Performance Enhancing Drugs in College, but what about K-12?

Performance Enhancing Drugs - 60 Minutes did a piece about whether or not Using Adderall is Like Using Steroids?

Doing better in school through a drug that enables you to focus on your work? They take on the college setting, but how does that translate into the thousands of children who are on different medications in the Kindergarten - 12 grade timeframe with the primary purpose of enhancing focus and concentration.

Consider these questions:

• Would a child perform better on a standardized test or IQ test and therefore be admitted into a higher level program or gifted/enrichment program with the regular use of these types of medications.
• Is there an unfair advantage to these medications at this level?
• How easy is it for a teacher to recommend these medications be used to ensure compliance in the classroom?
• How does the acceptance of these medications impact the incidence of usage?

If we are going to hold our athletes to a higher standard for performance enhancing drugs, should we not hold ourselves to it as well?

Bunkers in Baghdad: Making a Difference One Golf Ball at a Time

Sports make a difference in so many ways! It is always a treat to learn of an organization that is making a huge difference with a simple idea! This week I'm fresh off a conversation with Joseph Hanna, Founder and President of Bunkers in Baghdad ("Bunkers") and what a difference he is making in the lives of our troops and veterans. Founded just a year and half ago, the organization provides donations of golf balls and clubs to military in the US and abroad. To date, they have provided equipment to soldiers and veterans in 9 countries and all 50 states. “We are approaching 1 million balls and 30,000 clubs distributed thanks to the help of sports teams, individuals and sponsors like Callaway,” said Hanna. Hanna has found a friend in professional sports, kicking off his efforts with the Chicago Blackhawks. Bunkers in Baghdad has been featured at various professional games, with funds raised in a raffle ticket effort shared between the team foundation and Bunkers. All proceeds go to pay for the expenses incurred from transporting the equipment overseas. Thanks to donations from individuals and sponsors, Bunkers was able to keep shipping to wounded warrior and veterans programs across the country. A few of the US Military Installations, Wounded Warrior Programs and VA Hospitals that have received donations include: John D. Dingell VA Medical Center - Wounded Warrior Program (Detroit, Michigan) VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System - Wounded Warrior Battalion (Ann Arbor, Michigan) Fort Sill Warrior Transition Unit (Fort Sill, Oklahoma) Manchester VA Medical Center (Manchester, New Hampshire) Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Wounded Warrior Project (Tennessee) Dover Air Force Base Youth Program (Dover, Delaware) St. Louis VA Medical Center - Jefferson Barracks Division (St. Louis, Missouri) Fort Rucker U.S. Army Warrior Transition Command (Alabama) Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center Wounded Warrior Program (Saginaw, Michigan) Omaha VA Medical Center Wounded Warrior Program (Omaha, Nebraska) Indianapolis VA Medical Center Wounded Warrior Program (Indianapolis, Indiana) Ft. Polk US Army Wounded Warrior Program (Ft. Polk, Louisiana) Naval Air Station Brunswick MWRF (Brunswick, Maine) VA Pittsburgh Heath Care System Wounded Warrior Program (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Warrior Transition Command Boston VA Medical Center (Boston, Massachusetts) Fort McCoy Morale, Welfare and Recreation (Fort McCoy, Wisconsin) Wounded Warrior Program- VA Connecticut - Newington Campus (Newington, Connecticut) VA Medical and Regional Center (Fargo, North Dakota) Wounded Warrior Transition Unit (Vermont) Des Moines VA Medical Clinic- Wounded Warrior Program (Des Moines, Iowa) Wounded Warrior Transition Unit (Rhode Island) Bunkers In Baghdad seeks donations of cash and equipment, and is looking to form strategic alliances with sports teams and golf companies around the country. Contact Joseph Hanna at jhanna@goldbergsegalla.com or 716-566-5447 (also feel free to follow Bunkers on Twitter (bunkerstweets), join the LinkedIn Group or Facebook Page as well). For more information, please visit Bunker's website: http://www.bunkersinbaghdad.com/. (Also posted on The Real Athlete Blog.)

Politics - Be Informed! JUST VOTE!

Across the country, we will have elections tomorrow. As in any election season, there are candidates to review and issues to understand. It is easy to become an informed voter if you utilize various sources of information.

Understanding credible sources, asking questions, not assuming all facts are true are the hallmarks of learning in campaign season. I've dragged our family to meet the candidate sessions, poured over direct mail and pointed out information in our local newspaper. I've encouraged my neighbors to be informed and vote. I do hope that my fellow citizens will believe that our great country requires our active engagement, understanding various sides of issues, and most importantly voting our conscience!

It may not be a Presidential Election, but it is important... Just VOTE!

Changing the View - Using Social Media for Real Results

I always enjoy the opportunity to speak to college and graduate students. In particular, I challenge myself to get them to view the world in a slightly different way. This morning was one of those opportunities. The Brown School at Washington University invited me to speak to their course Social Work Practice with Organizations and Communities course.

My part was to discuss the impact of technology and social media on the non-profit. While all were users of social media, most had not made the leap to understand the benefit of using in a work situation. We discussed the need for strategy, how real time knowledge can be gleaned from the internet in general and Twitter in particular, how real organizations are incorporating digital into the ways they engage their stakeholders, even showed some examples of funds raised using these tools.

Understanding of the tools requires a foundation of knowledge and a measurable objective. Helping today's graduate student understand how they make the transition from personal social media user to savvy employee who leverages social media is the challenge! I hope that my presentation helped to change their view of social media from incredibly personal to one of strategic opportunity!