Flu Season Volume 3, Issue 12

Times Family December 2012

Article from http://www.flu.gov/

It’s that time of year again – flu season. Time

for you and your family to get flu

shots. Not only will you significantly

lower your chance of getting the flu

this winter, but you can make an im-

portant contribution to public health

by limiting the spread of this danger-

ous disease.

The Center for Disease Control and

Prevention states “flu seasons are un-

predictable and can be severe.” All

family members, six months and

older, should be immunized every

year, since the flu virus changes

slightly season to season, requiring

yearly vaccinations.

This is especially true for people at

high risk of catching the flu or with a

risk of flu-related complications, such

as children, pregnant women, people

65 and older and those with chronic

medical conditions such as asthma. A

complete list of people at higher risk

of complications is available at the

Center for Disease Control and Pre-

vention website: www.cdc.gov/flu/

groups.htm.

Some people worry flu shots don’t

work. It is possible to get the flu, even

after getting immunized. There are

different strains of the flu virus in cir-

culation, meaning you can be exposed

to a version of the virus you’re not

immunized against. Some even be-

lieve the flu vaccine causes the flu.

This is incorrect. Flu shots contain

only pieces of killed flu virus that can-

not infect the body. Some recipi-

ents report mild flu-like symptoms,

which result from antibodies your

body produces that help fight off

the actual flu.

Getting a flu shot is easy and inex-

pensive for TRICARE beneficiar-

ies. You can get your flu vaccine

from any military medical clinic or

hospital at no cost to you, or from

your pharmacist at one of 45,000 net-

work pharmacies that administer vac-

cines to TRICARE beneficiaries. You

can also be vaccinated by your doctor,

or at one of the retail health clinics

found inside many pharmacies. Keep

in mind this is considered a “medical

visit,” so you may have cost shares or

co-pays.

Generally, if the pharmacist adminis-

ters the vaccine, it is at no cost to you.

If another healthcare professional ad-

ministers the vaccine, it is a medical

visit and you must pay the associated

co-pays. Although getting vaccinated

is the best way to prevent the flu, there

are additional steps you can follow to

avoid the flu.

One of the most important is to wash

your hands regularly with soap and

water, or use an alcohol-based hand

sanitizer when those are not available.

Here are some other tips from

www.flu.gov:

Avoid touching your eyes, nose,

or mouth.

Minimize close contact with sick

people.

Practice good health habits. Get

plenty of sleep and exercise, man-

age your stress, drink plenty of

fluids, and eat healthy food.

Cover your nose and mouth with a

tissue when you cough or sneeze.

Throw your used tissue in the

trash.

If you are sick with flu-like illness,

stay home until at least 24 hours

after your fever is gone (without

the use of fever-reducing medi-

cine).

It’s important to get a flu shot every

year – your chances of staying healthy

this winter increase dramatically if

you do. For more information on this

year’s flu season, visit www.cdc.gov/

flu. To learn more about TRICARE

coverage of flu shots, visit

www.tricare.mil/flu.

Director’s Corner www.hamiltonmwr.com/afap_form.php Have a wonderful Holiday Season. Carmen E. Borrero ACS Director

The Holiday season is upon us, do take advantage of the Holiday Season in New York City. ACS is hosting the 2012 AFAP Conference on Decem-ber 11, 2012, 0800-1630 at the Fort Hamilton Community Club It’s not too late! If you have an idea which you be-lieve would be beneficial to the Fort Hamilton Commu-nity, submit your AFAP

issue, by filling out an AFAP submission form at the follow-ing locations: Army Community Service, Barber Shop, Belfour Beatty Communities, Bowling Center, Child Development Center, Community Club, Fit-ness Center, ID Section, Post Office, Reserve Center, and Visitor Control Center or Sub-mit your Issues today online: http://

