Yum! FREE Yogurt!!

Need we say more!?!

Here's a great family night activity ~ date night ~ or just a get out and enjoy night!!

While you are in your debt elimination phase try to find fun, FREE ways to get out and have fun as a family. It will make things seem more normal and you won't notice the 'pinch' as much!!

#LoveOneAnother 14-Day Challenge

If you are like me and missed the first week of the Love One Another 14-Day Challenge being sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints you can join me now. I am starting TODAY and will do the challenge the week before Valentine's Day and the week after.  

Or just start whenever you come across the challenge. ~ The important thing isn't WHEN you do it, but that you DO IT!

Each day, pick one of these actions to do in order to show love to someone else.

Like it says in the New Testament and is reiterated in the popular hymn “Love One Another,” “by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

By our actions, we can truly put love in the air. Take the 14-day Love One Another Challenge and make a difference in the world around you.

Get the details HERE ~ Have a GREAT week!!

TONIGHT at the Tabernacle!!

Cache Community Connections and its Logan Tabernacle Concert and Lecture Series Committee will present a lecture in the Logan Tabernacle on Friday evening, February 12 at 7:00 p.m.  Dr. Wallace Akerley from the University of Utah School of Medicine will be the featured speaker. He will discuss the issue of radon in Cache Valley homes and its connection to our high rates of lung cancer.   

Wallace Akerley, MD, is a professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Utah - School of Medicine, and the Senior Director of Community Oncology Research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) - Salt Lake City. He is Co-Director of the HCI Thoracic Cancer Program, and member of the HCI Experimental Therapeutics Program. Dr. Akerley is American Board of Internal Medicine certified (Hematology and Medical Oncology) - and National Board of Medical Examiners certified.

Dr. Akerley treats patients with many types of cancer, focusing on lung cancer and melanoma. He participates on the lung cancer committees of two national organizations for cancer treatment: Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). Akerley joined Huntsman Cancer Institute in 2002. He was previously Director of Medical Oncology and Assoc. Director of the Boston Univ. Cancer Center.

Dr. Akerley received his M.D. at Brown University - Rhode Island, completed his residency at the University of Southern California (USC), and served fellowships at USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center - and at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center - Dartmouth College - New Hampshire.

Dr. Akerley is the leading Utah physician/scientist treating radon-induced lung cancer patients. He is a very engaging motivational speaker who believes that over 100 people/year in Utah (including many otherwise very healthy young adults) are needlessly dying from lung cancer caused by radon. In view of a religious culture that discourages smoking, Dr. Akerley is interested in why Utah’s lung cancer rate is not decreasing like it is other states.

Dr. Akerley notes that many houses in Utah have radon levels the equivalent of a person smoking one or two packs of cigarettes a day. [This includes homes in Cache Co. where approx. 53% (among the highest in Utah) of the 2,207 dwellings tested for radon have (or have had) dangerous radon levels.]

Radioactive radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking) - killing approx. 21,000 people in the U.S. each year. Dr. Akerley has a passion for preventing this cancer – and states it is one of the few cancers almost 100% preventable.

Dr. Akerley will also present on his genetic research regarding this cancer (thanks in part to the unique circumstances in Utah of substantial genealogical databases, large families and healthy lifestyles).

Because he is such a good speaker – Dr. Akerley’s serious message is also entertaining. He is excellent at taking - answering questions in layman’s terms. 

What is YOUR Youth Strategy?!?

~ I really enjoyed this blogpost from YSA ~

What Is The World's Youth Strategy? 

 

Every organization is taught to know its competitors, and we know ours.  They exist on practically every continent:  ISIS, al Qaeda, Boko Haram, Shining Path, Real Irish Republican Army, FARC, and more than 50 other terrorist organizations that the State Department lists on its website. It's clear that ISIS takes to heart the warning we preach here at YSA: "If you don't have a youth strategy, you don't have a strategy at all." 

As we learned in Paris and across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, ISIS has a very effective youth strategy. Terrorists prey on the fact that every kid on the planet wonders if he or she matters. The widespread prevalence of this adolescent angst suggests it may be biology's way to move us from the familiar to the next phase of our adult lives.  Our hormones scream at us, "Who am I, and what am I doing here?" This urge to find one's purpose can make young people feel incredibly vulnerable, especially if you are trapped in poverty with no way out. 

At YSA, we activate young people, together with their friends, to find their voice, take action, and make an impact on the world's biggest challenges.  They are solving the problem of water scarcity in Australia, climate change in Brazil, road safety in India, HIV transmission in South Africa, and literacy in Mississippi.  In 2016, we will activate 7,100 youth-led projects with our partners in 125 countries toward achieving the United Nations' 17 new Sustainable Development Goals.

Read the rest of this blog at www.YSA.org/worldyouthstrategy and make plans to join us in building the world's youth strategy by activating young people in your community on Global Youth Service Day: April 15-17.

Financial Peace University Classes Starting This Month!

There are several Financial Peace University classes starting up again this Spring. We are in the process of getting a new website up and running since the Cache Valley Volunteer Center website has gone down, but you can email us at Team.Logan.Utah@gmail.com to let us know the day of the week that works best for you. There will be classes held somewhere in the valley on just about every day of the week!!

The class sponsored directly by the Cache Valley Financial Wellness Project will begin Thursday, February 11th, at the Family Information and Resource Center. Classes will begin at 6:30pm. However, if that time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of others to choose from!

