Latest news with #Pratt
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Serving the Ozarks: NAMI of Southwest Missouri
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The NAMI Hope Center in downtown Springfield is providing a vital network of support for individuals seeking a safe and welcoming environment to address mental health challenges. The center offers free daily group therapy and serves as a community safe haven for anyone in need. This week, as part of our 'Serving the Ozarks' series, we highlight the impactful work of the local NAMI chapter and the story of one man who rebuilt his life with their help. 'We are about everybody just knowing that we're all in this together,' said Jess Pratt, Director of the NAMI Hope Center. The NAMI Hope Center is a crucial resource, particularly for the one in five adults who experience a mental health condition. Serving the Ozarks: On Angels' Wings 'People can drop in and receive services. Everything that we have here is free,' Pratt explained. 'We have our daily support groups, and each support group is led by someone that lives with that mental health condition.' The center operates with the help of dedicated volunteers who create a supportive foundation, enabling individuals to take steps toward stability in their lives. Pratt emphasized the importance of peer support, stating, 'Just knowing that you have people that get it and have been through the struggle, and they just know that they can come here and be free and be at peace. And this is their safe haven.' Randy Wayne Rossell first learned about NAMI while he was unsheltered. 'We ended up getting off the street and into our own place,' Rossell said. 'And so every now and then, we come up here, do a little volunteering, come to classes.' NAMI's free services were instrumental in helping Rossell and his girlfriend rebuild their lives. 'They've done everything from helping us filling out paperwork to helping us with argument stuff,' Rossell said. 'They'll help you with anything to help you charge your stuff, help you get bus passes to get to jobs. I mean, they're a godsend.' Serving the Ozarks: Dogwood Ranch This non-profit organization is serving the Ozarks by offering peer support and tackling various issues without the burden of stigma. 'The trials, the trauma, but yet still the happy side of it too,' Pratt reflected. 'I've seen families reunited that haven't been able to talk to each other in a very long time. We've been able to make that happen. I've seen so much, and it's just so amazing and so powerful.' Rossell added, 'It's amazing what they can do for people if you just let them.' You do not need a diagnosed mental health condition to access NAMI's services, and relatives and caregivers are also welcome to receive free support. For more information on how to get involved or access services, visit Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Toronto Sun
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Toronto Sun
Wellness meets design
Designing for intention can mean breaking the rules. Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. 'Our spaces are an extension of ourselves' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Design isn't just about beauty; it's also about how you want to feel and experience a space – from using colour to boost creativity or calm the mind to organizing spaces to reduce stress. That's the simple yet transformative design philosophy of Tiffany Pratt, a multidisciplinary designer, creative director and artist known for her unmistakable and transcendent style. She believes intentional design choices impact not just the look of our homes, but the way we live in them. 'I think our spaces are like an extension of ourselves,' she says. If we were to look at our spaces as a person, Pratt maintains, we'd engage with our surroundings more intimately. 'I say that because we activate and animate our spaces based off how we engage with them – dusting, cleaning, painting, rearranging, adding in new things, fluffing stuff up, changing stuff on the coffee table. All that stuff reengages ourselves with our space but also makes the space feel very alive and happy. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'When I get hired to work on a space, I can always tell when a room is barely used versus a room that's highly trafficked and then I can feel a room that's been very well loved and used a lot and is constantly being engaged with and sort of fluffed.' ORGANIZATION, LIGHT, COLOUR Elements like organization, light and colour influence mental and emotional well-being. 'Organization to me is the cornerstone of a happy space,' says Pratt. She shares her grandmother's philosophy: 'Everything in its place and a place for everything' because she believes it's 'easy to live in harmony' with organized spaces. She advises homeowners to get rid of things that don't have a place and that you don't love. When it comes to light, Pratt encourages homeowners using LED lightbulbs that make spaces feel 'clinical and frosty' to switch back to incandescent bulbs, which make homes feel 'cozy and warm.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Next, think about light sources and windows. She recommends light-coloured draperies in social spaces to better allow natural light into the space. If a space doesn't have a great light source, bring light in through colour. 'I always say white equals light so wherever you put white in a room, it will bounce light into the space.' Finally, Pratt encourages you to consider the healing power of colour. 