For Your October Calendar - Detox Your Toy Box, FREE Panel Discussion, Oct 20th, 7pm. USM's Abromson Center

 

Contact: James Grumbach Friends School of  Portland 1 Mackworth Island Falmouth, ME  04105 Phone 207 781-6321 Fax 207 781-6320

 

 

 --FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--

 

FRIENDS SCHOOL OF PORTLAND TO HOST PARENTING FOR PEACE EVENT "DETOX YOUR TOY BOX"

The School has assembled a panel of experts to discuss hopeful and concrete actions for maintaining the health of families and stewardship for the Earth

Portland, Maine September 22, 2009 – Friends School of Portland (FSP), an independent Quaker day school for grades preschool-8, today announces its fall, 2009 Parenting for Peace event, "Detox Your Toy Box."

This event will be held on Tuesday, October 20, 2009, from 7-8:30 PM at the University of Southern Maine, Hannaford Hall, in the Abromson Community Education Center in partnership with the Maine chapter of Physician's for Social Responsibility.

Taking a proactive approach, "Detox Your Toy Box" will explore current research linking environmental toxins to children's health. We will learn about the most urgent problems we face and opportunities for personal and collective action.   The panel will also share strategies for engaging children in making healthy choices for themselves and their planet. This event is free and open to the public.

Experts from diverse, yet connected fields come together as a panel and include:

·     David Bellinger, PhD, Professor, Harvard Medical School—will inform the audience of the latest scientific research linking environmental toxins to children's developmental health.

·     Nicole Borrasso, Teacher and Seasoned Outdoor Educator, FSP—will help us consider the best way to engage children in caring for the environment and their own bodies without scaring them (or the parents!).

·     Kristine Jenkins, Environmental Health Organizer, Environmental Health Strategy Center—will share stories of successful community clean-ups / social change and engage us in a conversation about public policy initiatives on the horizon.

The panel will be moderated by local pediatrician, parent and FSP Board member, Jeff Peterson.  A question and answer period will follow the panel presentation. Resource tables will be available in the lobby.

 

FSP is pleased and proud to offer Parenting for Peace as a community service to the Greater Portland community.

 

About FSP

The Friends School of Portland challenges and empowers students to develop their intellectual, physical, emotional, creative and spiritual potential. We honor our students' natural gifts as they learn to enter the world with confidence, competence, joy and a sense of purpose. We are guided by the Quaker values of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, stewardship, and truth.