(DES MOINES) - Iowa First Lady Chris Branstad will be named "Volunteer of the Year" at the American Heart Association's Des Moines Heart Ball on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. The Heart Ball celebrates the American Heart Association of Des Moines' work, donors, volunteers and the lives saved because of the group's effort.

"I am honored to have been selected as the American Heart Association's Volunteer of the Year," said First Lady Chris Branstad. "Iowans have always been very generous with their time and charitable giving and it is a pleasure to serve along with other volunteers and staff to help make Iowa a healthier state."

Branstad has been a longtime supporter of the American Heart Association, and for the past two years has served as Chair of the Circle of Red, recruiting 75 members and raising more than $50,000 to improve women's heart health.  Circle of Red is a powerful group of women in Central Iowa who are dedicated to raising awareness and funding research, education and advocacy initiatives through the Go Red For Women movement.  Branstad will continue to serve as Chair of Circle of Red through the 2015 campaign, and hopes to grow the group to more than 100 members.

According to the American Heart Association, in the past five years, 2010-2014, the American Heart Association has funded 83 studies in Iowa at a cost of $9.4 million.

"Mrs. Branstad has been an invaluable asset in furthering the Go Red For Women movement here in Central Iowa," says Kassi Wessing, Communications Director for the American Heart Association.  "Because of Mrs. Branstad's work, more women in Central Iowa know that heart disease and stroke are their greatest health threat, and that 80 percent of cardiac events can be prevented."

The Heart Ball is open to the public, but tickets are required. For more information, please visit www.DesMoinesHeartBall.com.

Hard times that sap your energy and leave you frustrated are an inevitable part of life.

Maybe you lost a job. Maybe your finances took a turn for the worse. Maybe your personal life is in disarray or a health problem emerged forcing a lifestyle change.

Such setbacks can leave people feeling afraid, uncertain, angry or unsatisfied, says Darlene Hunter, a renowned speaker and author of "Win-Ability, Navigating through Life's Challenges with a Winning Attitude," (www.darlenehunter.com).

Overcoming those emotions, she says, comes down to a person's mindset and perspective.

"Your attitude is a critical factor that can either hold you back or help you move forward," Hunter says. "Everyone needs to take the time to do a pulse check on where they are in their thinking. Is it positive or negative?"

A positive attitude comes easily when life is rosy. The real trick is persevering when things go awry so you can continue to strive toward your goals.

"The important thing to remember is that we cannot give up just because things do not work out the way we want," Hunter says. "We must be persistent and press our way through to the end."
Hunter offers five tips that can help change your thinking, which in turn will change your behavior and, ultimately, change your results.

•  Be a planner. To live your dream, you need to know what you want and have a plan for getting there. "Planning your day, week and month are critical ingredients to living your dream and purpose," Hunter says. The "how" and "why" elements are important factors in planning, as they guide you in the direction you want to go.

•  Be goal oriented. Once you set goals, the next step is to work on completing them. That's why it's important to set goals you can accomplish. Each time you can check a goal off your list, you are one step closer to what you ultimately want to achieve. "The sense of accomplishment that comes from reaching even the smallest goals will help you keep moving and striving to get your desired end," Hunter says.

•  Be driven for results. When you are driven, Hunter says, you have a compulsive and urgent desire to accomplish what you are seeking, whether it's a bonus, a promotion, additional knowledge in a particular area or some other goal. The important factor is to always know what you are seeking. Results-driven people focus on meeting objectives and delivering on the goals they set.

•  Have a winning attitude. You must be determined, dedicated and devoted to succeed. "You should never give up on your goals and dreams simply because something goes wrong or you are not getting where you hoped to be fast enough," Hunter says.

•  Be focused. When you are focused, you have a clear perception and understanding of what you want to accomplish and where you need to go to get there. "Think about long-distance runners who will run a 26-mile marathon," Hunter says. "They find their pace and then they stay with it. They may get weary and tired, but they find their zone and stay focused and concentrate on what is needed to get to the end."

