Howdy y’all and buckle up for this weeks News 6 update!

Newest Gerber Baby is a Brat!

Maddie Mendoza, daughter of Air Force lieutenant colonel Jun Mendoza, is the 2023 gerber baby! Her dad is a doctor at the US Air Force academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado; his alma mater.

Her mama Crystal, a dentist, submitted a picture of Maddie and a picture of herself as a baby, as this years contest had a “throwback” theme.

Speaking at the Military Children Education Coalition on July 24, Mendoza said he is grateful for the organization and the work it does for military children. “Reaching forward, we’re proud that Maddie can represent MCEC and be a symbol for the work you’re going to do for another 25 years.”

“I want all the military children to know you’re not alone in the ring. You don’t have to fight this fight alone, and you’re more than capable of going the distance.”

For winning the contest the Mendozas received a 25,000 cash prize and a matching donation to march of dimes in her name, a whole new gerber baby wardrobe, and, of course, the unique experience of being the face of the company for the whole year.

Congrats Maddie! Way to represent your fellow military brats in an adorable way!

Find out more at militarytimes.com.

Venyasa For the VA! 

Hoping to promote accessibility to yoga, mediation, and wellness to veterans, Warriors at Ease offers scholarships and low cost accessibility.

Since 2011 has worked tirelessly to combat the mental health epidemic amongst soldiers and veterans through mindful exercise. They have been involved in the first clinical trials funded by the DOD to test meditation and yoga as a therapy for combat related injuries.

Following these studies and the success they have found at Walter Reed, they have created their own training curriculum split into two levels.

Level One: Fundamentals of Trauma Sensitive Yoga, Meditation, and Mindfulness for the Military Community

Level Two: Advanced Yoga Techniques, Protocols and Adaptations for the Military Community

According to their website, the Level One Fundamentals training is self-paced, offered online and requires no prior yoga teaching experience. Modules include:

• Core Concepts, Principles, and Skills for Teaching in Military Communities
• Skillfully Responding to Abreactions
• Teaching Meditation in Military Communities: Overview and Guidelines
• Best Practices for Teaching an Adaptive Yoga Class
• Working with Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma

The Level Two Advanced Training is open to 200-hour trained yoga instructors and provides three days of in-person, hands-on experience in how to teach adaptive yoga and trauma-informed meditation and mindfulness practices to the military community.

Lectures are interwoven through hours of hands-on practice labs that address the most common physical and invisible injuries seen in service, including anxiety, depression, hearing loss, back pain and loss of limb.

Warriors at Ease trainers can be found in VAs and military installations all across the nation. To find one near you go to warriors at ease.org and newsva.gov

Military Making its Way to Maui 

President Biden has sent the national guard and the Navy’s 3rd fleet to Maui after a wildfire devastated the island and left 36 people dead. 

The Hawaiian national guard mobilized their chinook helicopters to help combat the planes while the army sent in Blackhawk’s to the big island which is also experiencing wildfires.

Biden said in a statement Wednesday evening:

“Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the wildfires in Maui, and our prayers are with those who have seen their homes, businesses, and communities destroyed, We are grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders who continue to run toward danger, putting themselves in harm’s way to save lives.”

The coast guard also rescued 14 people that took to the water to escape the flames.

The department of transportation is busy helping evacuation efforts and the department of agriculture stands by to help with recovery. 

Our hearts go out to all military ohana on the islands dealing with the devastating winds and fires. We also pray for the safety of all our military and first responders answering the call. 

Find out more at thehill.com.

Today in News 6 History 

On August 14 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Security Act. This act established a permanent national pension for the elderly.

A part of FDRs “new deal”, the program is funded by payroll taxes and astronomically reduced elderly poverty levels. 

This act also established the unemployment insurance program and the aid to dependent children program, which assisted families headed by single mothers.  

The law was amended 30 years later in 1965 with the establishment of Medicaid and Medicare.

FDR believed that social security should cover everyone, saying,

“I see no reason why every child, from the day his born, shouldn’t be a member of the social security system. When he begins to grow up, he should know he will have old-age benefits direct from the insurance system to which he will belong all his life. If he is out of work, he gets a benefit. If he is sick or crippled, he gets a benefit….I don’t see why not. Cradle to the grave-from the cradle to the grave they ought to be in a social insurance system.”

Thanks to this program it was no longer the norm in America to work full time well into old age, which is great news for me who is planning on spending my twilight years napping and watching bravo.

That’s it for me! I’m Emma Tighe with News 6, where information empowers.