Family Advocacy/

EFMP Vincent DiMaira

718-630-4460

Financial Readiness 718-630-4754

Front Desk/

Information & Referral Magda Lawrence

718-630-4754

Loan Closet 718-630-4754

Relocation Readiness Madeline Pastorella

718-630-4462

Sexual Assault/Victim Advocacy

Vincent DiMiara 718-630-4460

ACS Programs & Staff

ACS Director Carmen Borrero

718-630-4457

Army Emergency Relief 718-630-4754

Army Family Team Building

John Mapes 718-630-4498

Army Family Action Plan

John Mapes 718-630-4498

Army Volunteer Corps

Joseph Gamez 718-630-4756

Deployment/Mobilization

Madeline Pastorella 718-630-4462

Employment Readiness

Joseph Gamez 718-630-4756

Page 2

Inside This Issue:

2 Director’s Corner/ACS Programs & Staff

3 Armed Forces Action Plan Conference

4 Master Resiliency Training/Army Family

Team Building

5 Employment Readiness Program-Put Vol-

unteer Work on your Resume

5 Volunteer Program

6 Family Advocacy Program-What is Child

Abuse

7 SOS/EFMP/MFLC/SHARP

8 Financial Readiness Program – Regifting

Gains Popularity

9 Waiting Families/Mob-Dep/Lending

Closet/Newcomer’s Orientation

10 Relocation Program— Sponsor Training

11 Boost Your Metabolism After 40

12

13

Safety-Clutter Causes Casualties

Calendar

Happy Holidays !

IT’S NOT TOO LATE!! If you have an idea which you believe would be

beneficial to the Fort Hamilton Community SUBMIT your Idea/Issue TODAY!!

Submit your Issues online @ http://www.hamiltonmwr.com/

afap_form.php or visit one of the following locations:

Armed Forces Action Plan Conference December 11, 2012 0800-1630hrs. @

Fort Hamilton Community Club

Army Community Service

Barber Shop

Belfour Beatty

Bowling Center

Child Development Center

Community Club

Fitness Center

ID Section

Post Office

Reserve Center

Visitor Control Center

Post Exchange

AFAP….Voice of the Community

If you would like to participate as a Delegate, Facilitator, Recorder, or Transcriber, please contact: John Mapes at 718-630-4498

Page 3

Page 4

Master Resiliency Training

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

1300 to 1430 hrs. at ACS Conference Room

Resilience is the ability to grow and thrive in the face of challenges and bounce back

from adversity.

Learn skills to overcome obstacles and how to bounce back from life's challenges.

For more information contact John Mapes at 718-630-4498.

Army Family Team Building empowers individuals, maxi-

mizing their personal growth and professional develop-

ment through specialized training, transforming our com-

munity into a resilient and strong foundation meeting to-

day's military mission.

For questions or more information, please call:

John Mapes, Program Manager 718-630-4498

ARMY FAMILY TEAM BUILDING CLASSES

Tuesday, December 04, 2012, 1100 — 1230 hrs.

ACs conference Room

Consider integrating your volunteer work into the section of your resume called "Work Experience." Even if you were not paid a salary and did not consider the volunteering to be "employment," it cer-tainly was productive work and should count as "experience." The key is to trans-late what you gained from the volunteer activity into the language of the paid work world.

Don't use "volunteer" as a job title. It's an adjective and alone does not convey the work that you accomplished. So, if you did tutoring, use the title "Tutor." If you coordinated a project, identify your work accurately as "Project Coordinator." The fact that you filled this position in an un-paid capacity is part of your description of the work. First grab your prospective employer's interest with an accurate posi-tion title.

Next describe the volunteer work in terms of your achievements, highlighting the skills that you learned and demonstrated. What would be important to the work world about what you did? For example, did you raise $100,000? Did you manage a budget or accomplish goals on schedule? Did you supervise a staff of people? Even if they, too, were volunteers, your success required the ability to be a motivating leader. All these sorts of things impress an employer.

