If you are like us here at American Training you will be kicking it off  in WOW! Magic style!

So grab your peanuts and Cracker Jacks and check out some other ways you can honor the day here.

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March 17 is a day celebrated to commemorate the life of Saint Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint. One of the major parts of St Patrick’s Day is sharing a feast, joining together with family and friends for a meal of traditional foods, baked goodies, and perhaps a drink or two!

According to eHow.com, this is how you celebrate a traditional St. Patrick’s Day meal:

• Set the table with simple dishes, a cut-lace tablecloth and fresh flowers in a crystal vase.
• Buy several pints of Guinness for the adults and serve it at Irish room temperature (which is colder than ours by about 60 degrees). Serve lager for those who do not like stout.
• Serve a hearty main course such as corned beef and cabbage with horseradish sauce, or a homey dish such as Irish stew.
• Choose side dishes such as colcannon (a winter vegetable casserole) and/or black pudding, and don’t forget to make some Irish soda bread to round out the meal.

• Brew a pot of Irish breakfast tea after dinner and serve a glazed Irish tea cake for dessert. Tea cakes can be made a day or two beforehand and kept wrapped in foil.
• Play Irish tunes. Consider a CD of traditional Irish music, or create a lighter mood with Irish pub songs playing in the background.

Below is a recipe for St. Patrick’s Day Soda Bread from Taste of Home.

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 30 min.
MAKES: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup raisins

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg and buttermilk. Stir into flour mixture just until moistened. Fold in raisins.
2. Knead on a floured surface for 1 minute. Shape into a round loaf; place on a greased baking sheet. Cut a 1/4-in.-deep cross in top of loaf. Beat remaining egg; brush over loaf.
3. Bake at 375° for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Nutritional Facts
1 serving (1 piece) equals 210 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 66 mg cholesterol, 441 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 6 g protein.

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We are a school with a fun and “family-oriented” approach to learning. At the end of your program, you may never want to leave and get a job, but with our outstanding job placement assistance services, we will make sure you do! Although we cannot guarantee job placement at the end of your program of study we have the passion to be right by your side every step of the way during the placement assistance process. That is the LARE difference you won′t find anywhere else!

Register Today! You are going to LOVE LARE!

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The Animal Rescue organizations of Australia, swamped with the rush of wildlife in need, sent out an SOS to the citizens of the world for donations of money, medical supplies, food, and pouches among other things, to help them heal the injured, orphaned, and sick animals in their care.

Volunteers from nation to nation answered their call, including American Training’s very own Colleagues & Guests who spent hours sewing pouches to send to Australia’s orphaned and injured kangaroos, koalas and bats impacted by the tragedy.

Click here if you would like more information about where you can send donations to help.

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Today from 9am-12pm at American Training Inc.’s 6 Campanelli Drive location. LARE Institute Students and their children enjoyed a delicious holiday breakfast (courtesy of Lawrence’s very own Carleen’s Coffee Shoppe), pictures with Santa (courtesy of the Lawrence Exchange Club), a fun-filled day of activities and good holiday cheer in our Winter Wonderland, a magnificent concert by LARE Institute Student Robert Silver, great company, and of course… lots of WOW! Magic.

The halls were strewn with snowflakes and Christmas lights, winter wonders and classic holiday decor, and through the Middlesex & Essex Toys for Tots, Santa gave each child his or her own toy. LARE Institute Colleagues spent hours lovingly wrapping the hundreds of presents, all to receive the gift of the smiling young faces of the LARE Students’ children, who made it all worthwhile as their eyes twinkle with delight opening each gift.

The sweetest moments of wonder and WOW! Magic, were manifested by the love of the American Training family, as it surrounded and attached itself to every beautiful moment experienced by our Colleagues, Students, and children… and these moments will most certainly become some of their most Magical and Cherished memories.

American Training Inc. is a non-profit organization based in the Merrimack Valley that provides housing, education, training & support services to people with disabilities, youth at risk & adult learners who are looking for a pathway towards a more meaningful life, and American Training’s LARE Institute is the heart of our educational, occupational skill training and job placement programs.