"Plenty of stories can be told about people who failed in the beginning, but made it to the top of their profession because they did not give up after being told they weren't good enough," Hunter says.
"The ability to keep trying and pushing no matter how many failures or obstacles you hit is the power of perseverance and is what 'Win-Ability' is all about."

About Darlene Hunter

Darlene Hunter, (www.darlenehunter.com), is president of Darlene Hunter & Associates, LLC, a motivational / inspirational speaker, author, life and business coach, and award-winning radio talk show host. Her new book, "Win-Ability, Navigating through Life's Challenges with a Winning Attitude," is her fourth on the theme of perseverance. She is the host of "The Darlene Hunter Show", winner of the Fishbowl Radio Network 2013 Distance Show Of The Year Award. Hunter has been a top performer in management for more than 30 years.

The Scott County Sheriff's Office would like to make the public aware of an aggressive phone
scam.

On February 9th, 2015 our Chief Deputy received a phone call on his personal phone from 1 (236)526-553. The person identified themselves as being from Global Technical Support and that his personal computer was connected to the Global Technical Support mainframe and was sending numerous error messages and that it might be infected with a virus. The Chief Deputy recognized this as a scam and began to question the caller. The caller was very aggressive and again stated that my computer was compromised and they were calling to help.

The caller was questioned further and was unable to answer some simple IT related questions. The caller was informed they had reached a law enforcement official and this call was a phone scam. The caller continued with his scam stating he was trying to help and he needed to connect to my computer to help. He was very insistent that I didn't understand, he was from Global Technical Support and he was trying to help.

This was a very aggressive phone scam call and we want to make the public aware in hopes that people will not fall prey to this scam. The caller was very aggressive even after learning he was talking to a law enforcement official and it didn't seem to faze him in the least bit. Generally if you would fall prey and allow them to connect to your computer they may appear to run a virus scan of your computer which would then show a false reading your computer is infected. After they show you the fictitious virus scan, then they usually inform you of a charge to fix your computer, when in fact there is nothing wrong with it.

To learn more about scams and other safety tips, please visit our webpage at http://www.scottcountyiowa.com/sheriff/safety.php.

REND LAKE, ILLINOIS (02/10/2015)(readMedia)-- Maj. Gregory Settle of Chatham, Illinois, and Waltonville, Illinois, native, received the National Infantry Association's Order of Saint Maurice award Feb. 7 during the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regimental ball in Rend Lake, Illinois. Settle's assignment is the Illinois National Guard's International Affairs Officer (J5) in Springfield, Illinois.

Settle earned the award for his time with 2-130th, based in Marion, Illinois. During his 19 years with the battalion, his most recent position was battalion executive officer and Active Guard Reserve (AGR) officer in charge.

"Major Settle is a natural leader, aggressive in perseverance yet grounded in humility. His dedication and integrity are beyond reproach, and his guidance is frequently sought after by peers and subordinates," said his recommendation to the National Infantry Association by Maj. Casey Kline of Marion, Illinois, with 2-130th. "A fighting leader and veteran of multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan...Major Settle has been decorated for valor and commended for dedication on numerous occasions."

Fellow recipients in the audience joined Settle during the award presentation. Those Soldiers were Col. Rodney Thacker of Chatham, Illinois, Director of Plans, Training and Operations for the Illinois Army National Guard; Col. Mark Jackson, of Frankfort, Illinois, Illinois National Guard Director of Homeland Security (J3); Col. Henry Dixon of Chicago, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Commander; and Master Sgt. Gary Villalobos of Santa Maria, California, senior military science instructor with Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

"It is a great honor to receive this prestigious award in the presence of other award recipients," Settle said. "These gentlemen are true leaders and examples of what an Infantryman is capable of. I am humbled to stand beside them."

According to the award citation, "the Order of St. Maurice Award recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the Infantry in ways that stand out in the eyes of the recipient's seniors, subordinates and peers. These individuals have also demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and moral character, an outstanding degree of professional competence, and have served the United States Army Infantry or the Infantry community with distinction."