The Story Board Exhibit on lead is designed for mothers with young children between 0 and 6 years of age. The theme of the exhibit is My Home, My Kids, and My Choice. As visitors approach the exhibit, they are introduced to the first message, My Home.

The first panel is a picture of an apartment building. A recorded message welcomes the visitors and they are instructed to go to the second panel. At the second panel they are greeted by “Dusty” the dog. They are instructed to greet Dusty by petting him on the head and back. When they do this, they unwittingly pick up “glow powder” on their hand. At the next panel, a teenager and his little sister greet the visitor. The teenager instructs the visitor to hold their hand under his “cool black light”. The black light exposes all the “lead dust” they just got on their hand from petting Dusty the dog. Dusty picked up the lead dust by rolling around in the dirt and has now brought it in the home.

As a visitor continues down the first side of the exhibit, they discover all the places that lead hazards may exist in their home. On the other side of the exhibit, they enter Doctor Gray’s office and she begins to explain why lead is the number one environmental health hazard to young children in the United States. The next panel is a nurse who explains how a parent can minimize their child’s exposure to lead with proper cleaning and nutrition.

The next to last panel is the My Choice panel that summarizes the key points of the exhibit and encourages parents to get their children tested for lead. This panel also encourages visitors to take some of the educational materials that are on the last panel (the last panel is a information rack).

The exhibit is well suited for any organization that want to do community lead education in targeted areas with measurable outcomes. It is ideally suited for health clinics, hospitals, WIC centers, libraries and health fairs. The exhibit is 5.5 feet tall, self-guiding, mobile and can be bi-lingual (English and Spanish). This exhibit is “interchangeable” with other Story Board exhibits. If you have one exhibit, you can easily add an additional message such as Asthma Management or The Healthy Heart.

 Click this link for more information on the storyboard

Vesta Godwin Clark ,of Saint James Social Service Support, has been appointed to The Governor’s Hunger Prevention Advisory Committee. Read about the purpose of this powerful Committee below:

The Advisory Committee shall assist the Commissioner of Human Services in the implementation of the New Jersey Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program, as well as oversee the needs assessment that shall be conducted pursuant to this Act. The Hunger Prevention Advisory Committee, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Department of Human Services, shall award grants to emergency food programs that (1) address an unmet need for emergency food services; (2) offer services that meet the goals of the New Jersey Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program; (3) provide for referral or outreach services to other public and private social services programs that serve the emergency food program’s target population; (4) demonstrate culturally competent services, including recognizing food preferences and traditions of the community; and (5) demonstrate an ability to document how the grant funds are used and meet the reporting requirements of the Program. In addition to considering the criteria for awarding grants, upon completion of the needs assessment conducted by Rutgers, the State University, the Commissioner and the Advisory Committee shall take into consideration the findings of the needs assessment in determining how grant funds shall be allocated in the State. The Commissioner of Human Services shall contract with Rutgers, the State University, to conduct a Statewide needs assessment and shall report annually to the Governor and the Legislature.

Mold Health i

I am a member of the Collition because I was invited to particiate my friend Joanne Williams-Swiney thought I would fit right in. She knows that I am an advocate for children