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.” ―Norman Vincent Peale

Check out photos of today’s festivities below:

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_{Birds of a feather flock together and exceptional causes, like a moth to a flame, attract extraordinary organizations, filled with Exceptional People. American Training with our Mission “To bring out the BEST in everyone we touch because every Life Matters.” has been a longtime contributor to The Festival of Trees. Spreading our WOW! Magic throughout the festival and community, by being there when it counts, donating our time, resources, manpower, and the extraordinary talents of our Colleagues… this best shown through the highly in demand, Outrageously Memorable, WOW! Magically decorated Christmas Trees that our Colleagues create and donate to this cause each year.}

_{With our WOW! Magic culture being at the heart and soul of everything that we do, it will be no surprise for you to learn that American Training, Inc. was selected by the Methuen Festival of Trees this year to be the recipient of The Special Friend of the Festival Award at the Festival of Trees annual meeting “A Celebration of Preservation” this past Monday June 17th. This award was established to recognize an individual, business, or organization that has gone above and beyond to contribute to the success and growth of the Festival of Trees over several years. These honorees are those who have time and time again helped the Festival of Trees to “Share the Magic”.  This Year’s “Special Friend of the Festival” award was in recognition and celebration of our very own President & CEO Tom Connors and American Training’s commitment to generously support the Festival and its cause!}

_{American Training, Inc. is proud to be a Special Friend and Partner of the Festival of Trees and will continue to be an active contributing member of our beloved and cherished community while on our Mission to Bring out the BEST in everyone we touch because every Life Matters!}

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“I feel more energetic and healthier,” said Della, our pharmacy tech. instructor at LARE Institute.
Della said being mentally prepared is the key. “I wasn’t mentally prepared the other two times, but I was ready this time,” she said. “I decided there’s no going back, I want this.”

She cut out sugar, bread, rice and pasta entirely, while watching what she ate. She focused on salads and protein, enjoying chicken, steak or tuna weekly.

Della plans to lose even more weight, with a goal of dropping 50 lbs. overall. She is hoping to get back to her pre-baby weight.

“I had three kids in the last few years and have not lost the weight since the last one,” she said.

Part of her new weight loss regimen is hitting the gym. She brings her three girls along with her, and while they play in the children’s programs, she attends classes or hits the elliptical. Her favorite class is Body Pump, a high energy strength training class.

However, while she enjoys working out, she stresses the importance of a diet.

“The gym alone wouldn’t have helped much, it’s really about watching what you eat,” she said.

Besides cutting certain foods and favoring others, Della spent a lot of time on meal preparation. She planned and made meals in advance, even taking along her own healthy dinner when she went to a friend’s house.

Another key piece to Della’s success was her motivation. She found inspiration in losing weight to get healthy and to feel good at her brother’s upcoming wedding.

“I want to feel better and feel more like myself,” she said.

Della’s advice to others looking to lose weight is simple. “Be mentally prepared from the beginning, stick to your goal no matter what, and find your motivation.”

She also gives credit to the ATI Biggest Loser program, run by Robin Gazelian, Vanway Director. She said Robin’s motivational email and exercises were great.

“I give her props for this. It’s a lot of work to organize it and she keeps doing it each time,” she said.

For her part, Robin said she loves it.

“It is a lot of work, but it’s so great to see so many of our ATI Family Members find that motivation to lose weight,” she said. “They’re so proud of themselves after and that usually inspires them to keep working towards their weight loss and fitness goals, long after our challenges are over.”

This year’s event included 19 participants who lost anywhere from 1 to 15 lbs. For some, the challenge helps them drop those stubborn last few pounds, while for others it’s just about giving them the motivation and confidence to get started on a longer journey.

“I liked the fact that we had LARE Students and Colleagues from all the different branches and locations this time,” said Robin. “We had a little bit of everything.”

Robin said she is looking forward to the next challenge which will begin on April 17.

Share your congratulatory and kind words for Della below!

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We collected more than 200 coats and jackets for our community members in need this year! Thank you all for being a part of that.

“The drive went very well considering we collected over 200 items. We didn’t quite reach our goal of 300, but that’s okay because people donated what they could, and this year’s collection will make a big difference in our communities,” said Robin Gazelian, Director of Vanway and coordinator of the Annual Coat Drive. “Next year we’ll still reach for more.”

