SUMMER! soon to be. plus. the. A Day for Mom Help your mother celebrate Mother s Day on the second Sunday each May.

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1 the h t u o y of n for o i t a c i l b u p a ers b m e m h t u o SNPJ y M a y /J u ne e3 7 Issu 9 e m Vo lu soon to be SUMMER! + plus A Day for Mom Help your mother celebrate Mother s Day on the second Sunday each May. Did You Know? Summer is coming! It s time for some new VOY trivia!

2 the of youth a publication for SNPJ youth members Volume 97 Issue 3 SNPJ VOICE OF YOUTH (ISSN ) (USPS ) is published bi-monthly by the Slovene National Benefit Society 247 West Allegheny Road, Imperial, PA summer fun is on the way! Entered as second class matter Jan. 20, 1945, under postal act of Aug. 24, Magazine began as MLADINSKI LIST in Submissions should be addressed to The Voice of Youth 247 West Allegheny Road Imperial, PA Material may also be ed to prosveta@snpj.com or submitted from the Publications area of our website, The DEADLINE for submissions to the July/August issue is June 13. We welcome photos, stories, drawings and ideas from all SNPJ youth members. Please make sure your name, age, and Lodge or Youth Circle number are included. Meet the staff Jay Sedmak Editor/Manager Kimberly Winters Associate Editor 2 MAY/JUNE 2018 Ready for Summer Yet? Summer is the season we all look forward to, and it will be arriving very soon! One Day, Just for Mothers Don t forget to show your appreciation to mom on Mother s Day this year. Did You Know? We re getting ready for summer, which means it s time for a new round of Voice of Youth trivia. The Best-Dressed Dogs Take a look at some favorite hot dog toppings, then try them out this summer!

3 the Get busy; it s not long until summer of youth a publication for SNPJ youth members Finally! After months and months of anxious waiting, summer is finally on the way. Regardless of which area of the country you live in, you have to admit that summer is a great time of year. Summer always seems special (maybe because there s no school to worry about for a few months!), and at times, especially busy. We tend to cram a lot of activity into the summer months, but that could be because summer always seems like the shortest of the four seasons. Here at SNPJ, summer is an extremely busy season. Youth Roundup and the TEL Workshop roll around in late July, and we ll celebrate National SNPJ Days at the tail end of summer, over Labor Day weekend. And let s not forget Slovenefest and the Miss SNPJ Pageant, which are held just after the Fourth of July, or Family Week at the Recreation Center, which also starts in July. We have our entire summer schedule mapped out already and summer hasn t even arrived yet! Although we still have a few weeks of spring ahead of us, summer is definitely on its way. Are you getting ready for an exciting summer? We sure hope so! Enjoy your time away from school, and while you re drawing up your summer schedule, why not plan to join SNPJ at one of our numerous activities? You ll see us again in July, just in time to catch our breath as we work through the end of the busy summer season. Editor SNPJ THE VOICE OF YOUTH 3

4 For the love of our Mothers The idea of paying tribute to mothers is an old one, stretching back many centuries. It s certainly as old as the ancient Greek and Roman cultures, which honored the mothers of the gods each spring. After Christianity spread across Europe, the celebration of Mothering Sunday became a popular tradition. Initially, Mothering Sunday had nothing to do with mothers; rather, this holiday marked a time for people to return to the church in their birthplace their mother church for a special celebration. Eventually, Mothering Sunday evolved into a gift-giving holiday as children started to present their mothers with flowers and other small gifts. While the Europens may have laid the foundations for Mother s Day, the holiday we re familiar with is a truly American invention that is rooted in an anti-war movement. In 1870, during the post-civil War years, Julia Ward Howe launched an early version of the modern Mother s Day festivities. Though she was best known for writing the poem The Battle Hymn of the Republic, Howe succeeded in establishing Mother s Peace Day in Boston. Following many years of war in both America and Europe, Howe hoped her new day of remembrance would help bring an end to all warfare. In the early 1900s, just a few decades after Julia Ward Howe s campaign for Mother s Peace Day, Anna M. Jarvis began a letter-writing campaign to politicians and other influential people to make Mother s Day a national holiday. Mother s Day was important to Miss Jarvis: her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, had worked with women s groups in West Virginia shortly after the Civil War to promote a reconciliation between Northern and Southern families torn apart by years of war. Anna and her mother were very close, and when Ann passed away in May 1905, Anna missed her mother very much and felt that children should appreci- d i d yo u KNO W? 4 MAY/JUNE 2018 Mother s Day is the peak day of the year for long-distance phone calls. It s also the busiest day of the year for many restaurants.

