A little help in being green

A little help in being green

EDITOR:

We read with interest the article titled “Green Team calls for year-end tonnage boost” in which we learned that the Green Team is making a colossal effort to increase the amount of recyclable material.

We are one of the many schools in the Valley that participate in the Green Team’s Cash for Cans program. Because we recognize the importance of caring for our environment, we also recycle at our school cell phones, ink cartridges and many other items.

We would like to enlist others to help us in increasing the amount of aluminum cans, cell phones and ink cartridges we recycle. If you do not recycle but would like to and live or work close to St. Luke School, you may drop off clean, crushed aluminum, cans, old cell phones and ink cartridges at 5225 South Ave. We ask that the cans be cleaned and crushed to help with cleanliness and space.

One of the goals of our Student Council is to serve our community. We donate all of the money we receive from Cash for Cans to charitable organizations and families in need. We hope that many readers will join us in recycling and in serving our Valley.

JOEY DeCAPITA, BILLY AARON, JADE COLYAR and LUCY JONES

Officers of St. Luke Student Council

Boardman

Praise for people who care

EDITOR:

As the proud grandfather of a lovable 9-year-old, nonverbal boy, who “regressed” and was diagnosed autistic just prior to three years of age, I wanted to thank Merv and Marlene Hollander for hosting their third annual winter party for children, most of whom have autism. It is encouraging to learn there are generous people like the Hollanders, who recognize families struggling with autism have a need to share a few moments of holiday joy with each other.

Unfortunately, your column also informed readers the Centers of Disease Control in Atlanta reports that 1 in every 150 children is being diagnosed autistic every day in this country, and they estimate 560,000 people under 21 are already on the Autism spectrum. What are they doing to stop this growing epidemic? Where is the urgency?

The CDC has made tremendous effort to promote “autism awareness” programs designed to alert parents of the “early signs” of autism, but it continue to ignore pleas by many prominent medical professionals, such as Dr. Bernardine Healy, former head of the National Institute of Health and the Red Cross, to conduct research to ascertain if there is a subset of children who are particularly susceptible to environmental triggers, such as mercury or aluminum in childhood vaccines. In addition, public health agencies have vigorously opposed legislative efforts to provide federal funds to conduct a scientific, independent study of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated populations, to ascertain if both populations have suffered the same dramatic increase in chronic autoimmune diseases that were far less common in previous generations.

Common sense suggests such a study would be extremely useful to public health officials desperate to prove their vaccines are safe.

BOB MOFFITT

Sloatsburg, N.Y.

Praise for people who care

EDITOR:

The Mahoning Valley National Alliance on Mental Illness wishes to thank our community partners and NAMI supporters for helping to make our Chrtistmas Party for people with mental illness a success.

DIANNA R. MASON

Christmas party chair

Youngstown