Fresno's First Shrink-a-thon! When we LOSE, Charities WIN!!

You've heard of a Walk-a-thon?
You've heard of a Jog-a-thon?
Well, now you've heard of a Shrink-a-thon!

In Fresno, Young Entrepreneurs 4 Success is sponsoring this unique, new 12-week healthy weight-loss program, based on the teachings of Dr. Ray Strand, MD in his life-changing book and online program, Healthy for Life. The Healthy for Life program has been clinically researched to be effective in two different third-party studies.

Additionally, Shrink-a-thon has been massively successful in other communities around the country! Our goal is to transform the health of people in the Fresno area community, by losing 3000 pounds and raising $100,000 for local charities by the end of 2010!!

Our first non-profit to join us and take advantage of the Shrink-a-thon fund-raising healthy weight-loss program is My Sister's Closet in Fresno.  My Sister's Closet is a Christian-based program sponsored by United Faith Christian Fellowship Church in Southeast Fresno.  The mission of My Sister's Closet is to help women in transition with professional clothing and training in various job skills, such as interviewing and resume skills.

Our FREE Introductory parties are scheduled to start in January and will run through March. Join us for a dinner party, try out some of the delicious recipes that we'll be losing weight with, and learn how it all works! During the 12 week program you will have fun, lose weight, earn prizes and raise money for charities all at the same time!

Contact us if you are interested in joining to find out how to
GET IT OFF AND KEEP IT OFF!
SEE YOU THERE!

P.S. For more info, please visit http://fresno.shrinkathon.com/

Job Seekers are Discouraged!

"In some U.S. states, nearly half of the job seekers who have stopped looking for work have done so because they simply don't believe they'll find anything. Indeed, the number of discouraged workers nationwide has more than doubled in the past year. This trend won't be reflected in the widely publicized unemployment rate, as discouraged workers aren't included among the unemployed. Still, in states as diverse as Mississippi, South Dakota, and New York, the span of this often invisible slice of workers signals a population losing its hope.

[Search for your best place to find a job.]

Most jobless people who have stopped looking for work are otherwise engaged--they're back in school, taking on family responsibilities, or too sick to search. They, along with workers who have stopped because they're discouraged, make up a group that the Labor Department calls the "marginally attached." They're included in some of the broader measures of unemployment, but they're officially not part of the workforce. While discouraged workers make up about a third of the marginally attached nationwide, their numbers have been increasing.

Between the third quarter of last year and the second quarter of this year, Mississippi averaged the highest percentage of discouraged job seekers among its marginally attached--nearly 50 percent, compared with 32.6 percent nationwide. South Dakota ranked second after Mississippi, with 48.5 percent of marginally attached workers classified as discouraged. Florida, Michigan, Connecticut, West Virginia, and New York followed in ranking for the highest rates of discouragement.

Discouraged workers are characterized by their perceptions. They don't think work is available for them, or they believe they lack the necessary training to be hired. They may be convinced that employers think they're too young or too old, or they believe that they face some other kind of discrimination that prevents them from finding work. And while there are discouraged workers in healthy economies, in a prolonged recession such as this one, worker pessimism tends to skyrocket.

[See 10 cities with the most job postings per capita.]

The heights of discouragement in Mississippi are significant. "It says something about the situation in that state when half of the people with a relatively recent commitment to searching for a job have stopped because they believe nothing is available for them," says Thomas Krolik, an economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between the third quarter of last year and the second quarter of this year, Mississippi's average unemployment rate was 7.9 percent. Add in all the discouraged workers, and the rate shoots up to 8.8 percent, a 0.9 percentage-point jump. Nationwide, the average difference between the unemployment rate and the rate of unemployed plus discouraged workers was about 0.4 percentage point. Michigan and New York also ranked high by that measure.

Charles Campbell, a professor of economics at Mississippi State University, says the state struggles with regions of particularly high unemployment, "where there really are no jobs." Many of the residents of those regions lack the skills and means to find work in outside areas, Campbell says, so they remain unemployed.

