The Friends of Lanark County and the National Farmers Union Local Chapter present "Pollinators, People And Pesticides", a speaking event that will interest members of the community who care about the pollinator crisis and human environmental health in general. Speakers will explore the effects and consequences of pesticide use (including roadside spraying) on human and pollinator health.

With Margaret (Meg) Sears Ph. D., Chair and lead scientist for Prevent Cancer Now, will speak about the environmental and health impacts of toxins including pesticides in our environment.

Vicki Wojcik Ph.D., from the Pollinator Partnership - the largest organization in the world exclusively dedicated to saving pollinators, will speak about new and emerging pollinator issues including the plight of our bees and the monarch butterfly.

Thursday April 6, 2017 at 7 p.m., McMartin House 125 Gore street, Perth. Free event. Light refreshments offered.

New local service for kids with ADHD and Autism

Amanda Neadow, standing with her sons Jason and Dawson, opened the JDN Center for Children in Perth on September 10. The center will provide ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) Therapy and parent coaching support to children diagnosed with ADHD, Autism and Cognitive Deficit Disorders. Neadow is originally from the Sharbot Lake area.

When her two sons were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD),

Neadow did extensive research “to understand what ADHD was, how to treat it and how to ensure that my boys would be successful”

She did a lot of it on her own. “We used the sources that the school offered, but the majority of sources and support we used was based on our own research,” she explains.

“There are many children who have ADHD, ASD and Cognitive Deficits who struggle every day and their parents and caregivers want their children to be happy and healthy,” Neadow says. “It is a real-life struggle and worry. So if the JDN Center can help parents start or continue their journey with more resources, information, and support than my family had; then our job is done.”

The JDN Center is located at the Elliot Street Medical Clinic, 12 Elliot St. in Perth. For more information visit www.jdncenter.com

Medical Community Welcomes New Local Service for Kids with ADHD and Autism

When Amanda Neadow discovered her two sons were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), she felt both relief as well as an immediate desire to fix the problem.

And she did a lot of it on her own.

“We used the sources that the school offered, but the majority of sources and support we used was based on our own research,” she explains. “I am a ‘fixer’ by nature and I was determined to understand what ADHD was, how to treat it and how to ensure that my boys would be successful. I spent many days and nights researching, reading, trying, failing and trying again.”

Her son’s EA then made a life-changing suggestion: try ABA Therapy.

ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) places emphasis on functional skills that are meaningful in day-to-day life, that will, over time, increase or decrease targeted behaviours. These principles can help to decrease maladaptive behaviors such as aggression, self-stimulatory behaviors, and self-injury. The therapy is useful for children diagnosed with ADHD, Autism or Cognitive Deficit Disorders.

“The results were amazing!” Neadow explains. “My son learned how to identify his feelings and he was stopping and thinking before physically reacting to a situation. He had gained self-control and confidence.”

But accessing these services meant two things for Neadow: driving into Ottawa three days a week for two months and missing work as a result. She’s adamant the reward outweighed the commitment, and Neadow wanted to bring these same solutions to other families while recognizing the need and convenience to have such services offered locally.

This September, she’ll open the doors to the JDN Center for Children at the Elliot Street Medical Clinic in Perth. The Center will offer one-on-one ABA therapy for children in JK to Grade 8 as well as parent coaching and social skills development. They’ll also host social skills group to help children engage in positive peer relationships while parents can also access guidance as their children undergo the ABA sessions.

Sub-head: Medical Community Welcomes ABA Therapy

When Neadow pitched her business idea to the local medical community, she got good feedback. Medical practitioners outlined their appreciation to offer parents another resource for their children diagnosed with ADHD, Autism or a Cognitive Deficit Disorder.

Dr. Beth Anne Van Noppen, a local physician, says she’s thrilled about the new service.

“I was really excited when Amanda came to me with the idea of an ADHD centre. I have seen Amanda work sacrificially to get the care she needed for her boys. I now see that determination and courage as she embarks on the starting of the JDN Center, Van Noppen says, adding that she, too has had this long-time dream to offer alternative services. “It’s easy to take medication.  It’s not easy to work through these difficulties. It takes a lot of effort and commitment. I think JDN will be a great asset in helping both parents and kids as they develop new responses to different situations.”

