Kasasa Changes The Face of Local Banking

St. Helens Community Federal Credit Union Introduces Kasasa, a Striking Alternative to the Mega Bank Rollercoaster

St. Helens, OR, January 17, 2012 - St. Helens Community Federal Credit Union asks members, “Do you Kasasa?” as it becomes the first financial institution in Oregon to launch the country’s most innovative financial products.

Kasasa® is a new brand of free banking accounts that pays members to use their account with what interests them most—high interest or digital downloads from iTunes® or Amazon.com. These accounts, combined with the personal service that only community financial institutions can deliver, are offering residents a better checking account option than the mega bank experience.

“Account holders deserve to wake up to happier days of banking and leave behind the nightmare of mega bank fees and mistreatment. We are pleased to be the first in Oregon to offer these unique products,” says Jeff Schwarz, president and CEO at St. Helens Community FCU. “Kasasa delivers what research shows people really want but believe they can’t have—great financial products with the personal service of a community based financial institution.”

St. Helens Community FCU is offering two Kasasa financial products, including Kasasa Cash® and Kasasa Tunes®. All Kasasa products are free, reward-based accounts, with no minimum balance to earn the rewards, no monthly service fees, free online banking and other convenience services, and worldwide ATM fee refunds.

Kasasa Cash - A free checking account that pays high interest for every month the account holder qualifies.

Kasasa Tunes - A free checking account that rewards consumers with digital downloads from iTunes® or Amazon® when they qualify.

To receive the Kasasa account benefits, each monthly qualification cycle account holders are asked to do a few simple things like, enroll to receive eStatements, use a debit card a minimum number of times, and have an electronic transaction (such as direct deposit or automatic debit) post and clear their account.

“Extensive research has shown us that consumers would prefer to do business with community financial institutions, but feel they would lose access to products,” continues Schwarz. “Kasasa is opening people’s eyes to a new banking model where no sacrifices are necessary. It’s a win-win because account holders get innovative products and personalized service.”

In 2009, Kasasa was piloted in six other markets across the U.S. In just the first two months of offering Kasasa, participating community financial institutions reported growth rates upwards of 150% on new account openings and 372% in deposits at institutions focused on deposit growth.

Kasasa is being introduced with an aggressive, highly engaging marketing campaign. It comes to life through a fresh mix of eye-popping advertising, the likes of which exceed the typical mega bank’s high-budget programs. The ads feature America’s top slam poets www.kasasa.com/news-and-media/advertising riffing lyrical threads around the theme of “Do you Kasasa?”

Kasasa is distributed to St. Helens Community Federal Credit Union from BancVue, the leading provider of innovative products, dynamic marketing, and data-driven consulting solutions to community financial institutions nationwide to help them win the war against the mega banks.

For more information on Kasasa accounts, consumers can visit www.shcu.org or www.kasasa.com/sthelenscfcu.

Do you Kasasa?

Kasasa® is the first national brand of the most innovative checking accounts available today. The accounts, offered exclusively by the finest community financial institutions, are designed to be the first and only accounts that actually take an interest in their account holders by paying them to use their account with what interests them most—high interest, cash back, automatic savings, money to donate to charity or iTunes® or Amazon.com® downloads. Kasasa, developed and distributed by BancVue, marries innovative banking products with the personal touch of community financial institutions. For more information, visit www.kasasa.com.    

Contact:

Katie Weathers

CSG PR

3225 East 2nd Avenue

Denver, CO 80206

(404) 791-8245

kweathers@csg-pr.com

http://www.csg-pr.com

Parents’ New Year’s Resolution Weight Loss Behaviors Can Contribute to Eating Disorders in Children

Eating Recovery Center Urges Parents to Model Healthy Behaviors While Tackling Weight Loss and Fitness Goals

Denver, CO, January 17, 2012 - As millions of Americans resolve to lose weight in 2012, parents’ new diet and fitness regimens may have an unintended, negative outcome—triggering disordered eating behaviors or body image issues in their children. Because children often will mirror what they observe in their adult counterparts, Eating Recovery Center (www.EatingRecoveryCenter.com), an international center for eating disorders recovery providing comprehensive treatment for anorexia, bulimia and binge eating disorder, urges parents to be mindful with their food- and body-focused words and behaviors while undertaking New Year’s resolutions.

“Children and teens are very susceptible to picking up value judgments about body shape and size,” said Elizabeth Easton, PsyD, clinical director of Child and Adolescent Services at Eating Recovery Center. “If we teach them – through dieting, over-exercise behaviors and critiques of our own bodies – that there is a ‘good’ body type, then that is exactly what children will strive for at all costs if they are susceptible to an eating disorder or poor body image.”

According to the National Eating Disorders Association, weight and body consciousness among children begins at very young ages, with research finding that 81 percent of 10-year-olds are afraid of being fat and 46 percent of 9- to 11-year-olds are “sometimes” or “very often” on diets.

