Alcoa employees show students support
Throughout the year, Alcoa Mt. Holly employees team up to volunteer in their various communities and earn grants for local non-profits.
On Nov. 10, five employees spent the morning at J.K. Gourdin Elementary School beautifying the school and its grounds.
Thanks to Leonard Lanier and his team (Joe Hamilton, Yvonne Infinger, Becky Jones, and George McCray) some much-needed projects around the school have been completed. Through Alcoa's ACTION Program (Alcoans Coming Together in our Neighborhoods), which awards grants to organizations where groups of employees
volunteer, J.K. Gourdin will receive a $1,500 grant from Alcoa.
Thanks to Mr. Lanier and his team for remembering our community and including us in the volunteer work.
The Flu and You
Flu season is here and parents need to know all about the flu and do everything to prevent it in children.  Influenza is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract that often spreads to the lower regions of the airway.  
The infection is contagious and spreads even through infected droplets generated by a cough or sneeze from an infected person and his/her oral secretions like saliva.
Typical symptoms include persistent fever that lasts for more than three days. In infants, symptoms are not specific and hence, often treated as bacterial infections. Poor feeding and lethargy may indicate flu in infants. Other indications include symptoms of dehydration.
Parents have the right to suspect flu, but only your doctor has the right to treat. The doctor usually detects flu, not only by observing the typical symptoms such as fever, lethargy and breathing distress, but also by accurate laboratory diagnosis.  
Parental care includes medicine administration prescribed by the doctor, allowing rests, feeding extra fluids, cleansing the child’s nose before feeding and sleep.  It is better to use a sterile rubber suction tube in infants to cleanse the nose gently.  Sterile tissues can be used in older children. Humidified air gives comfortable sleep.
Although many FDA approved antiviral drugs are in use to treat flu in children and infants, prevention is better than cure. A flu shot or vaccination is the best way to prevent flu in children. A mist form of the flu vaccine is also available.  The influenza shot is usually prepared with the most common strains of the viral particles. Reactions to flu vaccine are not very severe and do not last for more than one or two days. The flu vaccine is not approved for use in infants younger than six months. Two doses of the vaccine are recommended in children older than six months up to nine years of age during their first year of vaccination.
The source for this information is Black Doctor Weekly.  
I’ve had the flu and believe me, it was no picnic. I hope the information provided will assist you in staying away from, or treating the flu and its symptoms.  
Get Well
We are keeping in prayer Mrs. Viola Middleton, Mrs. Lillie Whitten, Mr. George Charles, Mr. Wayne Cooper, Mrs. Vergie Halback, Mrs. Juanita Singleton, Mr. Melvin Wiggins, Mrs. Bertha L. Singleton, and all others that are under the weather.
Items of Interest
Send items of interest to Yvonne J. Barnes, 1458 Colonel Maham Dr., Pineville, SC 29468.  Telephone: 843-567-4182 or email: ybarnes@homesc.com.