Judy Vorfeld’s Office Support Services

How sad. A Kentucky mother says her son’s civil rights are being violated by the school system. The Hancock County parent says her son is not allowed to have his seizure-assistance service dog with him in the classroom.

Yet 4 Paws for Ability (I’m the webmaster) just got word that in another school district in St. Charles, Missouri, two service dogs have been listed as Paraprofessionals under the Staff.

The headline: Saeger Middle School Appoints Service Dogs to Staff of Paraprofessionals

Here’s the link to Saeger Middle School’s staff page. Scroll down to spot Harry and Monroe, both 4 Paws for Ability Service Dogs. Saeger Middle School is firmly grounded in the 21st Century. Congratulations for providing the best possible environment for your students: all your students, for surely those without disabilities will learn and pass on healthy, enthusiastic attitudes toward disabilities the rest of their lives.

You must never end a sentence with a preposition! How often did you hear this in school? I have good news: you can end a sentence any way you choose to. Ending sentences with prepositions is something I looked into. Thoroughly.

Let’s define a preposition. It’s a connective word that shows the relationship (in terms of time, space, cause, ownership, association, accompaniment, or manner) between a noun (or pronoun) and some other word in the sentence. Think “relationship,” think “position,” when you think “preposition.”

Some of the most commonly used prepositions: about, above, across, after, against, along, amid, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, concerning, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, instead, of, off, on, onto, out, over, past, pending, regarding, respecting, round, since, through, to, toward, under, until, unto, up, upon, with, within, without.

There are rules floating around–causing conflict and consternation–that were never really, truly, official grammar rules. They were often the personal preferences of people who liked to speak out on the subject. People in power. Like your fifth grade teacher or your great-aunt Matilda.

These good people are often the same ones who say (or said) we can never begin a sentence with “and,” “but,” “or,” “also,” or “however.” But they’re mistaken. In both cases, it’s okay if it makes for an easy-to-understand sentence. However, make sure to use such words in very informal communications.

Sometimes using a preposition at the end of a sentence (terminal preposition) is awkward, and sometimes it’s better to use one at the end. For example:

• Awkward: It is not easy to know that about which you are thinking.
• Natural: It’s not easy to know what you’re thinking about.

If good communication is your goal, just make sure that the sentence is clear for the reader or listener.

Two helpful sites: Prepositions and how to use them and Prepositions: Professor Charles Darling.

Jessica is Amazing, Hilarious, Bright, Brave, and the light of my life. She is also a four-year-old little girl who was born with Down Syndrome, Visual Impairment, Hypotonia, and Severe Congenital Heart Defects. Jessica has faced several obstacles, but there are many more to come in her life. We would do anything to make these impending challenges easier for her to overcome. With your help Jessica could receive a service dog from 4 Paws for Ability to assist her.

One thing that a service dog could help Jessica with is Mobility. Jessica has Hypotonia, which means she has extremely low muscle tone that inhibits her strength and ability to walk. Jessica needs to walk in order for her to build strength. Therefore, a wheelchair would be counterproductive to her development, but it is difficult for her to walk any distance without becoming weak. Jessica’s heart conditions also play a role in her weakness.

Jessica is mostly non-verbal, which is very frustrating for her; she knows what she wants but cannot tell you. A service dog could help her communicate and prevent unnecessary stress in some cases.

When Jessica was 15-months-old she had to have life-saving open heart surgery to repair her severly deformed heart. It was a grueling time for all of us, but Jessica has pulled through miraculously. She will need further surgeries in the future, but we will not know the extent until the time comes. Think of how much easier her recovery will be with a companion dog by her side to help her through when the time arrives.

Jessica also likes to wander away from our home as well as her school classroom. Her service dog will be able to track her and help keep her safe.

As Jessica gets older it becomes harder and harder to prevent her wandering, she seems to figure out all the locks and gates!

Jessica also attends weekly sessions for Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapy in which she works very hard at trying to live a regular life.

A service dog is not a cure-all for Jessica, but anything that would help make life a little easier for her is worth everything to us. It is very expensive to train a service dog to help Jessica, anything you can do to help us would be more appreciated then we can tell you!

