I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been contracted to run a program called Boot Camp for New Dads at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL. The program depends on the participation of veteran dads who volunteer to share their experience and bring their babies to the class. Part of my responsibility is recruiting those veterans. As the program grows, the idea is that the ‘rookie’ participants will return as veterans to give back (and that’s already beginning). But as the program is still quite new, I’m posting the message below and asking anyone who’s in the area to copy and paste it into an email (copying me on it – bootcamp@jerryharrington.net) and send it to anyone you think might be helpful (lists like preschool parents, mom’s groups, dad’s groups, men’s groups, etc.). Thanks!
PLEASE NOTE: This program is NOT specifically Catholic; the curriculum is strictly fatherhood-based and is religion neutral. I post about it here, because CMR is my company that’s been contracted to run the program and this blog provides a handy platform for providing the message below.
Friends,
I’m sending this message to ask any dads with new babies (0-6 months old) to volunteer a Saturday morning to help prepare expectant fathers for what’s to come. I’m facilitating a course at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL called Boot Camp for New Dads. The program’s website is www.bootcampfornewdads.org. Here’s an overview:
The Basic Principles of Boot Camp
an involved dad is radically important for children and society
the mission is to get dads started from a place of confidence
Boot Camp is for men, by men, with only men
not lecture but led by a Coach who turns to Veteran Dads who volunteer with their infant to share their own experience
participants (Rookie Dads) not only benefit from listening to those recently gone through it but also from hands-on practice holding, changing, sometimes even feeding real babies in the room
The Topics of Boot Camp
the birthing process and being home after
getting involved from the beginning
the importance of teamwork and what that looks like
safety at home and in the car
great advice from veterans
Since the program is new to Lutheran General, we need Veteran Dads! The class runs every other month on a Saturday morning (9 am – noon) on the following dates: Feb 27, Apr 24, Jun 19, Aug 21, Oct 16, and Dec 4, 2010. If you have an infant (or will have one) in the proper age range (0-6 months) on one of those dates and would be willing to bring your baby to a class, please contact me either with an email (bootcamp@jerryharrington.net) or give me a call (847.331.2674).
OR if someone you know (or you yourself) are a dad expecting your first child and you’d like to register for Boot Camp, you can do that through the hospital’s Health Advisor system by either calling 1.800.3.ADVOCATE (1-800-323-8622) Monday – Friday 8am to 6pm or online by visiting advocatehealth.com/luth, clicking on the “i need…” menu, choosing “a class or support group,” and on the new page (Health Advisor) searching for Boot Camp.
Thanks for actually reading all the way to the bottom of this long message! Please forward it to anyone you know that might find it interesting. I hope you or someone you know could help me keep growing Boot Camp for New Dads at Lutheran General.
Sincerely,
Jerry Harrington
Master Coach
Boot Camp for New Dads
Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago at 11:20 am. Add a comment
The Muppets: Ode To Joy
A little holiday fun – watch to the very end!
Posted 2 months, 1 week ago at 1:43 pm. Add a comment
WWGD? – Internet arguments – Jeff Jarvis
I love cogent reasoned response to silliness.
Posted 3 months, 3 weeks ago at 4:47 pm. Add a comment
Check out the newest CMR Webpage: CMR Tutorials (at catholicmediaresources.com/tutorials).
And with those videos comes the CMR YouTube Channel (at youtube.com/CatholicMR). So, if you have an account on YouTube and subscribe to videos, subscribe to the CMR Channel to receive video updates.
Please rate the videos on YouTube or leave a comment to let me know if you find them helpful.
Thanks for your continued support of Catholic Media Resources.
Well, I am officially ‘geeking out’ about blogging on an airplane! As I haven’t provided an update here for a while, I thought this would be a great time to do so (since I’m using my ‘first try free’ coupon, I thought I’d use it to share news of CMR happenings).
Why am I on a plane? Well, Catholic Media Resources has been engaged as an independent contractor to become the administrator and facilitator of the Boot Camp for New Dads program at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. While there’s nothing particularly Catholic about this role, CMR is my company and this will be part of my income. I’m very excited about it as being a good dad is obviously something near and dear to me as a full time one! As such, I’m on a plane to Denver for a two day training seminar to be certified a “Master Coach,” the name given to the person in charge of a location’s program. It’s really a cool model: ‘veteran’ dads (ones with babies, usually fairly new ones) come together with soon-to-be dads (whose first babies are due within months) and work together in a ‘nursery in the locker room’ where nothing’s left off the table for discussion. Check out the program’s guiding principles here.
What else have I been up to?
Memindia Presentations Galore!
I’ve been doing my best to get the word out about Memindia.
New Jersey: while visiting my family, my father (a permanent deacon) kindly arranged for me to meet with interested parties from his and neighboring dioceses (Camden and Trenton, NJ). The presentation went well, with youth ministers, religious education, and diocesan folk in attendance. Thanks Dad! And to the youth minister ladies who were looking for media assistance: I haven’t forgotten and will get in touch! If you’re from another diocese and would like to have me out to speak, please contact me!