Take the time to analyze what you

Employment Readiness Program Put Volunteer Work on Your Resume

Fort Hamilton

Army Volunteer Corps

Meet New People

Become Active in Your Community

Gain New Job Skills

Feel Good About Yourself

Enhance Job Opportunities

Gain Experience

TO REGISTER call

(718) 630-4756

Employment Readiness Program (ERP)

Employment Readiness Offers:

Job search assistance

Resume development

Career Planning

Vacancy Listings

Computer Lab

To schedule an appointment

Please call (718) 630-4756

When you are looking for a job, your re-sume gets your foot in the door. It repre-sents you to a potential employer and you want it to stand out from the resumes of the other applicants. One way to capture the interest of an employer is to show that you are an involved citizen -- someone who works to make the community a bet-ter place to live. In other words, make sure your volunteer work appears on your resume.

It is a common misconception that there is only one "right" way to design a resume. Actually, the most important thing is to present the information in such a way as to document and support your career goal. If you tell a prospective employer that you want a particular job, your re-sume must prove that you are the right candidate to fill it. Sometimes your paid work history may not be as important as what you have done as a volunteer in demonstrating that you have the neces-sary job skills.

One approach used by many people is to add a section to their resumes called "Community Service" or "Volunteer Work." They list the highlights of their volunteering here, to show that they have interests outside of their employment his-tory already described. This is certainly better than ignoring volunteer experience on a resume, but it is not the best way to highlight what you have learned as a vol-unteer.

learned as a volunteer. Did you have the chance to practice public speaking? Write reports, news releases, newsletters? Plan projects, coordinate sub-committees, train others to do the work? Such skills are ap-plicable to just about any setting.

Describe your activities and achievements fully. You do not need to say these were done as a volunteer, though you are of course welcome to do so. If you feel un-easy about representing volunteer work as equivalent to a full-time paid job, you can identify the volunteering as being part-time. Be honest. Don't overstate what you did. But also be sure to give yourself the credit you deserve.

If you are a student seeking your first real job, being able to show volunteer work on a resume demonstrates that you had inter-ests beyond the classroom. If you are re-turning to the paid work force after some time away, your volunteer activities prove that you kept yourself sharp and in-volved. If you want to change career fields, it may be your volunteer work in the new field that tells a prospective em-ployer you're worth the risk, even if all your paid employment history is in some other field. Be unapologetic about giving space on your resume to volunteering. Since the whole goal of a resume is to get you an interview, think how more inter-esting your face-to-face conversation will be when you add all those community activities to show who you really are.

Article from www.serviceleader.org/volunteers/resume

Family Advocacy Program What is Child Abuse?

Family Advocacy Program (FAP) is dedicated to Spousal & Child Abuse Prevention,

Education, Prompt Reporting, Investigation, & Intervention.

To access the Family Advocacy Program, contact Vincent DiMaira at 718-630-4460

To access the Ft. Hamilton Social Worker, contact Elizabeth Winslow at 718-630-4242

It shouldn't hurt to be a kid....

Child abuse is physical -- shaking, hitting, beating,

burning, or biting a child.

Child abuse is emotional -- constantly blaming or

putting down a child; excessive yelling, shaming.

Child abuse is sexual -- incest, any forced sexual

activity, exposure to sexual stimulation not appro-

priate for the child's age.

Child abuse is neglect -- a pattern of failure to provide

for the child's physical needs, such as food, clothing,

shelter, and medical care; a pattern of failure to pro-

vide for the child's emotional needs, such as affection,

attention, and supervision.

It is legal in every state to spank a child on the buttocks

with a bare hand. Any other discipline, such as a slap,

hitting with an object or any kind of discipline that causes

a mark, a bruise or an injury is abuse!

Every one of us can help stop child abuse

Help out a parent under stress with a few hours of

child care or assistance with other chores.

Lend an ear to a parent or child in crisis.

Support programs that offer child care, parent educa-

tion, family counseling, and child safety.

Call a Parental Stress program for resources and sup-

port.

If you suspect that a child has been abused:

In cases of an immediate emergency, always call 911

for Law Enforcement intervention.

Where the situation is not an emergency needing the

police, reports should be immediately to:

*Department of Emergency (DES)

718-630-4456

*Administration for Children’s Services

1-800-342-3720

What are the Consequences of Child Abuse?

In an abusive environment, children are often expected

to behave as if they are much older than they are.

Children are often "punished" for behavior they are too

young to control.