4 Paws For Ability, Inc. is a non-profit agency taking the ‘dis’ out of disABILITY! For more information contact Karen: Mailing Address: 253 Dayton Ave. Xenia, Ohio 45385 e-mail:karen4paws@aol.com Phone: (937) 374-0385 - Training Center Address: 207 Dayton Ave. Xenia, Ohio 45385. To make a donation please visit www.4pawsforability.org under special instructions type “In honor of Jessica Luberger.”

And please click here to go to Jessica’s personal website!

Note: I highly endorse 4 Paws for Ability as a source for extremely well-trained service dogs. The organization is sound and its goals exceptional. Judy Vorfeld.

Hi, my name is Benjamin Babboni, and I was selected to receive a multipurpose service dog from 4 Paws for Ability. 4 Paws is a wonderful non-profit organization that places service dogs with kids with disabilities. My goal is to help raise $13,000 on behalf of 4 Paws for Ability so they may continue to place service dogs with kids.

Once I have raised $13,000 my family and I will travel to Ohio to receive my service dog. Once there, my new service dog and my family will participate in some very intensive training.

Let me tell you a little bit about me. I am 4 years old and have been diagnosed with ataxia, developmental delay, araflexia, hypotonia, and epileptic encephalopathy. Whew, that’s a lot to say. I started walking on my 3rd birthday, and now braces help to support my legs, but even with the support I tend to lose my balance and fall. I cannot talk yet, but I understand more and more as the days go by.

I don’t understand the concept of danger and that scares my parents a lot. And would you believe that in spite of all my disabilities and limitations I am still a very happy, fun-loving kid who loves to go to preschool and church. I also enjoy wrestling with my dad and younger brothers. I always have a smile on my face. I love to laugh, and all animals, big or small, have a very special place in my heart.

Please help me raise money on behalf of 4 Paws. Your help will be a life-changing act for me, children like me, their families, and the dogs. You can mail a check or money order to 4 Paws for Ability, Inc., along with a donation form. Please make sure you write “In honor of Benjamin Babboni” in the memo section of the check or money order so I receive credit for your donation. 4 Paws for Ability, Inc. a non-profit agency taking the ‘dis’ out of disability
235 Dayton Ave, Xenia, Ohio 43585 (937) 374-0385.

You can also go on-line at: http://www.4pawsforability.org/donation.html. Please follow the special instructions highlighted on this page and don’t forget to leave the comment, “In honor of Benjamin Babboni.” Thank you for your kindness and support.

Note: I highly endorse 4 Paws for Ability as a source for extremely well-trained service dogs. The organization is sound and its goals exceptional. Judy Vorfeld.

Have you ever wanted to become an expert on alliteration? If nothing else, it’s such a beautiful word! Seriously, when one uses alliteration properly–especially in publications–it is subtly effective.

If you work on Web sites, e-zines, or print newsletters, this may be a good time for you to brush up on the amazing world of alliteration.

DEFINITION*:

Main Entry: al·lit·er·a·tion (pronounced uh-lit-tuh-RA-shun)

Function: noun - Date: circa 1656

Etymology: ad- + Latin littera letter

: the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables (as wild and woolly, threatening throngs) — called also head rhyme, initial rhyme

Generally one can use alliteration in business: in headings, headlines, and (very carefully) in letters, proposals, reports, etc.

Here’s some alliteration used by my local newspaper, The Arizona Republic, in one day’s main section:

1. Gaming talks a big gamble (better than …Gaming talks a big risk.)
2. Fisher hunt feeds tales for campfire (better than …hunt generates tales…)
3. Pope asks president to spare McVeigh (better than …Pope asks Bush to…)
4. Death spurs Ecstasy debate (better than …spurs Ecstasy wrangle…)
5. Tiny tribe in Conn… (better than …Mashantucket Pequot Tribe in Conn…)
6. Mexican Congress changes (better than …Mexican Congress shifts…)
7. …threatens power and popularity (better than …threatens strength and popularity… or …threatens power and reputation.)

In alliteration, the rhyming words don’t need to be next to each other; they just need to be in the same grouping of words. And the words used don’t need to begin with the same letter: they need to have a similar initial sound. Examples: night / knight … no / know … cede / seed … cell / sell.

*By permission.

From Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate(R) Dictionary at www.m-w.com by Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.