In other states, the situation may be more obvious. In Michigan, the demise of the domestic auto industry has brought job destruction far outpacing the national average. Michigan's unemployment rate for June topped 15.2 percent, compared with 9.5 percent nationally. Across the country, Florida has been hit hard by the housing bust, and unemployment in the state reached 10.6 percent in June.

But higher unemployment rates and lousier job markets alone don't explain the high rates of discouragement. Connecticut, New York, and West Virginia have seen their numbers of jobless workers rise during the downturn, but their unemployment rates are all below the national average.

Several things could nudge job seekers toward hopelessness: negative media coverage of the job market; unsuccessful job searches among friends and family; their own long-term unemployment. Also, men are more likely to give up their job search because they've become discouraged--they make up 63 percent of the total group. Younger workers, blacks, and Hispanics are also overrepresented in the discouraged-worker category, according to the Labor Department.

The housing bust could be partly to blame. Workers may simply give up because there are no openings matching their skill set within their geographical area, Krolik says. If workers own homes they can't sell, their ability to move for a new job is severely limited. The effect could be exacerbated by areas where homes are a particularly difficult sell or homeowners are disproportionately underwater, as those markets have also tended to see higher unemployment rates.

[See 7 lessons from a successful job search.]

Whatever workers' motivation, many economists are now focusing more on their results. Hoyt Bleakley Jr., a University of Chicago economist, says researchers are paying less attention to how many job seekers say they're looking for work and more attention to how quickly they are actually finding it. With 4.4 million job seekers nationwide out of work for more than 27 weeks or more in June, "those numbers are pretty grim," Bleakley says. "People who claim they're looking for work are not finding it." It's hardly surprising, then, how many have simply given up looking."

Source: (Sorry, unknown,)

Fresno Community Comes Together...

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact:
Carol A. Anderson, LMFT
carol@acenter4growth.com
559-970-8350

Addressing Challenges Facing Young Adults

During Tough Economic Times

"The time is NOW to develop tomorrow's leaders!"

Fresno, CA - Job losses, a limited job market, skyrocketing tuition and epidemic proportion of health concerns are the biggest challenges facing young adults in our community and across the nation. But this is not news. What is news is the grassroots organization that has sprouted up to change Fresno's headlines.

"Just Say Y.E.S. to Freedom" was the theme of last Thursday's kick-off of Young Entrepreneurs for Success (Y.E.S.), a new organization bringing together community leaders in education, health, business and service to implement solutions for this ever-growing problem. The event was held at a private residence.

"These are critical times which require unique and creative solutions," stated Dr. Padilla, local Physician and member of the Y.E.S. Health Advisory Council. Dr. Padilla is a believer in health advocacy, mentorship and service.

"Y.E.S. has called on leaders in the community who have the expertise and the network to make success happen for young adults," said Carol Padilla-Shaath, educator and Director of Y.E.S. Business Development. "We are all stakeholders in the success of this generation and the time is now to develop tomorrow's leaders."

Y.E.S. is comprised of a Health Advisory Council and is currently in the process of inviting community business leaders to their Business Advisory Council. The next level in the tiered system are the professional mentors followed by the peer leaders. Y.E.S. will hold their first Leadership Retreat on July 17 and 18 at Huntington Lake and then begin recruiting Gen Y as members to their one-year program.

Y.E.S. is an "Earn-While-You-Learn" local organization whose mission is to develop Life, Leadership & Business skills in young adults living in Central CA, while supporting a healthy lifestyle and providing opportunities for service & social events. Membership is by referral only.

Membership benefits for young adults include:
1.) Networking with local community & business leaders;
2.) Building a personal referral and resource network;
3.) Giving back to the community through service;
4.) Participating in a Mentor / Mentee relationship for success;
5.) Receiving education and support for healthy lifestyle;
6.) Gaining life skills not received through traditional education; and,
7.) Building another stream of income to gain financial security.