Local Meetings: I’ve had several meetings with some of my colleagues and friends here in the Archdiocese of Chicago (hi Mandy, Jim, Anita, Alison!). These meetings have gone well, generating real interest (including an Annual Subscriber) and great feedback as well. I’m going to start writing the Memindia descriptions in The CMR Store a bit differently thanks to one of these.
Archdiocesan Meetings: I have begun the process of introducing the Archdiocesan Office (‘downtown’ as we call it!) to Memindia by setting up a meeting with Sr Judy Dieterle. After meeting with her, I’m hoping that I might be approved to present to the catechetical coordinators for youth ministry and religious education – a great marketing opportunity if allowed.
Catechist Meetings: I was very grateful to have the opportunity to present Memindia to the catechists of St Mary Parish in Buffalo Grove, IL. I hope to be able to do more such presenting.
Sacrament Speaking
I was humbled and grateful to be invited back to give a CMR Talk to the parents of 2nd graders at St Mary Parish in Buffalo Grove, IL about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I shared my vision of this important sacrament in the way in which Reconciliation is far more than a Sacramental moment in a confessional but rather a process that we live each day and must model for our children. Oh, and of course there’s the Reconciliation Dance. Contact me if you’re interested in a CMR Talk, whether for Sacramental Preparation gatherings, Adult Talks (Catholicism Plugged In), or Digital Age Parenting Talks (tech topics for today’s Catholic parent: Facebook, Internet, etc.).
Inventory Planning & Creation
I have a LOT of Memindia planned for the next month. Highlights include: a Sacraments Bundle, a Confirmation Bundle, an Atributes of the Church Bundle, forays into younger fare (Curious George and Handy Manny can provide wonderful spiritual insights!), as well as more just-released media Memindia.
I’m excited to announce that the first Soul Play products should be hitting The CMR Store within a week! I’m almost ready to place the Running the Paschal Mystery booklet pdf in the store as well as several Running the Pashal Mystery parish mission mp3 collections (starting with a one CD’s worth ‘reader’s digest’ abridgement with full-blown 3 CD complete mission products to follow shortly).
Well, my laptop battery is nearly gone, the guy in front of my has reclined his seat making this typing quite uncomfortable (having the prop the laptop up at a weird angle to fit into the suddenly small space in front of me!), and you now have all the CMR news you could possibly want (and perhaps more than you wanted!). Thanks for reading.
Oh! One last piece of news: CMR hit more than 100 fans on our Facebook Page and so I was able to claim a username and can announce that you can find (or even better – PROMOTE!) CMR on Facebook via facebook.com/catholicmediaresources. My sincere thanks to everyone who helped make that possible.
You saw the headline correctly. Despite my being very quiet about it for a week, the CMR Store is live and ready to process your orders! If you’d like to check out what I’ve been staying up late doing this last week, click over to the store. And if you’d like a quick preview, here’s what it looks like:
I have a few more visual tweeks to make and then it’s Memindia writing, Memindia writing, marketing, marketing, Memindia writing!
Posted 6 months, 1 week ago at 4:16 pm. Add a comment
Some notes about what I’ve been up to this last week.
Memindia writing: in gearing up for the opening of the CMR store, I’ve been working hard to see that there’s a somewhat respectable amount of inventory in the store to browse (and purchase!)
Store set up: I’ve opened an account with a company called Modular Merchant, an ecommerce provider that specializes in digital download delivery and subscription services (two the cornerstones of the Memindia model I’ve created). I’m excited to be working with them and think it quite possible that launch will happen on schedule IN ONE WEEK!
Posted 6 months, 3 weeks ago at 8:35 am. Add a comment
On schedule, the third free sample can be read or downloaded here. This is the Web sample taking a look at Facebook and connecting it to Church as the People of God.
On schedule, the second free sample can be read or downloaded here. This is the TV sample taking an episode of The West Wing and connecting it to listening for God’s voice when trying to make a tough decision.
Memindia Forum is a place for everyone to discuss the intersection of media and faith. I’ve started a few forums that seemed to make sense to me but welcome suggestions. Happy posting!
Catholic Media Resources now has an account with Constant Contact, a very reputable email marketing company, to help get the word out about CMR and all its products (Memindia) and partners (Soul Play). I’ve begun setting up the account over there and have added sign up boxes in the sidebars of all three sites. If you’d like to hear periodic updates from me about what CMR is up to or would like to receive the e-newsletters from one of the more specific lists (Memindia Previews and Soul Play News right now), you can do so through that sign up box. Of course, feel free to go crazy and subscribe to all of them! The first emails from those e-newsletters should be going out in next couple of weeks.
Posted 7 months, 2 weeks ago at 11:36 am. Add a comment
I mentioned in a previous post that I’ve been contracted to run a program called Boot Camp for New Dads at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL. The program depends on the participation of veteran dads who volunteer to share their experience and bring their babies to the class. Part of my responsibility is recruiting those veterans. As the program grows, the idea is that the ‘rookie’ participants will return as veterans to give back (and that’s already beginning). But as the program is still quite new, I’m posting the message below and asking anyone who’s in the area to copy and paste it into an email (copying me on it – bootcamp@jerryharrington.net) and send it to anyone you think might be helpful (lists like preschool parents, mom’s groups, dad’s groups, men’s groups, etc.). Thanks!
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