Confused about the differences between online content and online copy? Join the crowd. Merriam-Webster’s* defines content as “the principal substance (as written matter, illustrations, or music) offered by a World Wide Web site.” The Web Content Style Guide (McGovern, et al.), says that content is knowledge that’s been formally produced into media (text, graphics, video, animation, etc.). Some Web experts consider content and copy synonymous.

Regardless of the debate between content vs. copy, let’s discuss why good copy is so vital to a website’s success. Most people have websites to achieve the following:

* Educate
* Provide information
* Sell products
* Sell services

All-graphic sites often fall into the category of online brochures. And when a business says it wants nothing more than an online brochure, it probably means that the website is not-and is not expected to be-the primary source of income.

While it’s possible for an all-graphic website to convey a product or service effectively, why are there so few-in terms of percentage-on the Web? Because of the need for search engines: those awesome software programs that bring us most of our visitors.

If you have an online business, and were given the choice between having a website with either graphics or copy, which would you choose? Most online business owners value search engines and visitors (VIZBOTS).** And most search engines have great regard for relevant copy, and no interest in graphics.

Text. Graphics. Audio. Video. All these features can offer relevance. But for a moment, try thinking of your website as a kingdom and your copy as king. A king reclines regally on his throne, surrounded by those who serve in various capacities. His ability to delegate wisely makes a profound difference in the outcome of the kingdom. Every person at every level has a job and understands the kingdom’s hierarchy. Common threads. Common goals. Everyone wins.

Would His Royal Highness perch on the edge of the throne, timidly raise his hand and say, “‘Scuse me, guys. May I speak?” Nope. Why should he? Further, should he roar to get attention? Never. He simply must be where he belongs-surrounded by those props and people that make him look majestic-so he can command and control for the good of the kingdom.

If you have a website, why not treat your visitors as if they were royalty? Create peerless copy. And make sure the best copy is placed on your first page, first screen. Regardless of writing style, these words have a mission: they must let visitors know how the website can fill their needs or help meet their goals. And they must entice search engine robots.

Although it’s important to have unusually good copy on the first page, it’s also important to brighten every page with excellent copy for VIZBOTS. Good copy is a tapestry woven with the best of grammar, HTML, marketing, sales, research, search engine optimization, programming, and customer service.

Whether copy is king, content is king, or copy is content, copy deserves respect. Big time. Learn more about the importance of copy from experts like Mike Fortin, Gerry McGovern, Nick Usborne, Jill Whalen, and Marcia Yudkin. Then go back to your website, do an analysis, and-if necessary-get busy and create copy worthy of your VIZBOTS. Resources:

• Mike Fortin
• Gerry McGovern
• Nick Usborne
• Jill Whalen
• Marcia Yudkin

* Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition (2003).
** VIZBOTS: site visitors and search engine robots

Have you ever wondered if it’s okay to say, “The corporation had their records audited” or whether you should say, “The corporation had its records audited”? This is basically a subject-verb agreement issue. Let’s begin by reviewing what style guides say regarding this issue: “Is a corporation a single entity or a group of people?”

Let’s look at it this way: if Company X is an entity, then anyone writing about it should probably say, “Company X launched its latest money-saving offer.” Just my opinion. Now let’s go to the experts.

The Gregg Reference Manual, Ninth Edition, by William Sabin says that when using organizational names, treat them as either singular or plural (but not both). Ordinarily, it suggests you treat the name as singular unless you wish to emphasize the individuals who make up the organization. In that case, use the plural.

Gregg uses these examples to make sure there’s subject-verb agreement:

Brooks & Rice has lost its lease. It is not looking for a new location. OR Brooks & Rice have lost their lease. They are now looking for…But NOT Brooks & Rice has lost its lease. They are now looking…

THEY or IT? If the organization is referred to as “they” or “who,” use a plural verb with the company name. If the organization is referred to as “it” or “which,” use a singular verb.

Professor Charles Darling says, “The names of companies and other organizations are usually regarded as singular, regardless of their ending: ‘General Motors has announced its fall lineup of new vehicles.’ Try to avoid the inconsistency that is almost inevitable when you think of corporate entities as a group of individuals: ‘General Motors has announced their fall lineup of new vehicles.’”

Okay. Your assignment: choose whatever helps the reader or listener understand as clearly as possible.