For more info on Y.E.S. or to refer a young adult, please visit:
http://www.meetup.com/young-entrepreneurs-4-success

# # # #

MISSION: POSSIBLE! ACCOMPLISHED!

Congratulations to all the "Agents" who accomplished the "Mission" today! You filled a pick-up truck FULL of food for the Community Food Bank! 744# to be exact! JOB WELL DONE!

We hope you enjoyed yourselves and got plenty to eat for breakfast and lunch! For those who received movie tickets, ENJOY!!

We'll be hosting another project again soon! Watch our calendar for details!

Y.E.S. MISSION: POSSIBLE

The YES4SUCCESS! FORCE requests YOUR PRESENCE for a covert ASSIGNMENT of utmost importance! YOUR EXPERTISE is required to successfully accomplish this mission. Rendezvous at the targeted destination below to be served Breakfast and briefed on your Assignment. After successfully accomplishing your objective, return to the same location to be rewarded with FOOD, SWIMMING, VOLLEYBALL, BASKETBALL & PADDLE BOATS! MISSION OBJECTIVE: Community Food Bank & Granville Home of Hope - proceeds benefit local school districts & charities. SECRET LOCATION: Woodward Lakes Community Clubhouse PRIZES: Awarded to the TOP 3 TEAMS RSVP: Call to confirm your acceptance of this mission & NUMBER of "AGENTS" you are bringing to assist you.

(This message will self-destruct in five seconds.) Good Luck!

Welcome to YES 4 Success!!

We are proud to announce the formation of an up and coming new program, designed to develop Life, Leadership and Business skills in Young Adults living here in Central California!

Please read on to understand for yourself why it is so unique and be sure to join us for our official launch celebration! Watch for the announcement!!

If you live in the Central California area, we invite you to give your input and feedback on a brief Needs Assessment Survey. We appreciate your participation!

What is Young Entrepreneurs 4 Success?

Y.E.S. is a unique new Fresno area program especially for young adults, who are also known as "Gen Y." Providing a viable "Earn-While-You-Learn" business structure, Y.E.S. utilizes three powerful components: 1.) a core curriculum of life-success skills; 2.) peer and professional mentoring; and, 3.) an income-generating vehicle.

Why young adults?
This age group faces unique challenges, especially during these trying economic times. One major challenge facing Gen Y is that, due to their size, they are predicted to become the highest unemployed age-group in the nation! This is more likely to be true in the Fresno area, where the unemployment rate is now up to 16.4%!  Additionally, with a high school dropout rate of greater than 30%, more than double the national average, many Fresno youth are ill-prepared to enter the job force. The effects of unemployment, its resulting poverty, as well as a declining Gen Y health trend, all have potentially devastating consequences for future generations!
 
Why is the Y.E.S. program unique?

Quite simply, we know of no other program that offers what Y.E.S. does, especially to this targeted group of our population. First, we are offering solutions to a combination of complicated socio-economic problems, all of which have potentially serious personal and societal consequences. Some of the known consequences of unemployment, are poverty, poor health, crime, unwanted pregnancy, addiction and worse. We believe that through mentoring and role modeling, education, service opportunities, business ownership and personal development, our community's young adults have a strong chance of becoming productive and contributing citizens, with healthy self-esteem!
 
So how does Y.E.S. work?

Utilizing a proven mentoring model, a group of experienced professionals will serve in the role of professional mentors and trainers. Alongside our "Pro-mentors" a group of young adults, already demonstrating leadership skills and positive role modeling in their communities, will serve in the role of peer/apprentice mentors and team leaders. All will participate in a one-year curriculum of health, business skills, personal development and core life competencies, as a co-requisite to participate in the mentoring component of the program. Finally, as Independent Associates of a highly acclaimed, international Wellness company, they will build their own successful Wellness Consulting Business following a proven formula for success.

Why Own a Business?

