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FOCUSFish and COACHART Featured on Scrumptious Moms

8/20/2014

 
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Happy Tuesday, Scrumptious!

Today is a special day… It’s my birthday!

I woke up to a steady stream of good wishes and homemade breakfast by my lovely Alexandra, with a little help from Sabrina who fooled me into thinking she was sound asleep when I got up this morning…
It’s already been an abundant day and it’s barely mid-day!

Today I want to share with you one of the most beautiful gift I received this past weekend… the gift of knowing that I have touched the life of someone else in a special way. 

And because one of my favorite things to do on my birthday is to shower those I love with gifts of my own, I have a few gifts for you as well. 

May you have a magical day!
Much love, 
Valerie
​

Life is Scrumptious, Savor Every Moment!
_________________________________________________________

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
~ Winston Churchill 
_________________________________________________________

The Gift Of Giving Back
by Valerie Remy-Milora

​Today is my birthday and I have already been showered with blessings and well wishes from friends around the world.
​
My 17 year old got up at the crack of dawn to prepare a special birthday breakfast for me before heading out to her baby sitting job – a perfectly cooked egg for my morning protein with a gluten free raw cacao and coconut pancake served with an extra dose of love.
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I am so grateful to be surrounded with loving, beautiful, giving people… and to be vibrantly healthy!  At 48 I feel stronger and more confident than ever.  I have three gorgeous daughters and a loving husband, my business is blossoming and I have the opportunity to serve moms and their families daily.

One of the things I particularly cherish is my ability to give back … To share my gifts, my time, with people all around me – men, women, and especially children.

This past Sunday I had the privilege of doing just that with my daughters, as we participated in a truly magical event – introducing chronically ill children and their siblings to the art of FLYING with the amazing FOCUSfish!

I’m not sure I have the words to adequately describe how exhilarating it was to feel the intense joy that filled these precious children.
​
Their entire beings just radiated with pure, unfiltered, overflowing JOY!
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I am so grateful that my 17 year old daughter captured these beautiful moments!

This event took place thanks to a partnership between FOCUSFish and CoachArt, two amazing nonprofit organizations dedicated to enriching the lives of children of all ages and abilities.  This was my first time volunteering for this event with my daughters and we cannot wait to do it again.

Eighteen children joined us – half of them living with an illness or special condition that makes physical activity challenging. The children or their parents told us what restrictions we needed to be aware of so that they could have a positive experience.

As the children experienced movement in a completely new way, I saw tears of joy…   Smiles so big they reached far beyond the moment at hand … I saw the pride that comes with overcoming fear … The exhilaration of defying gravity… The thrill of doing things that are supposed to be “impossible”.

I saw children free to be children, to move, run, dance, spin, and fall to the ground laughing so hard!
We lifted, supported, cradled, cheered and celebrated.

Those two and a half precious hours filled me to the brim. Through their unbridled happiness these children gave me the most beautiful and lasting gift of all. The gift of knowing that a small gesture can have such a profound impact. Their enthusiasm was contagious!  Their love wrapped itself around my heart and made it soar!

I have personally known the power of FOCUSFish’s unique approach to physical education and fitness for many years. I have witnessed it’s transforming power in my own life and now in that of my 7 year old.  This summer I had the immense pleasure of starting to teach with FOCUSFish, which has been a wonderful, enriching experience.

After witnessing the real magic of FOCUSFish on children of all abilities this past weekend I am more passionate about their mission than ever.

This coming weekend, Sabrina and I will be participating in the first ever FOCUSFish Fly-A-Thon, a special fundraiser to bring the gift of PE to underserved schools who cannot afford any “enrichment” programs, be they art, music or physical education.  I believe that every child deserves these programs as they are a fundamental part of their emotional and physical development, which is why I have set an ambitious goal for our family.

I invite you to support our fundraising efforts and touch the lives of children who deserve to feel vibrantly alive and free!

On Saturday Sabrina and I will each demonstrate 15 skills – 10 on silks and 5 on trapeze. You can make a flat donation or make a pledge per trick.

To pledge your support, please visit our page at http://flyathon.dojiggy.com/themilorafliers.  Your support no matter how big or small will make a real difference in the lives of these children.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!!!
Valerie

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​"If life is a circus, we might as well train for it." ~ Kristy Beauvais, Flounder for FOCUSfish
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FOCUSfish is committed to a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. Each individual has the right to work in a professional atmosphere that promotes equal opportunities and prohibits discriminatory practices, including harassment. Therefore, FOCUSfish expects that all relationships among persons in the workplace will be business-like and free of bias, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment.

In order to keep this commitment, FOCUSfish maintains a strict policy of prohibiting unlawful harassment of any kind, including sexual harassment and harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sex, age, physical or mental disability or any other characteristic protected by state, federal or local employment discrimination laws. This policy applies to all FOCUSfish agents and specialists, including supervisors and non-supervisory employees, and to independent contractors who engage in unlawful harassment in the workplace.

Sexual harassment includes, but is not limited to, making unwanted sexual advances and requests for sexual favors where either:
  1. Submission to such conduct is made an explicit or implicit term or condition of employment; or
  2. Submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis of employment decisions affecting such individual; or
  3. Such conduct has the purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.

Employees who violate this policy are subject to discipline up to and including the possibility of immediate discharge. Examples of unlawful harassment include, but are not limited to:
  • Verbal conduct such as epithets, derogatory jokes or comments, slurs or unwanted sexual advances, invitations or comments.
  • Visual conduct such as derogatory and/or sexually oriented posters, photography, cartoons, drawings, e-mail and faxes or gestures.
  • Physical conduct such as assault, unwanted touching, blocking normal movement or interfering with work directed at an employee because of the employee’s sex or other protected characteristic.
  • Threats and demands to submit to sexual requests in order keep one’s job or avoid some other loss, and offers of employment benefits in return for sexual favors.
  • Retaliation for having reported or threatened to report unlawful harassment.

Any employee or other person who believes they have been harassed by a co-worker, supervisor, or agent of FOCUSfish or by a non-employee should promptly report the facts of the incident or incidents and the names of the individual(s) involved to their program coordinator or advisory council contact, or in the alternative, to a board member. Upon receipt of a complaint, FOCUSfish will undertake a prompt, thorough, objective and good faith investigation of the harassment allegations.

If the organization determines that harassment has occurred, effective remedial action will be taken in accordance with the circumstances involved. Any employee determined by the FOCUSfish to be responsible for harassment will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination.

​Employees will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint and/or assisting in a complaint or investigation process. Further, we will not tolerate or permit retaliation by supervisors or co-workers against any complainant or anyone assisting in a harassment investigation.