And that’s exactly what Neadow hopes to offer with the JDN Center.

“There are many children who have ADHD, ASD and Cognitive Deficits who struggle every day and their parents and caregivers want their children to be happy and healthy,” Neadow says. “It is a real-life struggle and worry. So if the JDN Center can help parents start or continue their journey with more resources, information, and support than my family had; then our job is done.”

Welcome BBQ Set for Sept. 10

To launch the JDN Center for Children, a Welcome BBQ will take place at the Elliot Street Clinic on Saturday, Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. JDN staff will be there and BBQers can get a tour of the Elliot Street Clinic located at 12 Elliot St. There will also be fidget toy giveaways and face painting. To learn more about the Welcome BBQ and the JDN Center for Children, visit www.jdncenter.com.

A comic delight is on stage until August 14 at Perth's Classic Theatre Festival, the uproarious Shaw comedy, Arms and the Man (with, left to right, Lindsay Robinson, Lana Sugarman and Scott Clarkson). The colourful, fast-moving show brought standing ovations on opening night. It runs at 54 Beckwith Street East, Wednesday to Sunday at 2 pm, with 8 pm shows every Wed., Thurs. & Fri. Tickets at www.classictheatre.ca or 1-877-283-1283.

Howard Clifford has unshakable faith in the transforming, restorative powers of nature. He believes that nature is not only a healer but that the “University of Wilderness” is the best teacher.

On Wednesday, April 6, at the Annual General Meeting of the Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust (MMLT), you’ll have a chance to hear him speak about his research and his thoughts at the Perth Legion in a presentation entitled “The Wild Child – Unleashing the Power of Nature”.

Research shows that among predictors of human health - physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual - engagement in nature activities is critically important. Similarly recognized is the nature deficit so prevalent today. In past, kids were sent outside to play until the street lights came on, exploring nearby ravines and forests, climbing trees, cliffs, slithering into caves, frequently housing live critters in pockets, happily arriving home dirty or muddy, occasionally with cuts and bruises and clothes that needed re-patching.

Today, children, either assigned or by choice, spend most of their time indoors. Activities are usually highly organized and structured, under close adult supervision. Children (and their parents and caregivers) are being denied the opportunity to connect freely with the natural world, and all the fun, wonder, and benefits that come from that experience. We understand the value of free-range chickens but not free-range children. Parents and those holding special places of influence in the child's life must “rewild” themselves as well - for their own well-being and that of their children.

By focusing primarily on disappearing wild places and ever more species on the brink of extinction, we fail to see that the greater threat to wilderness is our children. Yes, we forget that the reason we learned to love nature is precisely because of the unshackled power of freedom we felt - the sheer joy in exploring nature on our own terms - discovering our wild side. Children denied these experiences cannot love these special places and could become the first generation to not care.

MMLT has wilderness properties beckoning that wild child in young and old. The rocks and trees, meadows and ponds, the tadpoles and chickadees, are waiting to be explored, sensed, shared. We’re looking for ways to overcome the resistance and obstacles that discourage families and children, as well as clients of health services, from spending time in the various wilderness treasures protected by our land trust. One of our primary goals is to help them discover the “wild” in their nature.

Howard Clifford is president of the MMLT, a local charity that helps landowners conserve their treasured wilderness properties for the long term. His family owns the largest property conserved by the Land Trust, home to the popular Blueberry Mountain, which now welcomes over 1,000 visitors each year. He draws from his wide professional experience in child care combined with his passion for the healing powers of Nature. In his presentation, Clifford will share some of his research findings, but rather than present only an academic perspective he will share actual experiences demonstrating the power of nature.

The MMLT will hold its AGM on April 6 beginning at 7 p.m. At 7:30 the general public is most welcome to join us for Howard Clifford’s presentation. Refreshments will be served. The Perth Legion is located at 26

Beckwith St. E. Information: 613-253-2722; www.mmlt.ca