2009 Breast Cancer Awareness Contest

Positive Promotions is proud to announce its fifth annual Breast Cancer Awareness Contest. We will award cash prizes for the best and most unique celebrations of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Grand Prize is $300, Second Prize is $200 and Third Prize is $100.

To enter, submit a typed description detailing specific activities held and how Positive Promotions products were used. Tell us how your event made an impact on your staff, patients or community. Include color photos and samples of additional materials. Entries will be judged on originality of the event, the extent of the educational aspect, quality of the entry presentation and the creative use of products. Deadline for entries is December 18, 2009.

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week Activities Contest 2009

We Want To Hear About Your Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week Activities Please tell us about the special way you celebrated Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week. Send us a typed description of your Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week events.

• What did you do? Tell us about special activities you

held during Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week.

• How did you use Positive Promotions’ products?

• What materials did you use?

• Along with your description, please send additional

materials including photos of activities and samples

of your school’s creative work!

Winners will be announced on our website, www.positivepromotions.com,

on or about September 4, 2009! Hurry! All entries must be received by June 8, 2009

Positive Promotions Proudly Announces Nurses & Nursing Assistants Of The Year Award Winners

Positive Promotions announced today the winners of the 2008 "I Make A Difference" Nurses and Nursing Assistants Of The Year contests. First place for Nurses Of The Year goes to Erin Marinchak, RN, BSN, CCRN of Schuylkill Medical Center in Pottsville, PA and Kathleen Gray, RN, A.D.O.N., Delmar Gardens North, Florissant, MO. Second place is awarded to Cheryl Rada, RN, Sharon Elementary School, Suwanee, GA and Rose Lee Wilson, LPN, Little River Nursing & Rehabilitation, Ashdown, AR. First place for Nursing Assistants Of The Year goes to Louise Durant, CNA, Plainville Health Care Center, Plainville, CT and Liz Bourne, CNA, Delmar Gardens North, Florissant, MO. Second place is awarded to Patricia Wolfe, CNA, Schuylkill Medical Center, Pottsville, PA and Lori Fallert, CNA, Ste, Genevieve County Memorial Hospital, Ste, Genevieve, MO.

“The high level of devotion and compassion displayed by the nominees made it difficult to choose the winners," said Nelson Taxel, President of Positive Promotions. "Our judges took into consideration the nominees' length of service, the special ideas they contribute to their facilities and how they affect the lives of patients and/or other staff members. We admire and thank everyone who entered our 2008 contest."

Positive Promotions also invites its customers to enter their annual "I Make A Difference" Nurses and Nursing Assistants of the Year Program for 2009. Entry forms and information are available emailing Holly@positiveaz.com.

First place winners are given $500 checks for their nominating organizations and second place winners are given $250 checks for theirs. In addition, each first place winner receives an exquisite crystal star trophy engraved with their name, facility
and title.

Positive Promotions also extends congratulations to the winners of their 2008 National Nurses Week and National Nursing Assistants' Week Event Contest. First place goes to Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, FL; second place goes to Tendercare West in Lansing, MI; and third place goes to Lake Forest Good Samarian Village in Denton, TX. Grand Prize is $300, Second Prize is $200 and third prize is $100 for the best and most creative entries.

Positive Promotions Proudly Announces Teacher Of The Year Award Winners

Positive Promotions announced today the 2008 Teachers Of The Year awards. First prize goes to Beth Novic, Greenbelt Elementary School, Greenbelt, MD, an elementary school teacher with a strong sense of community and a great rapport with faculty, parents and students; and Shelley Yeakley, Cunningham Elementary School, Wichita Falls, TX, who has taken science education for her students to new levels with innovative ideas. Second prize is awarded to Hetty Sokolowski, Saint Joseph School, Collingdale, PA, a tireless worker who has coordinated numerous programs for her school; Marta E. Galindo, Ruben Chavira Elementary School, Del Rio, TX, who was instrumental in developing her school's curriculum; and Sharon Keaton-Brown, Southwestern Middle School, Deland, FL, an imaginative teacher who knows how to motivate her students and implement successful programs.