So what is Financial Peace University? Straight from the Dave Ramsey website:

---------------

We all need a plan for our money. Financial Peace University (FPU) is that plan! It teaches God's ways of handling money. Through video teaching, class discussions and interactive small group activities, FPU presents biblical, practical steps to get from where you are to where you've dreamed you could be. This plan will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more!

FPU classes meet for around an hour and a half each week for nine weeks. 

The topics covered are as follows:

• (1) Super Saving, 
• (2) Relating with Money, 
• (3) Cash Flow Planning, 
• (4) Dumping Debt, 
• (5) Buyer Beware!, 
• (6) The Role of Insurance, 
• (7) Retirement and College Planning, 
• (8) Real Estate and Mortgages, 
• (9) The Great Misunderstanding

Come Join the FUN!!  

You can register HERE: 

http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/locations/class/1009411/atid/l_ln

Why Giving Matters

Perhaps you have been wondering why I post so many things related to service and volunteerism on the Cache Valley Financial Wellness Project blog.  

Arthur C. Brooks explained it well when he said this: 

"It turns out that the data on happiness and charitable giving are beyond dispute. People who give to charity are 43 percent more likely than people who don’t give to say they’re very happy people. People who give blood are twice as likely to say they’re very happy people as people who don’t give blood. People who volunteer are happier. The list goes on. You simply can’t find any kind of service that won’t make you happier.

"Laboratory experiments using human subjects find that when people are asked to give to other people, it elevates their mood. Furthermore, if you increase your level of charitable giving, you can permanently alter your level of what psychologists call positive effect—which is to say, being in a good mood. You can be a happier person that way. It’s the secret, basically. The real question is not whether that’s true; the question is why that’s true.

"There’s a very interesting set of studies that tell us why it is that giving will make you into a happy person. The first has to do with how it changes your brain. I’m going to explain that in a minute. The second is what it does to how other people treat you. Let me explain. The first is that the wiring of our brains is conducive to charitable giving, and it works something like this. In the late 1980s there was a famous study of charitable giving that looked at how people reacted with respect to the endorphins that they experienced. Endorphins are neurochemicals that make you feel a sort of euphoria. If you like to run marathons, it’s probably because afterward you feel really good—you feel sort of high in a way. Psychologists came forth with studies that showed that when people volunteer to help other people, they get what they call “the helper’s high.” Volunteering actually gives people a mild sense of euphoria."

So . . . don't be surprised when you see a lot of posts about service opportunities in general mixed in with the financial information, tips and trainings available. Giving back is an important part of your journey to financial peace!

You can see the full text of Mr. Brooks speech at the links below.

Text and Audio:  https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/arthur-c-brooks_giving-matters-2/


Video:  http://www.byutv.org/watch/f478258a-1b80-43c7-8d35-eeaebb47d510/byu-forum-address-arthur-c-brooks-22409

NEW Small Business Networking Group Meets Thursday

Are you a small business owner looking for an opportunity to meet other small business owners so you can share ideas, experience, and referrals?  

As an entrepreneur, networking is a key activity that is not only fun, but critical to your personal growth, business development, and in many cases to the very survival of your business.  Small business is all about networking, building relationships and taking action. 

Building a successful business takes a lot of time and drive, so it’s good to have a network of friends and associates to draw energy from and keep you going. By surrounding yourself with people who share a similar drive and ambition, you are more likely to move forward as a group. 

But that’s not the only benefit of networking. In fact that’s only the beginning. We'll share a few ideas about the benefits of networking as shared by Small Business BC below. However, let me first announce that we are starting a Small Business Network to give local small businesses a chance to come together on a weekly basis with 3 goals in mind:

• Learn FROM each other
• Learn ABOUT each other
• Make REFERRALS to help each other grow our businesses

In time we will be dividing into different networking groups as necessary to ensure that there is only one person per industry/company in each networking group. However, to start things off we will all meet together on Thursdays at 12:00 NOON in the Chamber of Commerce board room. The address is 160 North Main in Logan.

We extend a special invitation to those in direct sales and network marketing. We realize there aren't a lot of opportunities for you to network with other business owners like yourself who face a unique set of challenges and could learn a great deal from each other. Come take advantage of this opportunity to interact with others who may be experiencing some similar things.

So- as promised- here are some additional ideas on the benefits of networking:

1. Shared Knowledge

Networking is great for sharing ideas and knowledge. Whether it’s asking for feedback or discussing your point of view, it will help you expand your knowledge and allow you to see things from another perspective.

It is also likely that within a group there will be those who have already been where you are today. This provides you with an opportunity to learn and avoid some of the common pitfalls they experienced.

2. Opportunities

It’s natural that networking will result in opportunities. The thing you will not know is when or how they will materialize. Whether it’s a referral, offer partnership or request for your service or product, it is important to be ready to seize opportunities when they come along.

3. Connections

Remember you are not just gaining exposure to the people in the room, you are building connections with their network too. If someone they know has a need that matches your business, if you have made an impression, you will likely get a referral.

And remember, it’s not just a one-way street. If someone in your network matches a business you encounter at an event, don’t hesitate to share their details. It will only strengthen your relationship.

4. Increased confidence

By regularly networking, and pushing yourself to talk to people you don’t know, it will help increase your confidence. This is an important attribute as a business owner, because your business growth is dependent on talking to people and making connections.

5. Raising your profile

Being visible and getting noticed is a big benefit of networking. By regularly attending business and social events, people will begin to recognize you. This can you help to build your reputation as a knowledgeable, reliable and supportive person by offering useful information or tips to people who need it. You are also more likely to get more leads and referrals as you will be the one that pops into their head when they need what you offer.