Volunteering: Helping others could actually help you

(ARA) - We respect and admire volunteers for their devotion to a cause and their willingness to sacrifice their own needs for the needs of others. These selfless acts can often be life-changing for the person on the receiving end, but what about the person volunteering?

The health benefits of volunteering are well documented and include reduced stress and an increased feeling of self worth. It is no wonder that for many people with chronic conditions, volunteering can even help maintain or improve one's physical health.

Hand in Hand for RA (www.handinhandforRA.com) is a national awareness campaign that encourages people with the painful chronic joint disease rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to learn about the benefits of volunteering and share their own inspirational stories.

"Volunteering is a huge part of my life that has really helped me through some tough times dealing with a chronic disease," says Seth Ginsberg, cofounder and president of grassroots arthritis group CreakyJoints, a sponsor of the campaign. "Things as simple as getting involved with senior citizens in your local community - reading to them, driving them to the grocery store and even just talking with them - all help keep your mind off your disease."

When Debbie McGrady, a 55-year-old mother of two and part-time bank teller, was diagnosed with RA, she decided she wasn't going to allow the disease to take over her life. Debbie has gotten involved with Hand in Hand for RA and has found volunteering to be very rewarding and fun as she drives seniors to their doctor's appointments, to the drugstore and on other errands.

"Helping others and giving back to the community has assisted me in keeping the focus on my life and not on my disease," says Debbie. "Volunteering can be as simple as supervising children at an after-school program or coaching your children's sports team."

Volunteering also is a way to connect with others and offers people living with RA an opportunity to talk about their disease and communicate with people going through the same things.

To take advantage of what your community may offer or to find ideas, try visiting your local recreation center, YMCA or town hall. These places post community activities and list where volunteers are needed. Also, visit the Hand in Hand for RA website to learn about how other RA volunteers are giving back.

Other tips on volunteering for RA patients include:

* Participate in a beautification project by planting a garden.
* Get involved in a local fundraiser for a good cause; or create one.
* Deliver meals to seniors in town.
* Help paint a local house in disrepair.
* Mentor youth.
* Volunteer at an animal shelter.

Before starting on any new activity, it is important to talk first with a health care provider about what volunteer activities would be the best to pursue based on your individual health status.

For more information on how to get involved with Hand in Hand for RA visit www.handinhandforRA.com.

Tips to talk money with your children

(ARA) - Kids these days. They're constantly bombarded with information from all directions on every topic imaginable - except how to manage money.

In fact, the financial literacy of high school students has fallen to its lowest level ever, according to a survey of high school seniors and college students released last year by the Jump$tart Coalition.

The survey reveals that just 17 percent of high school seniors understand basic differences between stocks, savings bonds and savings accounts. Only about 40 percent of them realize that their own health insurance could stop if their parents become unemployed.

Who is responsible for teaching kids financial basics?

Parents say they want to be the source of that information, yet they admit they aren't following through. Fewer than 50 percent of parents believe they are competent teachers of financial issues according to the Money Lessons Survey posted on about.com.

"So many parents tell us they don't know where to start," says Laura Dierke, financial education program manager with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, a faith-based financial services organization. "We empower parents to have conversations about money with their children through financial education workshops in communities across the country."

While attending a financial education workshop may be an option, don't hesitate to start the conversation today. Here are a few to tips to get started.

Tips to talk about money
The key with kids is to find some lessons that work and then repeat them until they sink in. Money skills are learned over time, and some of the best lessons are taught by what you do, rather than what you say.

1. Remember cash? With credit cards dominating our wallets, kids simply are not "in touch" with money. Help your kids see what money is by showing them coins and dollars and talking about their worth. Help them understand what money does by using cash for your purchases whenever possible.

 "We can't expect kids to understand the value of a dollar when they rarely see visible evidence of money leaving your pockets," Dierke adds.

2. Demonstrate the idea of "interest earned" by adding a small amount to what your kids save. Or offer to match the amount they save to help double their effort. Better yet, open a savings account for your child, either online or in person at a bank, and make the effort to talk about the value of saving over time.

3. Try this when shopping with your older kids. When they want to buy something now, ask them to "stop, think and choose." Stop to consider whether they want or need it, think how the money could be used more resourcefully and choose if the item is more important than other wants and needs.

4. With online bill pay and electronic bank statements, you have to be intentional about showing your kids the regular income and outflow of your family budget. Make a point of sitting at the computer with them to demonstrate these tasks.

These four tips are just a few ways parents get the lessons started at home with younger children. Make the conversations and real-life examples about money skills and responsibilities part of your life every day to help prepare your children for a bright future.

