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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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“Free the Girls” Charity to Stop Human Trafficking

For over two years, Personally Yours Lingerie has been pleased to support Free the Girls, a charitable project that collects donated bras in order to save women from human trafficking and help those affected to rebuild their lives. In additional to providing donated bras for the women to wear, Free the Girls also teaches them how to sell the bras, which creates a way for them to earn a living while staying safely in groups. Donated bras can be new, but often are personal bras that no longer fit. In fact, women sometimes bring their entire collection to the shop for a fitting “diagnostic” and leave the ones that no longer serve them. 

Since 2017, the shop has collected over 600 bras, which greatly pleases Owner Suzi Manning. “I am so grateful to everyone who has made donations and hope they continue to send them in,” shares Manning. “We also offer a private room for ladies to come together to celebrate their favorite cause and friendship. Women who book these parties are able to enjoy an evening of Bra 101 fitting and fun. At the end of the night, Personally Yours will donate 10 percent of the gross proceeds to the charity of their choice.”

Personally Yours looks forward to continuing to provide this worthy service for the community. 

Location: 315 Rte. 202, N. Main St., Bedminster. For more information, call 908-234-1444, email [email protected], or visit www.FreeTheGirls.org


Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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