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IN OTHER NEWS Blumen Charities hosts Fallen Flucker for local veterans

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MERRILL - It doesn't have the same stakes as the Masters, but Saturday's golf outing means just as much to these golfers.

"Blumen Charities started 13 years ago," said Scott Brandenburg. "We identified that there's a need in the community of people that need money now."



It's what lead to the idea behind the Fallen Flucker, to give money to local veterans.



"We've got four different veterans in need," said Brandenburg. "Those veterans were identified by the VFW."



That's where Steve Sabatke, of the VFW, comes in.



"They're hard to find," said Sabatke. "Veterans feel like they're bulletproof and indestructible; they don't want help. But we are helping families of veterans, this golf outing supplies thousands of dollars to help them."



Blumen Charities wanted to make sure the money stayed in the area...



"We had found that there's a lot of different organizations out there, but they're trying to do it on a much broader view," said Brandenburg. "We wanted to make it much more localized."



That was the best part about Saturday's event. It was all about fun and raising money for a good cause. Regardless of your skillset on the golf course.

"We're just helping people in the same way they'd hopefully help us if we were in the same situation," said Sabatke.



Saturday's event brought in around $7,000 for veterans in need.

+ Read More Getting Your Wiggles And Stress Out Through Kid Yoga Submitted: 09/25/2020 -->

HAZELHURST - Songs and games are not what typically pop into your mind when you think about a yoga class.

"We sing, we dance, stuff to really get them into it," Elisa Hesch, Certified K Kids Yoga instructor said.

Teaching kids yoga has become a speciality for Hesch.

"I just felt like kids were very stressed out and they needed a way to kinda calm down," Hesch said.

Hesch transformed her living room into a temporary yoga studio to teach kids virtually all across the northwoods during the pandemic. For the past seven years Hesch has homeschooled her three children. She said she understands the importance of getting the wiggles out.

"Right now they need those breaks," Hesch said. "So it's not just words on a screen, let's learn all day. It's just a little bit of let's breath, let's calm down, lets dance."

Hesch's classes differ from the typical adult yoga class. Instead of focusing on building flexibility and strength skills, her class focuses on using games to help children build coping mechanisms against stress.

"When you give them a regular yoga class it seems like they have a hard time. It's just more stuff to grasp," Hesch said. "So i thought kidding around yoga full on for kids was a really fun modality to bring up here, Hesch said.

During COVID-19, children may be experiencing more stress and confusion. Hesch says that yoga can be a healthy outlet for them. Both in getting them active and moving, as well as helping them slow down their brain.

"My youngest who was four will tell me all the time. I was feeling really stressed," Hesch said. "So I went up to my room and peace began with me."

In the future, Hesch hopes to be able to offer in-person classes and give kids a few tools to have in their tool box to help them handle stressful situations.







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