'People think of colour as an aesthetic thing but for me colour's actually life energy. If you put someone in a colourless space and then you put them into a colourful space, their attitude changes.' And while everyone engages with colour differently, simple touches of the colour right for them can bring joy. DESIGNING FOR INTENTION This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'When we talk about intention, we talk about what is the purpose of your home, how do you live in it and also do you know what makes your home the most functional for you,' Pratt says. That can mean breaking the rules, such as not using the dining room as a dining room. Her's is an art studio, while she's seen homeowners use their dining room to house a ping pong table to keep kids entertained. Finally, Pratt believes the creative process of design can become a form of self-care. Even her clients who don't identify as creative people 'light up' when they become involved in the creative process of designing a space 'because they get to activate a part of themselves that they don't always get to activate and they get to have a say in something that they don't always get to have a say in.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. She encourages her clients to become involved in the design process as much as possible, from going on a 'treasure hunt' or visiting a fabric store to choosing from numerous samples. 'Certainly, I can tell people what I think would look the best or what I would choose but I'm not the one living there. I think the job of any good designer is to work with things that light people up.' In doing so, the result is a home that's very 'dear' to a client. 'When something feels very true to a customer or true to a style, they take a lot more ownership in their space because they had a hand in putting it together.' Women's Healthy Living Show Tiffany Pratt will be at the inaugural Women's Healthy Living Show. A hub for all things wellness – mental, emotional, physical, social and financial – it runs Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8 at the Enercare Centre, Hall B, at Exhibition Place. Pratt will present her talk, Original Magic, on June 7 at 3:30 p.m. on the High Heels & Hot Flashes Stage. The talk is all about remembering – remembering who we are, what we can do and how we can access it. She'll also discuss breaking the rules in creativity and design, encouraging people to play more and create spaces that inspire them and reflect how they truly want to live. Visit to learn more and to purchase tickets. Crime Sunshine Girls Toronto Raptors Sunshine Girls World
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Molar Express is expanding pediatric dental care access
CENTRAL FALLS, R.I. (WPRI) — A local nonprofit is expanding its services to provide more Rhode Island children with necessary dental care. The Molar Express is a 40-foot vehicle built specifically for providing pediatric dental care that travels to different schools in the area. On Tuesday, state and local leaders were at Blackstone Valley Community Health Care (BVCHC) in Central Falls to announce a new partnership between BVCHC and the Molar Express. The partnership is being funded by Delta Dental Rhode Island and aims to expand the Molar Express's reach. 'We estimate about 9,000 children are in need of dental services,' Dr. Cristina Pacheco, CEO of BVCHC, told 12 News. 'We were able to do some screenings in the Central Falls High School, screened about 100 children, and almost all of them needed more dental care.' 'We know there is a big need here,' Pacheco added. 12 HEALTH: Annual mammograms crucial for early breast cancer detection Tara Pratt, the nonprofit's operations director, noted during the press conference that the Molar Express has already provided services to more than 10,000 Rhode Island children since it was created in 2007. 'In 2024, 84% of our patients were Medicaid insured, 12% were uninsured and 4% had private insurance,' Pratt explained. Delta Dental's vice president of communications, Michelle Muscatello, echoed Pratt's sentiments and reinforced the importance of the mobile service. 'The incredible team at the Molar Express is providing these vital services that not only address the immediate need, but set them up for good health,' she said. Sen. Jack Reed also spoke at the event, highlighting the larger impacts that a lack of dental care can have on a child. 'For children, access to dental care is so critical to getting a healthy start in life,' Reed said. 'Cavities are the most common chronic disease in childhood. They can cause pain and inhibit a child's ability to eat, to speak and to learn.' 'This new partnership will allow the Molar Express to provide more pediatric dental care in the community,' Reed added. 'To host those who are in need the most.' Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
7 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
‘It's honoring those who gave all': Chesterton commemorates Memorial Day
Don Pratt reported for duty as he always does every Memorial Day as a member of the Honor Guard for American Legion Post 170 in Chesterton. Pratt's job is to hold the American flag upright. He has made one concession in that he brings a chair with him nowadays. After all, he is 92 years old. This was the 46th year in a row he has come to the Chesterton Cemetery, where the Legion holds its annual Memorial Day event. American Legion Commander Daryl Peterson pointed out how Pratt was faithfully there again to the 100 people who gathered around the flagpole Monday morning under brilliant sunny, blue skies. Pratt deflects the attention away from himself. The Chesterton native served in the Army during the 1950s and says he was 'too young for Korea and too old for Vietnam.' Among the gravestones that stretch out at Chesterton Cemetery are those who served in or were casualties of American wars past. Allan Alliss recently moved from Chesterton to Leesburg, Fla. Since he was in town, Alliss put on his Vietnam Veteran hat and made his way over to the Chesterton Cemetery. 