Owning a business solves many of the problems facing people who are unable to find a traditional job. Plus, our market research came up with some characteristics common to most Gen Ys. Gen Y kids really have a strong desire to be self-employed; They also want a significant income, but flexible work hours; Gen Y's desire a better lifestyle than their parents with more free time; They also express a need for training and mentoring; They tend to be well-networked and team players; This age group has a passion for social issues and want meaningful work; and, as a result, prefer to associate with a company that is socially conscious.

Watch this CNN Interview of a Temple University Economist explaining why owning a business in this recession economy is a wise move!

But WHY Network Marketing?

As stated earlier, owning a business solves many of the problems facing people who are unable to find a traditional job. However, network marketing solves all of the problems that owning a traditional business creates, including high start-up and monthly overhead costs, employees, inventory, lack of training or knowledge and high risk.
  
The Network Marketing industry is a 70+ year old industry, with over 2,200 U.S. companies and over 8 million distributors.  But while Network Marketing developed a somewhat tarnished reputation over the years, that has changed in the last decade or so.  Network Marketing has now come of age, gaining respect and credibility with many Fortune 500 companies choosing Network Marketing to distribute some of their product lines.  The majority of its publicly traded companies are still breaking net distributor growth records in the U.S. almost every quarter!

Additionally, many of the most respected financial advisors and business leaders such as Donald Trump, Steven Covey, Robert Kiyosaki, Robert Allen, Denis Waitley, Paul Zane Pilzer and David Bach now strongly recommending network marketing. Some, like Donald Trump, Warren Buffet and Robert Allen, are even personally involved in network marketing.

Third, the unique combination of Gen Y characteristics, listed above, alongside increasing industry credibility, make the network marketing distribution model a perfect fit for Gen Y.  However, there are many fly-by-night companies, outright scams and pyramids. Caution must be exercised in selecting the right company to associate with.


We have selected the one of the most respected in the industry!

In an era of uncertain economic times, it is important to be positioned at the front of a strong market trend. Noted economic forecasters, such as Paul Zane Pilzer, have predicted the Wellness Industry to be the next TRILLION DOLLAR industry!Using this and other solid criteria for selecting a successful business, we have carefully selected a 17 year-old, publicly-traded, manufacturer of 3rd party-acclaimed, science-based, Wellness products. This well-respected, international company develops and manufactures all their own products in-house. All are produced to Pharmaceutical-grade GMP standards.

Below is a brief summary of their track record: 

• Member of Direct Selling Association
• Publicly-traded on NASDAQ
• Having just passed the $3 billion cumulative sales mark, it has 7 consecutive years of record profits, now approaching a half billion in sales per year;
• Featured in Forbes Top 200 Small Companies 3 consecutive years, Business Week's 100 Hot Growth Companies and the Wall Street Journal, among others.
• CEO was elected National Direct Selling Association's Chairman of the Board and recently selected as one of the Forbes' Top 40 CEOs under 40.
• The founder is a world-renowned PhD microbiologist, known as the Father of Human Cell Culture for his ability to grow human cell cultures in the lab without signs of degeneration. He patented the first commercially available infectious disease diagnostic test kits, including the first Epstein Barr and Herpes diagnostic kits. His 30 kits are still in worldwide use today and are considered the Gold Standard for diagnostic test kits. In 2007 he received the coveted Albert Einstein Award for Life Sciences & Humanitarian Contributions.
• A science-based line of products that has received awards, commendations, including Utah's Best Dietary Supplement for 10 years running, and other honors in 3rd party publications, such as the Gold Medal 5-star Award and Editor's Choice in the Comparative Guide to Nutritional Supplements. Additionally, they own 3 patents. All products are manufactured in-house for quality control.
• Formed a research partnership with the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University.
• Partners with Children's Hunger Fund, Forbes' #1 Charity, where $.99+ on every $1 goes to the children.
• 2002, 2006 and 2010 sponsor of USA Canadian Olympic Speed Skating Teams and the ONLY supplement that offers a $1 million guarantee that athletes will not fail their doping test due to their products.
• Official supplement supplier of the Sony-Ericsson WTA, the USA Bobsled Team Radcliff and the CBA champion Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry of Oklahoma.
• The only supplement company that built and owns 3 hospitals, one of which is rated one of the top medical spas in the world!