“Five teachers who consistently go 'above and beyond' their teaching duties have won The "I Make A Difference" Teacher Of The Year Awards," said Nelson Taxel, President of Positive Promotions. "The winners were chosen based on the imaginative ideas they contributed to their schools and the skills they possessed in achieving them."

Positive Promotions invites its customers to enter their annual "I Make A Difference" Teacher of the Year Program for 2009. Entry forms and information are available by emailing Holly@positiveaz.com. First prize winners receive $500 checks for their schools and second place winners receive $250 for their schools.

Positive Promotions also extends congratulations to the 2008 Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week Contest Winners who held clever celebrations that stood out above the rest. Grand prize goes to Paintsville Elementary School, Paintsville, KY and second prize to Hillsborough Elementary School, Hillsborough, NJ.

Entry forms and information about the 2009 Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week Contest are available by emailing Holly@positiveaz.com.

Positive Promotions Proudly Announces Volunteer Of The Year Award Winners

Positive Promotions announced today the 2008 Volunteers Of The Year award winners. First place goes to Evelyn Langley, a great grandmother in her 90's, who volunteers for a senior center in Framingham, MA and Donald L. Britton, a volunteer activity director in Amarillo, TX. Second place is awarded to Sarah Woodward, a hospice volunteer in Durham, NC; Marie Sullivan, a military volunteer for the Family Readiness Group (FRG) in Moscow,TN; Laurie De Vicariis, a school volunteer for children with special needs; and Marcus Hughes, a Big Brothers, Big Sisters volunteer in San Antonio, TX.

“We are truly honored to recognize these shining examples of volunteerism in their respective communities," said Nelson Taxel, President of Positive Promotions. "Their selfless dedication to humanity has made an indelible impression on all the lives they've touched, and we celebrate them. We'd also like to thank everyone who entered our 2008 contest."

Positive Promotions also invites its customers to enter their annual "I Make A Difference" Volunteer of the Year Program for 2009. Entry forms and information are available by emailing Holly@positiveaz.com.

First place winners are given $500 checks for their nominating organizations and second place winners are given $250 checks for theirs. In addition, each first place winner receives an exquisite crystal star trophy engraved with their name, facility
and title.

Help Your Staff Live Better & Longer With A Workplace Walking Program

New Study Reveals Pedometers Benefit Users More Than Previously Thought


A new study has revealed that people who engage in a walking program for their health benefit by using a pedometer, a device that counts their steps, see greater health gains than those who do not.

In the study, reported in the Nov. 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, Dr. Dan Bravata and his colleagues Stanford University in California concluded that people who use pedometers to measure how far they walk lose more weight and have lower blood pressure than non-users.

The Stanford University study reviewed 26 earlier studies covering 2,767 people, with an average age of 49.

The study also revealed that pedometer users reduced health risks by losing weight as measured by body mass index and significantly reduced their systolic blood pressure.

The benefit of pedometer use comes from that fact that many pedometer-related programs recommend that users set daily goals. A typical daily goal is 10,000 steps or about 5 miles (8 km). Dr. Bravata and his colleagues discovered that pedometer users took more than 2,400 extra steps daily than those who did not use the devices.

Another advantage of pedometer use was that it seemed to increase motivation for more physical activity. "The more sedentary you were, the more likely this tool was to help you," Bravata said.

"Our results suggest that the use of these small, relatively inexpensive devices is associated with significant increases in physical activity and improvements in some key health outcomes, at least in the short term," said Dr. Bravata.

In light of this new pedometer study, workplace walking/pedometer programs are now on the rise. Positive Promotions, the cutting-edge promotional goods company based in Hauppauge, N.Y., is a fantastic source for finding imprintable pedometers for use in a workplace program. They have dozens of styles & designs to choose from, some even have radios and clocks, and all can be personalized with an imprinted logo or message.

Start a walking/pedometer program in your workplace today. Visit the Positive Promotions website at www.PositivePromotions.com