5 Help mom celebrate her special day on May 13 this year! ate their mothers more while they are still alive. She hoped that observing Mother s Day would increase respect and love for all mothers, as well as strengthen family bonds. Mother s Day was first celebrated in 1908 at a church in Grafton, W.Va., as a memorial to Ann Reeves Jarvis. And since Anna Jarvis had secured financial backing for her Mother s Day national campaign from John Wanamaker, a retailer in Philadelphia, Mother s Day was also celebrated in Philadelphia that same year at an event held at a Wanamaker s department store. In 1910, only two states West Virginia and Oklahoma were celebrating Mother s Day officially, but by 1911 (the very next year) every state was observing this special holiday. But even in 1912, Mother s Day still wasn t an official holiday. In May of 1913 the House of Representatives unanimously adopted a resolution requesting the President, his Cabinet, all members of Congress and all officials of the Federal government to wear a white carnation on Mother s Day. Congress passed another joint resolution on May 8, 1914, to make Mother s Day the second Sunday in May. That same year, President Woodrow Wilson issued the first proclamation introducing Mother s Day as an official holiday. Many people still give their mothers carnations on Mother s Day. Why? Ann Reeves Jarvis favorite flower was the white carnation. The carnation symbolizes the endurance and purity of motherly love. Today, a red carnation has become the symbol of a living mother, while a white carnation signifies that the wearer s mother is deceased. SNPJ THE VOICE OF YOUTH 5

6 did YOU know? All Keys Are Not Created Equal Web searches, homework assignments, s, blogs: no matter the reason, our computer keyboards get a serious workout over the course of their life. Out of all the keys on the board which can number anywhere from 80 to 100, depending on the model have you ever wondered which keys got the most use? Of course, everyone uses a keyboard differently, so determining the most used keys isn t an exact science. However, generally speaking, the most used keys, in order, are the space bar, the letter E, and the backspace button. Take A Stroll Down Tornado Alley Tornado Alley is a term for an area of the central U.S. where strong tornadoes frequently occur, especially during the spring and summer. Although the area has no official boundary, the alley is usually assumed to stretch from Minnesota down through Texas. Although tornadoes have hit all 50 states at one time or another, Tornado Alley suffers more tornadoes than any other area because of its location. Cold, dry air blows down from Canada, while warm, moist air sweeps up from the Gulf of Mexico, meeting in the flat plains that fall between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. 6 MAY/JUNE 2018

7 Who Decides Postage Stamp Designs? Postage stamps come in a variety of designs for a variety of occassions. New designs are always being released, but determining which design makes the cut is not a decision that s made lightly! More than 30,000 design ideas are submitted by the public each year. All submissions are received by the Stamp Development team, which forwards the approved submissions to the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee. The committee meets four times a year to decide which submissions should be presented to the Postmaster General, who then makes the final decision. Welcome Back, May Beetles & June Bugs! As the weather begins to warms, creepy-crawlies make their return to our back yards. Among them is the June bug, a blackish-brown pest that farmers despise because of their crop destroying abilities. The June bug is actually a beetle, which means it s technically not a bug at all. The nickname June bug, as well as the less-commonly used May beetle, can be attributed to the insect s life cycle. Adult beetles emerge from underground in late May and early June, hence the nicknames. As adults, June bugs are attracted to light; you can usually find them clinging to a porch light or street lamp on a warm summer night. Loading The Dishwasher Like A Pro Perhaps one of the most hated chores is loading the dishwasher. What s even worse is having to re-load it because you didn t do it correctly. Here are a few tips to help you get it right the first time. First, plates should always face the center so that the spray hits their surface. Second, plastics should be placed on the top rack to keep them away from the heat source. Glasses should also be loaded on the top rack and placed between the prongs to avoid drip marks. Finally, spoons and forks should be placed upright in the basket. If two of the same utensils land in the same basket, alternate them so that they don t nest. When Your Arm Hits The Snooze Button Have you ever woke up from a deep sleep unable to move your arm because it feels like a lump of dead weight? It s a really weird sensation! But don t be alarmed; this strange feeling is completely normal. Your hands, arms, legs and feet can fall asleep if pressure is applied for an extended period of time, like going to bed with your arm under your pillow or sitting with your legs crossed. The pressure pinches your nerve pathways, cutting off communication between your brain and the body part. Once the pressure is released and the blood flows free, the tingling will stop after a few mintues and you ll be good as new! SNPJ THE VOICE OF YOUTH 7

8 Wha t s on TOP? Who says hot dogs aren t stylish? Since we re entering the grilling season, we thought you might like to know what the best-dressed dogs will be wearing this year. So here they are: the TOP FIVE favorite hot dog toppings! Chili Go ahead, pile it on... you won t be disappointed! Meaty and often spicy, chili is a great addition to any hot dog, especially when topped with a sprinkle of cheese. Onions While they re definitely not everyone s favorite, onions do add another taste dimension to a hot dog. Choose fresh onion for more snap in each bite, or try grilled onions for a more subtle texture and flavor. Mustard Relish Always a favorite, relish adds a savory sweet-and-sour taste to a hot dog. It also gives some extra crunch to each and every bite. 4 Ketchup Despite the fact that hot dog aficionados (if there is such a thing) consider it a no-no to put ketchup on a hot dog, the numbers tell a different story: in recent surveys, nearly 60 percent of young hot dog fans say that ketchup is their favorite topping. 2 And the undisputed champion (which has been reigning since the hot dog was invented many, many years ago) is... mustard! Yellow mustard, brown mustard, sweet mustard, hot mustard if it has mustard in its name, it s guaranteed to be delicious on a hot dog. And get this: mustard is the topping of choice among 72 percent of hot dog fans. You just can t argue with that! MAY/JUNE 2018

9 what s on YOUR MIND? Thinking about contributing to The Voice of Youth? Then share your thoughts... We want to hear from you! the o f y o u t h a publication for SNPJ youth members Send us your drawings, stories, photos and ideas. Address all submissions to: The Voice of Youth 247 West Allegheny Rd. Imperial, PA See page 2 for details on submitting your materials. SNPJ THE VOICE OF YOUTH 9