon Low for example.

Born in Savannah in 1860 and affectionately known as “Daisy”, Low grew up in Savannah, leaving only as a teenager to attend school. After marrying Englishman William Mackay Low in 1886, Low moved to England but came back during the Spanish-American war to help. After returning to England and her husband’s subsequent death in 1905, Low was left wondering what to do with her life. She met Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, in 1911, and discovered her passion for helping young women and soon moved back to America. According to her official biography, that year she made a historic telephone call to a friend (a distant cousin), saying, "I've got something for the girls of Savannah, and all of America, and all the world, and we're going to start it tonight!"

Low started the America Girl Guides on March 12, 1912, with her niece Margaret "Daisy Doots" Gordon as the first official member – a total of 18 girls joined that day. The following year Low changed the name to Girl Scouts.

Today, the Girl Scouts has more than 3.7 million members and is dedicated to building girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Over the years, more than 50 million American women have learned and grown by being part of the Girl Scouts – a fact Low would be very proud of.

For more information on women in history, check out these Web sites: http://www.nwhp.org/ and http://www.georgiawomen.org./