There’s no need to tell you how much these donations matter at this time of year. We’re experiencing some of the coldest temperatures ever for this area of the country. And although warm days are upon us, the cold days are not yet behind us. These donations have the potential to save lives, keeping people warm on devastatingly cold nights.

How We Did It
We, specifically our Vanway team, set out to collect donations in October and worked hard over the following months to promote the drive. Robin frequently sent reminder emails, encouraging the ATI Family to spread the word. We picked up from donors who called in, collected drop-offs at each ATI site, and partnered with a local church, Trinity Lutheran Church in Chelmsford through our Colleague George.

Coats and jackets of all sizes and styles were donated by Colleagues, community members, and churchgoers alike. In total, we collected 224 winter coats and jackets, many for children, and quite a few for adults as well.

“I hope this makes recipients realize that people care,” said Robin. “And, when they can,  I hope these recipients will find their own way to give back and pass along this kindness.”

Our Partnership with Anton’s Cleaners
We partnered with Anton’s Cleaners for the drive, as part of their 23rd annual Coats for Kids program. The donated items were dropped off at area Anton’s Cleaners locations, where they were professionally cleaned, then distributed to community groups and organizations who can place each and every coat in the right hands. Some organizations include the Salvation Army, MASSCAP, and the Wish Project, among others.

According to the Anton’s website, the program has collected and distributed over 688,000 coats, free of charge, to those in need since its inception. The company partners with local companies and groups who collect the items, then Anton’s cleans and distributes them. The number of items represent more than $8,500,000 in donated cleaning costs.

Our donation combined with all the other drives in the area will amount to thousands of people in our communities staying warm. That’s something all donors should be proud of.

“Thank you for being a part of keeping our communities warm,” said Robin.

From all of us at ATI, thank you all for your donations and for being part of our WOW! Magic by making a real difference in our communities and making Every Life Matter!

The post Driving for Good: Vanway’s Coat Drive Collects More Than 200 appeared first on American Training.

Focus on you this year. Because you deserve it. Because a happier, healthier you benefits your friends and family. Because when you take care of you, you bring more WOW! Magic to those we serve and everyone around you.

With the New Year, comes our 2018 Biggest Loser Challenge! For those of you looking to shed some weight and get healthier, this is the perfect start to the year. For just $20, you can enter the 6-week-long challenge which begins on January 8th.

The participant who loses the greatest percentage of body-weight will be crowned our 2018 Biggest Loser Challenge Champion. Past winners have found this competition to be life changing. Check out stories from past winners like Wesley, Abert, and Milton. On average, participants typically shed about 4-5 lbs. while winners average out at 24-25 lbs. lost.

You’ll receive nutritional advice and training from Colleagues, certified personal trainer Jessica Cousins and 5-time Spartan Trifecta Finisher Ivy Colon, as well as structure and motivation from our Biggest Loser Coordinator Robin Gazelian.

Need a little more motivation to sign up? We’ve got statistics!

• More than half of all adults in Massachusetts are overweight or obese.
• More than three-fourths of adults in Massachusetts are not eating the recommended 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
• In the past ten years, the percentage of adults in Massachusetts with diabetes has increased 28%.
• According to a recent study, over $3.5 billion of medical expenses in Massachusetts are due to adult obesity.
• The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016.
• In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, around the world, were overweight. Of these, over 650 million were obese.

Sources: The CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a study published by the Obesity Society in their journal Obesity, and fact sheets provided by the World Health Organization.

Don’t be a statistic! It’s a new year and the perfect time for a fresh and healthy start! To sign up or to learn more, contact Challenge Coordinator Robin at 978-685-2151, ext. 6822.

March 2018 Update: Check out our winner, Della’s story and tips here.

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Our LARE Colleagues worked hard to prepare delicious foods, wrap presents for each of the little ones, and create a WOW! Magic experience for our Students and their families. They transformed the halls of ATI into a Winter Wonderland complete with Santa’s sleigh, a gingerbread house, and many adorable characters.

Our elves painted sweet little faces with snowmen and reindeer while the Grinch and Santa Claus visited with families. Our friends from the MA Department of Transitional Assistance, including Commissioner Jeff McCue, even joined in on the fun!

Our Students and their loved ones left with wonderful memories of a magical Christmas at LARE, a present for each little one, full bellies, and Christmas joy! Check out a few pictures of the fun and WOW! Magic below!

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