TXU Energy Voluntarily Offers Summer Moratorium on Disconnects

CUSTOMER PROTECTIONS ADDRESS DEPOSIT WAIVERS & FLEXIBLE PAYMENTS
Today, TXU Energy announced it has again declared a summer moratorium on disconnects for customers in need. A flexible payment plan is available for residential customers designated as low-income, ill or disabled, or who are at least 62 years of age.  This is the fourth consecutive year the company has offered protections to eligible customers.
Customers must contact TXU Energy at 1-800-242-9113 on or after July 1st to notify the company of their needs and to sign up for special, more flexible payment plans.  These measures will be in effect July 1 through September 30, 2010.  TXU Energy also waives deposit requirements for residential customers who are at least 62 years of age and for all customers with a good record of timely payment.
"At TXU Energy we understand that some customers need assistance with their electricity bills, which is why we offer our voluntary summer moratorium and continue to offer several other programs to assist our customers in need," said Jim Burke, chief executive officer, TXU Energy.  "It's important for customers to call us and sign up for the summer moratorium and to communicate their special needs so we can assist them."
TXU Energy's customer protection measures include:
Summer Moratorium on DisconnectsCertain customers who are designated as low-income, ill or disabled, or who are at least 62 years of age can avoid disconnection of service due to non-payment by contacting TXU Energy at 1-800-242-9113 and enrolling in one of the Summer Moratorium plans described below.
The 2010 Summer Moratorium Plans

• Enhancements for customers qualifying under existing PUC rulesTXU Energy will allow customers designated as low-income, ill or disabled, or who are at least 62 years of age and who qualify for a deferred payment plan under the Public Utility Commission (PUC) customer protection rules to continue to receive electric service by paying 25 percent of their total outstanding balance of electric charges, with the remaining balance to be paid in equal installments over the next five billing cycles (typically, balances must be paid in three billing cycles).
• Special payment program for certain customer groups
  A flexible payment plan is also available to customers who are designated as low-income, ill or disabled, or who are at least 62 years of age, even if they do not qualify for a payment plan under the PUC customer protection rules. Customers who enroll will continue to receive electric service by paying 50 percent of the total outstanding balance of electric charges, with the remaining balance to be paid in equal installments over the next five billing cycles.
• An additional payment program for other customer groups
  Customers designated as either (1) both low-income and who are at least 62 years of age, or (2) ill or disabled can avoid disconnection of service due to non-payment through a special TXU Energy program, even if they do not qualify for a payment plan under the PUC customer protection rules.  Qualifying customers who contact TXU Energy before the due date of their current bill and agree to this program can continue to receive electric service by paying 50 percent of their electric bill that becomes due in each of the months of July, August and September. Beginning with the first electric bill due after September 30, 2010, customers subscribing to this plan will be required to pay the deferred balance in equal installments over the next five bills in addition to their actual charges for that month
• Average Monthly Billing is also an option for these customer groups Customers who call will have the option to sign up for TXU Energy's Average Monthly Billing (AMB) program instead of establishing a payment plan.  For many customers, summer consists of several months of high usage bills which can be difficult to pay.  AMB spreads electricity costs over 12 months, making a customer's monthly electric bill more predictable. During the higher usage bills of summer, the amount in excess of a customer's annual average monthly bill amount is placed on their account, but it is generally not due until their usage drops below the average and the deferred amount is gradually repaid.

Waiver of Deposits
TXU Energy waives deposits for residential customers who are at least 62 years of age and for any residential customer with an electric bill payment history of no more than one late payment during the prior 12-month period.  TXU Energy provides additional deposit waivers as well, including all PUC required waivers..
$250 Million Commitment to Customer Assistance and Energy Efficiency InitiativesThese customer protections are in addition to a comprehensive set of commitments totaling $250 million through 2012, including:

• $125 Million Commitment to Low-Income Customer Discount Program TXU Energy is investing $125 million through 2012 in a special year-round low-income discount program. TXU Energy is the only retail electric company in Texas that voluntarily provides an approximate 10 percent discount for participating low-income customers.  This discount is in addition to the one provided by the State of Texas' System Benefit Fund -- the state directed program for low-income assistance on energy bills.  As of April 2010, almost 135,000 TXU Energy customers have been enrolled to receive the discount. The program is available to TXU Energy low-income customers in all the competitive areas across Texas.
• $25 Million Commitment to TXU Energy AidSM ProgramWorking with social service agencies statewide, TXU Energy administers and helps fund the TXU Energy Aid^SM program, which benefits any customer who has an emergency need for bill payment assistance. TXU Energy is providing $25 million through 2012 for TXU Energy Aid^SM, in addition to any funds received from customers and employees for this important program. TXU Energy's program is the largest bill payment assistance program among electricity companies in the nation.
• $100 Million Commitment to Energy Efficiency and Conservation Investments
  Additionally, TXU Energy plans to spend $100 million through 2012 to help customers reduce the amount of electricity they use through energy efficiency and conservation initiatives.  A portion of this commitment has been dedicated to the company's Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, which targets single- and multi-family homes by providing access to technologies that help customers use less electricity so they reduce their overall bills and save money.

For more information on the summer moratorium visit txu.com/billhelp