Abusive parents do not know they have to teach the

behavior they want the child to have. Punishing un-

wanted behavior is not enough.

Parents and caretakers often abuse children in response

to their own anger and unhappiness. It may have no

relationship to what the child is doing at the time.

Abused children

*Believe that they have no value.

*Believe that they cannot affect the world

around them with good behavior.

*Feel angry and/or depressed.

Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult things anyone can go through. In its commit-ment to the Families of the Fallen, the United States Army has developed a comprehensive Survivor Outreach Services (SOS) Program. The mission of the Survivor Outreach Services (SOS) is to provide long-term support to Fami-lies of our Fallen Soldiers by offering assistance with any concerns or issues, providing informa-tion on services and programs, and connecting Families to outreach organizations both inside and outside the Department of Defense.

If you would like more information, please call 718-630-4754

EFMP is a mandatory enrollment program that works with other military and civilian agencies to provide comprehensive and coordi-nated medical, educational, housing, commu-nity support, and personnel services to Fami-lies with special needs. For any questions concerning the Exceptional Family Member Program, please contact Vin-cent DiMaira, Family Advocacy Program Man-ager at 718-630-4460 To enroll your Family Member in EFMP, con-tact Nola Francois at Keller Army Community Hospital in West Point. Phone: 845-938-6881

NEED TO TALK?

Military & Family Life Consultants Help

with the Stress of Military Life

Military Family Life Counselors (MFLCs)

are mental health specialist who

provide confidential, short-term, non-

medical counseling to Military families.

To access MFLC services please call:

(718) 704-3485

Exceptional Family Member Program

www.preventsexualassault.army.mil

Financial Readiness Program Regifting Gains Popularity

If you’re someone who’s looking to make cuts in your

spending this holiday season, but you're not sure how, try

regifting! Regifting can be a great way to ensure you have a

frugal, yet festive, holiday season, but first, you should

brush up on your knowledge and take a course in Regifting

101.

If you are thinking about regifting this holiday season, ask

yourself the following questions:

Is the gift regiftable? Never regift handmade or one-

of-a-kind items. Signed books and monogrammed

items are off-limits. Do you have to be told not to

regift free promotional items? Some gifts that are good

candidates for regifting include good (unopened!) bot-

tles of wine, new household items and inexpensive jew-

elry.

How is the condition? Only new, unopened gifts in

good condition should be considered for regift-

ing. Never give partially used gift cards. Don’t give

items that you have owned for a long time. A general

rule of thumb: if you have to dust it off, it is not

regiftable.

Is this going to work? Successful regifters use com-

mon sense. If you are going to regift, be sure you know

who gave you the item, so you don’t return something

to the original giver. Only regift items to people who

are not likely to see the original giver.

Do you have good intentions? Don’t just give a gift

to give a gift. Be sure that the recipient will appreciate

the item. Remember, if you feel that an item is unde-

sirable, the recipient probably will too. If you are

regifting simply because you ran out of time, gift cards

are simple to obtain and always well received.

How does it look? When it comes to gift-giving, go

for show! While gift bags in good condition can be

reused, wrapping paper is a one-time thing. Always

spring for a new card or gift tag.

Can you handle it? If you don’t plan to announce the

gift as a regift, ask yourself if you can keep the se-

cret. Never feel guilty about regifting once you’ve

done it.

Have you considered your options? An unwanted gift

could be a welcome donation to a charitable organiza-

tion. It is also an option to suck it up and keep an un-

wanted gift—after all, it was a gift.

Finally, if you suspect that a gift you’ve received has been

recycled, take comfort in the fact that MMI survey respon-

dents regift because they know the gift is something the

recipient would really like.

Financial Readiness Program

To schedule appointment

Call 718-630-4754

Financial Educa-

tion Classes of-

fered to Service

Members and

their Families

Article from moneymanagemnet.org

Waiting Families

Support Group

Immigration & Naturalization

Assistance:

This service offers information on

Immigration and Naturalization

policies, procedures and forms.

Due to the high demand of this

service, appointments are preferred.

