Ladies of Thought would like to Recognize Ms. Evelyn Rosa, for  her continued support of her community. 

Coming from humble beginnings Ms. Rosa had a vision that she would one day share with the world. Being a single mother, she knew that there were a set of eyes watching her every move. Although odds were against her, Ms. Rosa overcame all obstacles with strength and integrity, so that she could be a role model to her daughter and show her how to be an independent woman, who could accomplish anything.

Ms. Rosa is the proud proprietor of Rejuveness Hair Salon. Always sharing her gifts with her surrounding community and having a desire to give back, she supports local organizations such as Ladies of Thought Informal Organization as well as Mocha Moms, INC.

When asked what she hopes to do for her community, Ms. Rosa states " I simply want to give back." And she does just this, day in and day out for her  community , business, and family.

To a woman who persistently gives selflessly to uplift those around her, Ladies of Thought would like to give back and recognize Ms. Rosa for her continued contribution to her community, and for maintaining a business that continues to blossom.

Honor is defined as integrity in one's beliefs and actions: as a Lady of Honor Ms. Evelyn Rosa embodies this term.

       -Jocelyn Means

Parenting with Purpose

July is National Purposeful Parenting Month. This month every effort is made to recognize the importance of building strong, positive and functional families.  In a time where broken-home, single-parent, divorced, adopted, same-sex, and extended families are more and more prevalent , we are faced with different issues in parenting.  Although in any form, being a parent isn't an easy job but with lots of effort and hard work ,it can be very rewarding.

Parenting with a purpose (with intentions), involves many different approaches and facets.  Choosing, communicating, and pursuing clear and age-appropriate goals for your child will give them a sense of purpose and will direct them from dependence to independence.  Deep involvement in a child's life is also fundamental. Listening and Consistency are essential.  Children need to feel that they have certain influence within your family's framework, which can be accomplished by giving them your undivided attention and being aware of what they are seeking to express. 

Most importantly, HAVE FUN and spend time with your children. Turn off the TV, hang up the phone and create a positive, safe environment for you and your family. Teach values. Talk. Listen. Read books, lots of books. Play board games. Establish family traditions.

Somewhere between 1791 and the present, ‘we the people' have forgotten the true meaning of this amendment and only seem to stress, ‘the right to bare arms'. Meanwhile as the United States as a whole forget where this saying originated from, -- "every day, more than 80 Americans die from gun violence". (Coalition to Stop Gun Violence)

Due to the urgency to stop gun violence, Ladies of Thought, who was Co Sponsored by the Boys & Girls Club of Easton, hosted their 1^st annual Dott Fest on June 20^th 2009. Dott Fest was a day for the community to raise awareness for stopping gun violence and rebuilding the lives of the youth in the community. Furthermore, in lieu of Rebuild Your Life Month, our goal was and is to stress the importance of making good decisions and understanding that your decision does not only impact you, but your family and your community also. This event was for the remembrance of the lives lost with in our community to violent crimes. Moreover, Dott Fest was also a day to showcase the community's talents in the Performing Arts & Athletics.

Open Mic, Pool, Basketball, Arts and Crafts, Food, Music, Togetherness. All of these essential tools were important to bring together the local community to raise awareness on the important issues at hand. The main objective of this day was to show our community, especially our youth that there are other things available for them besides hanging out on the streets and getting into trouble. Everyone deserves a chance especially a second one.

-Cortney Russo

An Experience that Bonds

Many schools have newsletters that indicate special programs or activities in which your child can participate. Some parents may or may not pay attention to what the newsletters have to offer. In March 2008, Clearview Elementary School offered a three week program in which they partnered with PBS to create that would help promote children's literacy. This interactive program was held on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to promote literacy amongst youth.

The program started with children in one room and parents in another. While the children were watching an educational program, the parents were learning how to encourage their children to become active readers. My son, who is three and a half, thought this was something fun that he can share with his mommy. But I knew I was there to learn something to improve his future

In this program we, the parents, were educated on how to determine what TV programs are educational and informative. I also learned that if your child watches a program in which the episode is about outer space, it is important to reinforce, what seems to be leisure activity with an educational book on the topic of Outer Space, along with an at home project.

 Another popular example is Sesame Street. They have a letter of the day, and as parents we should do our best to encourage our children to use that letter and point out words that begin with that letter throughout the day. Doing this simple task helps promote and enforce what your child is watching.

The program was a great experience and was something that allowed me and my son to bond. My son was so excited to see me after his activity because he couldn't wait to tell me what they did and I couldn't wait to come up with ways to keep the theme going all weekend.

Through this experience I learned that it doesn't take a lot of time or effort to teach or reinforce what your child is learning, try this exercise at your home with your children. Please keep an eye out for community or school programs that allow you to do something special with your children, I am grateful I did.

- Marissa Adorno

Ask Miss Lady

Ladies of Thought would like to introduce readers to our column called ask Miss Lady. The Ask Miss Lady Column gives readers the opportunity to write into us via email at Ladiesofthought@gmail.com and ask us a question, share a thought or simply their opinion on a topic.

Miss Lady wants to tend to the needs of her community. She is here to offer advice and provide information to empower and uplift women of all ages.

Miss Lady gives you the opportunity to ask questions completely anonymously and will get back to you in a timely fashion.

If you have a question, thought, or opinion and you want to get Miss Lady's feedback, she's waiting to hear from you.

In Lieu of July's Purposeful Parenting Month, as well as Social Wellness Month we hope that our readers enjoyed our first volume of the Ladies of Thought News Letter.

 Staying in line with our goal of raising awareness, we would like to share with our reader's some helpful tips on Purposeful Parenting, and Social Wellness.

Purposeful parenting is very important. It is not only important for healthy relationships amongst parents and children, but as social beings we interact every day with others. Here are several strategies one can implement in their parenting as well as their everyday lives.

- Structure & Order

- Responsibility & Accountability

- Firmness & Fairness

- Limits & Boundaries

- Consistency

- Problem-Solving Skills

- Understanding

To enable us to improve our social wellness it is important to:

- Know one's needs 
- Pursue one's needs 
- Connect with other people who nurture these needs 
- Make an effort to talk to people who are supportive 
Join a club/volunteer when possible

[This Wellness Manual was found at]

http://thewellnessmanual.wordpress.com/2007/11/01/social-wellness/

Supporters

Rejuveness Hair Salon

103 Northampton St.

Easton , Pa 18042

 610-559-3882

Shootworks Photography

Easton , Pa 18040

866-596-4244

E-mail: WWW.Shootworks.com

Ladies of Thought is an informal organization that began as just a thought, but by the grace of God they were blessed with the vision of an open door. They originated as a group of ladies who embarked on a journey into the world of thoughts and words. As a book club the ladies meet every six to eight weeks to discuss and analyze works that are read. Each work is chosen collectively by the ladies with the purpose of enrichment, empowerment, and inspiration. This purpose has driven them to expand from a book club to an informal organization. As an informal organization, Ladies of Thought is devoted to upholding the promotion of literacy as well as spreading awareness within the community. Their commitment to enriching, empowering, and inspiring their community to reach its fullest potential, will instill the mind frame of endless possibilities behind every open door.