Step Out: Walk To Fight Diabetes (NAPSA)—To keep pace with the growing number of Americans with diabetes, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) invites communities to join Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes. Kiki Vale is one of an anticipated 100,000 participants taking part in this event. Vale, an ADA advocate known for her syndicated Chicago radio show, “The Kiki Vale Show,” promotes a healthy lifestyle and exercising, but most importantly raising funds and awareness for diabetes, a disease her mother has. Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes, the signature walking event of ADA, takes place in October in more than 170 cities, with routes ranging from two to six miles. Routes are designed for everyone regardless of age or athletic ability. Vale and her team, Kiki’s Krew, hope to promote awareness and support a good cause. As a top fundraiser, Kiki and her Krew have raised more than $41,000 in the fight against diabetes. Diabetes affects nearly 24 million Americans—1.6 million diagnosed each year—with another 57 with prediabetes. Each day, millions battle this serious and deadly disease. Diabetes can lead to kidney failure, blindness, amputation and death. Diabetes contributes to more than 286,000 deaths each year. Vale, whose mission is to raise funds and sign up teams, said, “People with diabetes can live stronger, healthier lives through education and proper health habits.” Although Vale has long been interested in fitness and nutrition, it wasn’t until her mother’s diagnosis in 2000 that she was intro- Funds raised from the Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes walk are used to prevent and cure diabetes and improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. duced to ADA and Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes. Since then, Kiki’s Krew has walked each year. Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes raised more than $19 million nationwide last year for diabetes research, advocacy and programs. She plans to walk until there is a cure. “Every day I think about how I can live a healthier life,” said Vale. “I’m asking people to join a team and take a step out in the fight against diabetes!” Vale, who will continue to raise funds and promote awareness, said her ultimate goal is to continue to speak to people with diabetes and their families about education and coping with diabetes so she can reach out to people and hopefully improve the quality of their lives. The event draws many teams, comprised of families, friends and corporations. National sponsors include Cary’s Sugar Free Syrup, Equal and Kmart Pharmacies. National teams of the event include Rite Aid, Wal-Mart/SAM’S Club, Kmart Pharmacies and Dignity Memorial. To register, call an American Diabetes Association office at (888) DIABETES or visit online at www.diabetes.org/stepout. Kiki Vale may be reached at Kikivale.com. (NAPSA)—The excitement, the action and Waikiki’s many attractions draw visitors from all over the world for a unique event: the annual NFL Pro Bowl. The All-Star game, held the week after the Super Bowl, pits the best players from the AFC against those of the NFC. Fans, players and coaches vote to determine the roster. This season’s game is scheduled for February 8, 2009. A vacation with airfare, hotel accommodations, tickets to the game and the VIP NFL Pro Bowl Tailgate Party, airport and stadium transfers, plus special concierge services can be quite reasonable. To celebrate the end of the football season and beat the winter blues, you can head to Hawaii for the NFL Pro Bowl. NFL Pro Bowl packages can even be upgraded with premium game tickets, better accommodations, low-priced first-class airfare and tickets to the official NFL VIP party. For additional information and reservations on Pleasant Holidays’ NFL Pro Bowl packages, visit PleasantHolidays.com/probowl, call (800) 837-5999 or see a travel professional. Pleasant Holidays is an official fan travel package provider of the 2009 Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The NFL accepts only VISA for payment of the Pro Bowl packages. Walks Like A Duck, Talks Like A Duck, But It’s Not Just A Duck (NAPSA)—When it comes to American icons, not many would think of Ronald McDonald or the Aflac Duck. But some corporate symbols have become as much a fabric of our consciousness as Hollywood movie stars or celebrity musicians. Company spokespeople or spokesducks are invited into living rooms across America every day on television to share news about the products they sell. But anyone familiar with Ronald McDonald House knows that the fast-food icon’s service doesn’t end with selling hamburgers. Likewise, for the Aflac Duck, marketing products is only part of the job. They are sources of optimism for families in need or for children fighting cancer. Emblem Of Hope Buffy Swinehart, who manages Aflac’s philanthropy division, says that while the duck may walk like a duck and talk like a duck, he is much more than a duck. She says the star of Aflac’s popular advertising campaign with the familiar cry of “Aflaaaac” doubles as a symbol of goodwill, raising millions of dollars to help kids with cancer. “We have been able to transform the Aflac duck from a corporate mascot into an emblem of hope, which is what thousands of families facing childhood cancer need most,” Swinehart said. This year, as with every year since 2001, Aflac will team with hundreds of participating Macy’s department stores to sell the Aflac “Holiday Duck.” The funny, wisequacking fowl turned cancer fighter decked in holiday garb makes a wonderful gift or stocking stuffer for family and friends, with all the proceeds going to local children’s hospitals to