Service provided to Active Duty

Service Members, Retirees,

and their Dependants

To schedule an appointment

call (718) 630-4462

Mobilization/Deployment

Are You Departing or Arriving to

Ft. Hamilton Without Your

Household Goods?

Come to the ACS

Lending Closet for

Temporary use of

Household

Essentials

you may Need.

Army Community Service

Lending Closet

For More Information Call:

718-630-4754/4462

New to Ft. Hamilton? Attend Our

Newcomer’s Orientation

Please call to reserve your seat (718) 630-4754

January 31, 2013

8:30 am—11:30 am

ACS Conference Room Bldg. 137-C Poly Place, 1st Floor

Followed by a complimentary lunch

at the Fort Hamilton Community Club

Have a Deployed Service Member? Join Waiting Families Support Group for fun,

outings & support!

Page 10

Sponsor Training Available! http://www.apps.mhf.dod.mil/esat

Having trouble helping your sponsors perform their job?

WE CAN HELP!

Check out the new comprehensive application for sponsorship training, communication,

and management of the process.

eSponsorship Application & Training: http://apps.mhf.dod.mil/esat

The online application provides:

Registration for you and your newcomer

Training

Certificate for your files

Sponsorship Duty Checklist

Newcomer and family needs assessment

Congratulations and Welcome letter templates and packages

Links to important DoD and Service moving websites

Reporting module

Customer Satisfaction Surveys

Contact: Madeline Pastorella

Army Community Service

137C Poly Place, 1st Floor

Brooklyn, NY 11209

(718) 630-4754/4462

Boost Your Metabolism After 40

Turning 40 sets off midlife crisis

alarm bells in most women and it’s

no wonder. This milestone age

brings grim realities like a slowing

metabolism, resulting in seemingly

unexplainable weight gain. Indeed,

after 40 your metabolism winds

down 5% every 10 years, which

means you have to consume fewer

calories and work out more just to

maintain your normal weight. Many

women dread turning 40, the age

when metabolism begins to slow,

causing disarming effects like a big-

ger belly and steady weight gain in

other areas, too.

What is Metabolism? Metabolism is the

process the body uses to convert food into

energy. Your body either uses this fuel

right away or stores it in body tissues, like

your liver, muscles or as body fat. Many

factors influence metabolism including

sex, age, thyroid levels, the ratio of mus-

cle to fat and your emotional state.

Here are the answers to your biggest

questions about metabolism after age 40,

followed by simple ways to rev it back up

again.

1. Why am I gaining fat in new places?

Answer: Mitochondria—the structures

within cells that convert food into en-

ergy— slow down or die off after age 40.

Subsequently, you can’t burn calories like

you did before and can start gaining

weight.

Solution: To combat the loss of mito-

chondria, cut 100 calories from your daily

intake. Easy ways to trim 100 calories

include removing skin from chicken

breasts; using skim instead of whole milk

in coffee; swapping mustard for mayo on

sandwiches; and eating plain hamburgers

rather than cheeseburgers. Studies show

that eliminating 100 calories a day helps

to keep weight off long term.

2. Why am I hungrier now than ever

before?

Answer: After 40 your estrogen levels

drop which causes insulin levels to go up

and thyroid levels to go down, both of

which increase hunger. You wind up eat-

ing more and burning fewer calories,

which adds to the fat deep inside your

belly known as omentum fat.

Solution: Soluble fiber is your best de-

fense against hunger and belly fat. It fills

you up fast so you eat less and stay satis-

fied. At 40 you should consume 25 grams

of fiber daily. Consider these excellent

sources:

1 bowl of steel-cut oats = 9 grams of fiber

1 cup raspberries = 8 grams of fiber

1 cup brown rice = 8 grams of fiber

Total = 25 grams of fiber

3. Why can’t I even lose a pound any

more?

Answer: Muscle burns 3 times more

calories than fat cells, which means loss

of muscle mass causes weight gain and an

inability to shed pounds. Key factors that

create loss of muscle mass include a drop

in testosterone levels, crash dieting and

disuse from aging. Recent studies suggest

that at 40, women lose muscle mass twice

a fast as men. You lose the most muscle

mass on the body’s largest surface areas

like the core muscles supporting your

shoulders and belly, as well as your

thighs.

