When Carole Caine and I began hosting the “Miracle Marathon” on 96.5 WKLH back in 1998 we had no idea what to expect. It was our first ever 60 hour radio marathon, a.k.a. “radiothon” and it went by in a flash. Sure, we knew we’d be exhausted. Obviously we knew we would raise some money. But we had no idea! Having never planned something like this before, we were woefully short on volunteers and operators. At one point I was on-air trying to stall for time, because Carole, our producer, and even one of my scheduled interview guests had to go and help answer phones! It was obvious that we were all experiencing something very special.

So, what made this so special? Quite simply: the kids. Their stories and the way they tell them are priceless. These children display uncommon wisdom and a sense of humor. Their stories and the genuineness they exude touch everyone within earshot. These kids, and their families, are what make the Miracle Marathon so special.

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A few years ago, Children’s Health Education Center launched an e-learning program.  E-learning health education programs may have seemed pretty far “outside of the box” for some, and CHEC was a bit ahead of the curve. With a great amount of passion, persistence and creativity by CHEC’s e-learning team, I am thrilled to announce that CHEC BlueKids e-learning programs have reached nearly 13,000 students in the 2008-2009 school-year – that’s triple what we reached the year before. The game-based e-learning programs are engaging and effective at getting kids talking about health. Most important is that kids love them!

Interested in learning more? Test your health knowledge by checking out some of the mini lessons. Evaluations are  underway to determine the programs’ impact on the students’ knowledge, attitudes and behavior, so watch for future blogs about our findings.

– Bridget Clementi is executive director of Children’s Health Education Center

Most Americans will “spring ahead” and set their clocks forward one hour at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8, marking the beginning of Daylight Saving Time.

Daylight Saving Time first was proposed by Benjamin Franklin in 1784 as a way to conserve energy. London builder William Willett advanced the idea when he wrote the pamphlet, “Waste of Daylight” in 1907. In this publication, Willett proposed turning clocks 20 minutes ahead by 20 minutes on each of four Sundays in April, and turning them back by the same amount on four Sundays in September.

DST has been used inconsistently in Europe and the U.S. since World War I, leading to a lot of confusion and time differences from region to region. It wasn’t until 1986 that the U.S. enacted legislation for a more consistent process. However, some U.S. territories still do not observed DST, including Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and Arizona.

There are some big benefits to daylight savings time. It has been shown to save energy, prevent traffic injuries and reduce nighttime crimes. But what about sleep? Changes in your child’s schedule can affect how well they sleep. Parents can help their children adjust to the time change by maintaining consistent bedtimes, wake times and nap times. Our best advice is to try not to compensate for the lost hour on Sunday morning by letting your child sleep in; this delays the transition. Some parents find it easier to start the adjustments on Saturday night, rather than waiting until Sunday night, a school night.

Sixth graders in Milwaukee Public Schools are learning about interpersonal violence in a new way, thanks to Milwaukee firefighters, paramedics and community leaders. Project Ujima, a program of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, is partnering with these community groups to facilitate classroom discussions with young people about violence through a new program, “Staying Alive.”

To date, we’re really proud to say that “Staying Alive” has reached more than 500 students, with the goal of having all MPS sixth graders experience the program within the next two years. The “team” comprised of two firefighters and two Project Ujima staff visits school classrooms and talks to students about the roots of violence, strategies for avoiding violence, anger triggers and how to stay safe. Most effective are simulated activities like utilizing pulse sticks that show the kids their anger. The pulse sticks help students understand their anger triggers an actual physiological response. They also learn ways to calm themselves down when their anger has been triggered, and they can see the difference for themselves as they calm down. Role-playing with students illustrates real life situations in which they may find themselves, and it teaches them how to respond with out resorting to violence. (more…)

You can feel it. Excitement is building here at Children’s Hospital as March begins. This is the month so many of us have been planning for over the past several years – the opening of the new west tower.

This past week, the west tower became home to the hospital’s pharmacy. The move was well choreographed, and went extremely smoothly – with all of our patient care needs uninterrupted. With one move under our belt, we are excited about opening the new expansive lobby and front doors on Monday, March 30. Shortly after that we will open the critical care units on Monday, April 6, and then the acute care units and Herma Heart Center at the end of April and beginning of May respectively. (more…)