fight childhood cancer. Of course, there is nothing funny about cancer, particularly for a parent, but the sad reality is that thousands of brave children are diagnosed each year. The good news is that children are surviving cancer with greater frequency to lead long, healthy and productive lives. In fact, the fiveyear survival rate for all childhood cancers has improved from less than 50 percent before the 1970s to nearly 80 percent today. The 10-year survival rate is over 75 percent. Raises Nearly $2 Million Swinehart says that Aflac makes pediatric cancer research and the Aflac Cancer Center in Atlanta its primary charitable cause, donating more than $40 million since 1998. On top of that, the Holiday Duck has proven itself to be more than a corporate icon, raising nearly $2 million for more than 30 hospitals across the country in seven years. The lovable creature will make its annual debut at participating Macy’s department stores November 1st. As of then, ducks can also be ordered online at macys.com or at aflacholidayduck.com. The cost is $10 for a six-inch version and $15 for the 10-inch model. (NAPSA)—NASCAR Driver and Best Western spokesperson, David Reutimann, reminds drivers that as your speed increases, so does your braking distance. If you double your speed, you quadruple your braking distance. *** The KODAK Picture Movie DVD can be created in just minutes and is a great way to turn your photo library into a fun, movie experience set to music. To find a CVS/pharmacy Photo Center near you, go to www.cvs.com/storefinder. *** Despite heightened financial concerns for their families’ futures, working women are less likely than their male colleagues to have adequate life insurance coverage. To get a better understanding of how much life insurance you need and what types of policies are appropriate, a free online Life Insurance Selector tool is available at www.metlife.com/ simplified. *** Frozen and refrigerated foods can complete your holiday meals with great taste and no fuss. For recipes and ideas on how to make the most of this busy time of year, visit the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association’s Web site at www.EasyHome Meals.com. *** For a smooth deck surface that is completely free of any type of nails or fasteners, experts suggest wood-alternative material such as Trex Brasilia with its proprietary Hideaway Hidden Fastening System. For information on how to clean and care for wood-alternative decks, visit www.trex.com. *** In the “Shaun the Sheep” game (D3Pub lisher) for the Nintendo DS system, the sheep have escaped and Shaun must find the rest of the flock before the Farmer comes home. To learn more, visit www.d3publisher.com. *** If you’re diagnosed with claudication, or PAD, you should see a vascular surgeon who can treat you with medication and other noninvasive procedures. Learn more at www.VascularWeb.org. *** Advanced breeding is the process of identifying specific plant genes that are linked to improved crop performance. It has greatly increased the ability of DEKALB corn to maximize yields. The funny, wisecracking Aflac Duck is also a cancer fighter. Turning Dreams Into Child’s Play (NAPSA)—Sometimes it pays to follow a dream. That’s the lesson learned by Dan Lauer, who was hired in 1980 as a bank teller in Missouri. Lauer eventually worked his way up to vice president, but he was a banker with a secret: He wanted to invent a realistic baby doll based on water balloon dolls his sisters used to play with in the ’60s. “My sisters would tie water balloons together, draw faces on them with markers, and carry them around like warm little jiggly babies,” recalls Lauer. In a leap of faith, Lauer quit his job at the bank to pursue his dream and spent three years studying the doll industry, raising capital and building prototypes. The result: a line of water-filled dolls that replicate the warmth, weight and feel of a real baby. Lauer calls them, appropriately, Water Babies. “Water Babies are innocent and wholesome, like dolls of yesteryear,” says Lauer. “You fill them up with tap water from the kitchen sink, and they allow girls to have simple, nurturing play experiences.” Still, retailers were slow to catch on. But despite getting more than 700 rejection letters from toy companies—and even one cease and desist letter—Lauer persisted until he was able to get a local retailer to carry his invention for a test. Lauer and his friends went to the local store and handed his warm, water-filled dolls to shop- One man’s dream has helped bring joy to millions of children. pers. The shoppers loved the way Water Babies felt and the store couldn’t keep them in stock. The demand for the dolls grew and retailers all across the world began ordering them. Since then, more than 17 million Water Babies have been sold, making them the second best-selling large doll of all time (behind Cabbage Patch Kids). Today, 20 years after Lauer’s decision to quit his job at the bank, Water Babies are being reintroduced to a whole new generation of young “mommies.” They’ve been redesigned and are being re-launched by toy company Wild Planet. As for his big idea paying off, since inventing the dolls, Lauer has gotten married and he and his wife have had four real babies of their own. He supports his family with the money he earns from his invention. Water Babies are available in stores, online at several retailers, including www.shopwildplanet. com, or by calling (800) 247-6570. The world’s greatest tea drinkers per capita are the Irish, averaging about 1,600 cups each a year. Throughout the world, more people belong to the teaching profession than to any other. The first newspaper advertisement appeared in a French newspaper on October 14, 1612. 8