December11th -- African American Male Summit

Sunday, 12/11 @ 6am 
92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

Virginia Beach Public Schools will hold its 5th Annual African American Male Summit on Saturday, January 7th, at Green Run High School.  The event is titled, "Stones of Hope: Foundation for Our Future," a reference to the Martin Luther King Monument that was unveiled earlier in 2011 in Washington D.C.  Dr. King has served as an inspirational theme for the summit since the beginning.

My guest is Dr. George Parker, the principal of Green Run High School.  He says that while the summit is directed after African American boys, all students in 8th through 12th grades are welcome to attend, as are their parents.  The goal of the summit is to engage and inspire students.

The summit includes workshops on goal setting, succeeding in high school, and college preparation.  There will also be representatives from a number of colleges present.

For information about the African American Male Summit, visit the VBSchools.com website.

New Podcast Added

Sunday's interview with Kristen Hatfield and Wes Juezan of the American Red Cross has been added to the Hampton Roads Topics podcast.  Listen to learn how you could win an iPad 2 just for donating blood platelets.

December 4th -- Blood Platelet Donors Could Win iPad 2

Sunday, 12/4 @ 6am 
92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

People who donate blood platelets in Hampton Roads could win an iPad 2 from the American Red Cross.  That is just one of the topics discussed on this Sunday's edition of Hampton Roads Topics, with guests Kristin Hatfield and Wes Juezan of the American Red Cross Mid-Atlantic Blood Services Region.

According to the Red Cross website, "platelets are a vital element of cancer and organ transplant treatments, as well as many surgical procedures as they help prevent massive blood loss."  Juezan says platelet donation takes a little longer than whole blood donation, but it uses a smaller needle and it can be done more often, once every seven days.  Givers of whole blood must wait 56 days between donations.

Everyone who donates platelets during the month of December will be eligible to win an iPad 2.  Other prizes include an iPod Touch, a Kindle Fire, and laptop computers.

The local Red Cross also has a great need for whole blood donors, especially during the holidays when people are travelling, on Christmas break or are otherwise too busy to donate.  Hatfield says they need 500 to 600 blood donors every day to meet demand.

To give blood, a person must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in generally good health.  Cancer survivors and people with tattoos or body piercings are, in most cases, eligible to donate.  Visit the Red Cross eligibility page for more details.

To learn more about donating blood, visit www.redcrossblood.org/midatlantic

November 27th -- American Diabetes Month

6am Sunday, 11/27 on 92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

The American Diabetes Association has designated November as American Diabetes Month. The organization is hoping to educate the public about the risk factors for diabetes, preventing it, and living with it.

My guest is Lawrence Lambert, a program manager and educator for the Hampton Roads chapter of the Diabetes Association. He says quite plainly that Americans are eating too much, leading to a growing number of diabetes cases. Listen for him to put on a Southern accent as he discusses how "buttah and sugah" have become such a prevalent part of the modern American diet.

Lambert lives what he speaks. His family history includes both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. He is mindful of his weight and even wears a pedometer to ensure he's getting enough exercise.

We also discuss the irony of encouraging food moderation during November, a month when eating is celebrated.

To learn more about the American Diabetes Association in Hampton Roads, visit their chapter website.

Next Interview -- The American Red Cross

My wife and I had one of those "small world" moments last night.  We were walking into the American Red Cross donation center at Pembroke Mall to give blood when we were met by Kristen Hatfield, who I am interviewing today on the air about the need for blood donors during the holidays.  I am sure that our chance encounter will be a topic during the recording of the interview. 

My interview with Kristen will air Sunday, December 4th at 6am on 92.9 The Wave, Star 1310, ESPN Radio 94.1 and 97.3 The Eagle.

Visit RedCrossBlood.org/Midatlantic to learn where you can donate blood.

November 20th -- HR Green

6am Sunday, 11/20 on 92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

This week on Hampton Roads Topics I talk with Katie Cullipher and Brianna Venner from HR Green.  HR Green is a Hampton Roads Planning District Commission program that encourages the three R's:  reduce, reuse and recycle. 

We'll discuss why used grease and food from your Thanksgiving feast should be thrown away and not  dumped down the drain, where it can clog pipes.  We'll also talk about ideas for reusing your Christmas wrapping paper and the Christmas tree.

HR Green has tons of ideas for using less water and other resources at home and at work on their official website, www.AskHRGreen.org

November 13th -- The Got Sole Project

6am Sunday, 11/13 on 92.9 The Wave, ESPN Radio 94.1, Star 1310 and 97.3 The Eagle

My guest on this week's edition of Hampton Roads Topics is Laura Contreras-Rowe, the founder and Executive Director of the Got Sole Project.  The organization accepts donations of gently worn shoes and then distributes them to poor migrant worker families on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

As a working mom, realtor, motivational speaker and author (of the book, Aim High), Laura was already a very busy person before she began the Got Sole Project.   The idea grew out of her own childhood in Texas, where she assumed that everyone knew she was poor because of the old shoes she wore.  She is a fast moving, fast thinking and fast talking person whose energy really comes through during the interview.

I learned of the Got Sole Project from my radio colleague Paul Richardson of 92.9 The Wave.  He did some volunteer work with the organization on the National Day of Service, September 11th.

Links:
The Got Sole Project on Facebook.
Laura's book, Aim High