We believe this to be a company worthy of the Y.E.S. cause! And so do those whose lives have been changed by their association with it!

Meet Y.E.S. Founders:

Carol A. Anderson, MS is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and has maintained a successful private practice for 17+ years. She has had over 20 years experience teaching and facilitating courses in personal growth, self-esteem, communication, relationships and life-planning. She has served in a variety of leadership positions in various non-profits and has had extensive experience working with Youth and Young Adults. Carol has received training from some of the top leaders in the network marketing field and is also a Certified Team Leader in Dr. Ray Strand's Healthy for Life Program. Email: CarolA[at]yes4success.net

Karen M. Arth, BS has her Bachelor of Science in Engineering from UC Davis and worked 9 years for Pittsburg Des Moines Steel as Project Manager. She subsequently became credentialed to teach high school math, where she remained for 18 years. During that time she was a Master teacher for 3 years and department chair for 6. She is now the new Director of the San Joaquin Valley Math Project at CSU Fresno. Karen has published textbooks, mentored student teachers and conducted Math workshops all over the Western US for most of her professional life. She is also a Gold Director and was recently able to retire from teaching to do what she loves. Email: KarenA[at]yes4success.net

Ginny Oustad, MM is a professional musician who has taught private clarinet lessons for over 25 years and performs in a local chamber music ensemble. She brings extensive experience serving as a volunteer in a variety of non-profit organizations, including the Marjaree Mason Center and Fresno Musical Club and P.E.O. International Women's Organization. She participated in an International service ministry and has also taught and mentored in youth and adult religious studies. Ginny has had extensive training in the Dani Johnson program for network marketers. Finally, she is a Certified Team Leader in Dr. Ray Strand's Healthy for Life Program. Email: GinnyO[at]yes4success.net


Carol Padilla-Shaath, MA has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration & Marketing and Master of Arts in Spanish. She was the Media Relations specialist for Assembly-member Sarah Reyes and helped organize the Central California Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She has International sales experience. She was Program Developer and Instructor of Medical Spanish for the Undergraduate Medical Education Program, UCSF-Fresno. She taught "at risk" youth for 6 years and now teaches AP Spanish in a local high school. Email: CarolP[at]yes4success.net
 

Just say...

~ Do you have a heart for helping young adults? 

~ Would you like to be part of something greater than 

   yourself?

~ Do you resonate with the Y.E.S. Mission?

~ Do you have a talent or skill that would support the 

   Y.E.S. Mission?

~ Do you have an extra 5-10 hours a week?

~ Do you need an extra stream of income?

                                  ~ Do you possess most of the below qualities:

Positive attitude
Successful
Trainable
Leadership skills
Team player
Well-networkedFun-loving
Healthy mindset
Compassionate
Articulate
Integrity
Dependable & Reliable
Service-oriented

~0~

Our team currently has a limited number of openings to serve as Charter Members on our Executive Business Council and/or as Pro-Mentors and Coaches in the Y.E.S. program.

Y.E.S. Empowerment Team Responsibilities:

~ To help launch the Y.E.S. program in the Fresno area;
~ To help train and mentor Young Adults who are leaders in their communities; and,
~ To provide leadership to Young Adults who are "at risk," but have a strong desire to break free from the poverty cycle.

If you would like more information or might be interested in participating in this project on any level, or you know someone who might, please contact one of us TODAY!! Together we CAN make a difference!


REMINDER! Please remember to give your input and feedback on our brief Needs Assessment Survey. We appreciate your participation!


"I dream of a world free from pain and suffering. I dream of a world free from disease. ... Share my vision. Love life and live it to its fullest in happiness and health."
Dr. Myron Wentz, PhD