Solution: To fight muscle loss in your

back and shoulders try plank exercises;

you can do them during commercial

breaks while you’re watching TV.

Simple squats are great for firming up

thigh muscles; try doing them in the

kitchen while you wait for dinner to

finish cooking.

Metabolism Boosters for Under $5

Here are 4 more ways to fight metabo-

lism slow down without breaking your

bank account.

Oolong Tea: Oolong tea contains poly-

phenols that help block fat-building en-

zymes. This young tea is low in caffeine

so you can drink it throughout the day for

continued results. Research shows that

your metabolism will be raised for 2

hours after every cup of Oolong.

Black Pepper: Black pepper contains the

alkaloid piperine, which helps speed up

metabolism. Add black pepper to tomato

juice for a double metabolism boosting

effect—tomatoes contain lycopene, an

antioxidant that helps protect your mito-

chondria. Reach for the pepper mill when

you’d normally use salt; you’ll boost your

metabolism and reduce your sodium in-

take.

Beans: Beans are chockfull of soluble

fiber to help lower insulin levels so you

store less fat and also feel fuller. Eat 2

cups of red, white or black beans to get

your recommended daily fiber intake of

25 grams.

Ice Water: Here’s a surprise: drinking ice

water forces your body to burn calories by

bringing your body temperature back to

normal. Eight glasses of ice water a day

works off 70 calories. Drink ice water

before a meal to feel fuller quicker.

Article from http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/boost-your-metabolism-after-40

Clutter Causes Casualties Clutter and disorder contribute to many workplace accidents. To help prevent them, use this checklist to find

and eliminate the hazards of poor workplace housekeeping:

Floors are free of water, mud, ice, grease, trash and waste materials.

Traffic routes remain clear. They are free of tripping hazards such as

electrical cables, hoses and stored materials.

Exits and stairways are well marked. They are kept clear at all times and

are not used for storage.

Fire extinguishers are kept charged according to a regular schedule.

They are located where they will be easily accessible in case of a fire.

They are not obstructed by stored materials.

Trash cans are located where they are needed, and are emptied regularly.

Oily rags are disposed of in covered metal cans.

Lighting is adequate for safety. Burned-out lights are replaced promptly.

Supplies and materials are stored safely. They are stacked so they cannot

fall.

Any potentially hazardous materials are safely stored in the correct kinds of containers. They are correctly labeled and accom-

panied by Material Safety Data Sheets. Storage arrangements take into account the requirements of temperature, ventilation

and humidity for various materials. Potentially incompatible materials are separated.

Flammable and combustible materials are stored away from sources of ignition.

Machinery is kept clean, free of oil, grease and dust. Equipment is maintained properly to prevent fires and accidents.

Tools are cleaned and put away right after they are used. There are designated places for tools.

Work stations are left clean at the end of the shift.

Surfaces and equipment are checked over regularly for hazards such as protruding nails and rough surfaces. These could

cause accidents such as eye injuries, cuts and bruises.

Stools and chairs are placed so they are not tripping hazards. They are kept in good repair. When chairs or stools are dam-

aged, they are removed from service so they cannot be used accidentally.

Drawers and cabinet doors are kept closed to prevent tripping accidents. Filing cabinets are filled from the bottom up to pre-

vent them from tipping over.

Any smoking is confined to certain designated areas. Ashtrays are available and are used.

Lunch areas are kept clean and free of trash. Washrooms are also kept clean and dry.

Everyone takes responsibility for jobsite housekeeping. All employees know how to report safety hazards so they will be cor-

rected.

Remember, a safe workplace depends on each and every employee taking responsibility for good housekeeping—to

prevent fires, falls and other accidents.

Army Safety Gram Army Safe is Army Strong

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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December 2012

AFTB Training

11am-1230pm

ACS Conf room

MRT Training

1:00-2:30

ACS Conf room

ACS Closed

Merry

Christmas!!

AFAP Conference

8am-4:30pm

Ft. Hamilton CC