In this Issue:

Peak of the Week!

Corporate Challenge

Welcome Father David!

2021 Excellence in Maternity Care Award

Feast of St. Bonaventure

FSA Associate Working Group

July 21

Junk Food Day

On July 21, let go of your diet and indulge in all your favorite unhealthy snacks without any guilt because it is Junk Food Day.

Junk food is a term used to refer to food that has a lot of calories but very little or no nutritional value. Popularized in the United States in the 1950s, the word is widely used for foods that are heavily processed, and have high amounts of sugars, fats, and salt.

Studies have shown that consuming junk food once-in-a-while does not have a negative effect on health - it is only when one eats junk food for a majority of their meals that their diet can be considered unhealthy.

Different cultures have their own different definition of what constitutes junk food - what may be junk food in one culture, may be considered nutritional food in another. Many people believe that fast food is usually junk food, though some kinds of fast food are prepared in a healthy way and can be very nutritional.

August 8

Happiness Happens Day

August 8 is Happiness Happens Day, a day to celebrate all things happy.

Created by the Secret Society of Happy People in 1999 as Admit You’re Happy Day, this unofficial holiday encourages people to be open about their happiness and to share it with others.

The holiday is based on the premise that happiness is unlimited and contagious and that sharing one's happiness and can bring a lot of joy in other people's lives. In addition, the unofficial holiday commemorates the day the first member joined the Secret Society of Happy People. In 2000, the Society expanded the celebration of happiness and declared August as Happiness Happens Month.

While being happy can mean different things to different people, Happiness Happens Day encourages people to take stock of their lives and try to do and think about things that make them happy and to share this joy with others.

August 9

Book Lovers Day

August 9 is Book Lovers Day, an unofficial holiday that encourages people to pick up a book (or two) and spend the day reading.

On this day, honor all the bookworms and book lovers in your life. If you are a book lover yourself, then treat yourself to some quality reading time.

Book Lovers Day is also known as National Book Lovers Day in the United States.

Studies have shown that reading can not only be entertaining, but can also have many health benefits. Reading helps reduce stress, keeps the brain sharp, and can help you sleep better. Scientists have also found that those who read are much more likely to be empathic and understanding of others.

Get into your most comfortable clothes, curl up on your couch with a cup of hot tea, and take yourself on a great adventure with your favorite book.

To see where we found these fun holidays and check out more from around the world, visit: www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun

St. Mary’s Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center received the 2021 award for Excellence in Maternity Care at the Florida Hospital Association's (FHA) Quality Conference June 22-23, 2023, at the Westin Lake Mary in Lake Mary, Florida. Hospital officials said it is a tremendous accomplishment to be recognized by the Florida Department of Health and the Agency for Healthcare Administration for reducing unnecessary C-sections and meeting the 2030 healthy people goal of an NTSV rate below 23.6%. This award is a reflection of their hard work and the high-quality maternity care offered at these facilities.

Dr. Arif Dalvi is featured in the Huffington Post on warning signs of dementia and emphasized in the article that since the incidence of dementia rises with age, particularly after 65, that’s a good time to have a simple dementia screening such as a mini cognitive assessment. Dr. Dalvi is a neurologist with the Palm Beach Neuroscience Institute (PBNI), and Director of the Memory Disorders Center at St. Mary's Medical Center and PBN.

You can read the article here: https://tinyurl.com/2p8dfjub

The Feast of Saint Bonaventure is July 15 but the staff of St. Elizabeth Motherhouse in Allegany is putting on a party a few days early. 

The festivities on July 11 will include a hot dog picnic; a visit by the Kocomo Time Band (which was a big hit for the Mardi Gras party!); reflection on Saint Bonaventure with Fr. Stephen Mimnaugh, St. Bonaventure University’s vice president for mission integration; and a prayer in the Motherhouse chapel.

Everyone is being asked to wear their Brown & White proudly and they will also have a chance to win a “Bona Basket.”

As for Saint Bonaventure himself, in his bull of canonization, Pope Sixtus IV wrote:

Bonaventure was great in learning, but no less great in humility and holiness. His innocence and dove-like simplicity were such that Alexander of Hales, the renowned doctor whose disciple Saint Bonaventure became, used to say of him that it seemed as though Adam had never sinned in him.

You can read more about Saint Bonaventure here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/st-bonaventure-a-franciscan-heart/

Associate Linda Dees shared this picture of the Associate Working Group in the St. Elizabeth Motherhouse gazebo in Allegany, and said their meetings got off to a great start. They’ll be sharing news about the meetings very soon.