'To honor those who served, who gave everything there was to give,' Alliss said in explaining why he was compelled to come. Alliss served with the Marine Corps in Vietnam from 1966 to 1968. He worked in the office in the support of an air unit. As he stood in Chesterton Cemetery, Alliss thought of the one pilot from his unit who didn't return home. 'Not only on days like today, but throughout my life I've thought about him,' Alliss said. Not far from where Alliss stood, George Kelchak, 98, of Chesterton was there in a wheelchair. Kelchak wore a hat for the 88th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army with whom he proudly served in Yugoslavia during World War II. 'What brings me out is to celebrate Memorial Day. I look forward to it every year,' Kelchak said. Tony Reales, 64, had his homemade walking stick with him when he attended the Memorial Day ceremony at St. Patrick's Cemetery, which immediately preceded the event at the Chesterton Cemetery. On his walking stick are stones shaped as hearts, representing his wife and two daughters who are deceased. Reales was in the U.S. Navy for 8 years and was on a ship in the Indian Ocean during the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. 'Memorial Day is very meaningful to me because it's honoring those who literally gave all for our freedom,' Reales said. Reales said he instructs people not to wish him a happy Memorial Day. 'It's not a celebration. It's honoring those who gave all.' Chesterton High School history teacher Bob DeRuntz, the keynote speaker, extemporaneously delivered an eloquent meditation on the importance of Memorial Day. DeRuntz started with Abraham Lincoln and the dilemma he faced in deciding what to say with the Gettysburg Address in 1863. 'There was nothing he could say. What could he possibly say that could equal the sacrifice that those men had made?' DeRuntz said. Lincoln flipped the script, in that he made the speech about how the people present, and in the nation, needed to dedicate themselves to finishing the war. U.S. General John Logan in 1868 was the one who decreed that there would be Decoration Day – which became Memorial Day – to honor the war dead. 'We meet here still to this day, on this day to remember the sacrifice made for those who have given their lives in defense of our nation,' DeRuntz said. DeRuntz then described the cemetery in Normandy, France, where thousands of American soldiers lost their lives during the D-Day invasion that turned the tide in the European Theater of World War II. Then, DeRuntz painted a word picture of the scene at Arlington Cemetery, where he told of how the honor guard is constantly on duty at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The president of the United States on occasion has advised the honor guard during hurricanes and blizzards, the Unknown Soldier honor guard duty could be suspended. 'On each and every occasion, they (the honor guard) respond, with all due respect Mr. President, we will not stand down,' DeRuntz said. 'How we choose to honor those who have given their last full measure of devotion, in devotion to our nation, it matters.'
Sydney Morning Herald
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Race-by-race tips and previews for Monday's Newcastle meeting
Track: Heavy 9 and rail out 4m Race 1 1. Pratt is an emerging three-year-old resuming off two strong trials on the Beaumont circuit here, and is bred to thrive in heavy ground. Was competitive enough in deeper races in that initial campaign, and looks to have this lot covered, especially with a leading and trial-winning rider in the saddle. 8. Perasta is also trained on the course, and can improve sharply after doing nothing first-up. Another local 2. Enchanted World is a filly on debut for the home track Kris Lees stable, and has been given plenty of time at the trials. How to play it: Pratt to win Race 2 3. Tyrone's Power will likely jump a clear favourite off a solid second start run at Warwick Farm in soft ground. Carries only 1kg more here coming back to a much weaker juvenile race, and drawn to get the right trail just off speed. 1. Divo is a home tracker by Capitalist in the Nathan Doyle stable, and naturally a big watch behind two trial wins last month. 2. Toughenup Son, a debutante by Sebring Sun, and 8. Scarlet Monarch, with an edge in fitness fourth-up; can add value into trifecta and first fours. How to play it: Tyrone's Power to win Race 3 10. Prima Bella is a capable & still lightly raced metropolitan mare resuming off two trials, winning the former in heavy ground by a big margin. Returned off a long break and debut win to find the line OK in consecutive CL1 runs last spring before spelling. Relishes wet tracks, and given her early tactical speed, the short course trip is ideal. 5. Hawker Hall is an exciting local who has to overcome a wide gate, but blew away his opposition in heavy ground here a month ago as the hottest of favourites before kept ticking over with the easiest of trial wins. Keep safe 2. Kiribati who also returns off a sound trial with an important gear change, and comes to hand quickly. How to play it: Prima Bella to win Race 4 7. Tommy Thug is a tough metropolitan five-year-old who is bursting to break through well into the prep in what is a thinner race. Mixed his form in two heavy track runs here, found to have cardiac arrhythmia from the latter, before only missing by a neck in a stronger race at Hawkesbury, and the winner has since scored easily again. Has placed eight times from 13 starts, and draws to get a soft run right behind the speed. 2. Trapalanda can improve sharply over more ground third-up, and back significantly in grade. 1. De Louviere is honest and has been in and around the money all prep. How to play it: Tommy Thug to win