More than one-third of “normal dieters,” many of whom begin dieting at young ages, progress to pathological dieting, a condition marked by continual dieting and from which 20 to 25 percent of individuals develop eating disorders. When considered alongside a recent Thomson Reuters and National Public Radio poll, which reveals that one-third of Americans have made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight in the last five years, this research illustrates the perfect storm parents can unknowingly initiate by adopting aggressive or unhealthy weight loss regimens.

Eating Recovery Center encourages parents to follow these four tips to model healthy behavior, help their children embrace healthy attitudes about their bodies and minimize the chances that children will adopt negative thoughts and behaviors related to food and body image.

1. Do not diet. Instead, resolve to eat healthier, well-balanced meals. Through their own behaviors, parents can teach children how to focus on moderation without rigidly labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”

2. Shift your perspective on exercise. Instead of looking at exercise as a dreaded weight loss tool, approach it as a fun activity for feeling good and improving overall health. Plan family outings and activities and children will follow their parents’ example.

3. Be aware of comments you make about your body. Children are far more astute than parents may give them credit for, and they often mirror observed behaviors. Offhand comments about having a “fat day,” failing at your weight loss resolution or feeling too snug in an old pair of jeans can have a bigger effect on a developing child’s body image than many may think.

4. Be aware of comments you make about others. Criticizing others for “gaining a few pounds” over the holidays or complimenting someone for resolution-driven weight loss can lead children to believe that there are “good” and “bad” body shapes and sizes.

“Because eating disorders have a genetic component, children with a family history of anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder are particularly susceptible to negative diet- and body-focused words and actions,” explains Dr. Easton. “In these children, seemingly innocent body image comments or dieting behaviors can quickly spiral out of control.”

Parents are encouraged to seek an eating disorders assessment if they notice troubling food- or body image-oriented behaviors in their children. Recovery is entirely possible with early intervention and proper eating disorder treatment from qualified professionals.

About Eating Recovery Center

Eating Recovery Center is an international center for eating disorders recovery providing comprehensive treatment for anorexia, bulimia, EDNOS and binge eating disorder. Denver-based facilities include the Behavioral Hospital for Adults, the Behavioral Hospital for Children and Adolescents, and the Partial Hospitalization Program and Outpatient Services. In addition, Eating Recovery Center, in partnership with Summit Eating Disorders and Outreach Program, offers Partial Hospitalization and Outpatient Services in Sacramento, California. Under the personal guidance and care of Drs. Kenneth Weiner, Craig Johnson, Emmett Bishop and Ovidio Bermudez, our collaborative programs provide a full spectrum of services for children, adolescents and adults. Our integrated programs offer patients a continuum of care that includes Inpatient, Residential, Partial Hospitalization, Intensive Outpatient and Outpatient services. Our compassionate team of professionals collaborates with treating professionals and loved ones to cultivate lasting behavioral change. For more information please contact us at 877-218-1344 or info@EatingRecoveryCenter.com or confidentially chat live on our website at www.EatingRecoveryCenter.com.

Contact:

Shannon Fern

CSG|PR

3225 East 2nd Avenue

Denver, CO 80206

303.433.7020

sfern@csg-pr.com

http://www.csg-pr.com

Impact investing conference welcomed by AAA

Alternative investment advocacy group, AAA, has announced its support for an impact investing conference coming to Hawaii later this year.

Boston, MA, January 18, 2012 - Alternative investment advocacy group, Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA), has announced its support for an impact investing conference coming to Hawaii on February 9.

The conference, focused entirely on impact investing, is to take place in Hawaii in an attempt to raise more awareness and interest in socially and environmentally responsible investing in the island nation.

Chenoa Farnsworth, a local venture capitalist, has organised the event at the Honolulu Centre, aimed firmly at philanthropists, as well as at traditional investors, entrepreneurs and those simply interested in diversifying their portfolios to include an ethical, alternative option.

Impact investing is increasingly attractive to those who may not have thought of themselves as philanthropists or even alternative investors, Anthony Johnson, AAA’s analysis partner has claimed. “Ms Farnsworth is an example of those who are seeing the light as a result of the economic crisis and the greed and ignorance that led banks down such a disastrous route,” added Johnson.

Farnsworth explained, “About a year and a half ago, I became interested in impact investments, which is looking for both financial returns and social and economic benefit.”

She added, “Hawaii has a tremendous growing climate and conditions and several crop-related companies are starting or moving here to test their crop viability. These include biofuels feedstock and petroleum-based ingredients substitutes such as algae.”

Growing sustainable crops and forests are central to AAA’s support for impact investing in developing countries, where generating foreign investment in sustainable forestry projects can help reduce deforestation while providing healthy returns. “Projects like the plantation schemes run by Greenwood Management in Brazil offer the chance of strong, reliable returns through timber price increases and natural growth, while helping to safeguard the future of the sustainable Brazilian forestry industry for generations to come,” explained Mr Johnson.

Representatives from several Hawaii-based impact investing schemes will be attending and speaking at the event.

Contact:

Anthony Johnson

Alternative Asset Analysis

71 Commercial St

Boston, MA 02109-1320

617-939-9596

info@alternativeassetanalysis.com

http://www.alternativeassetanalysis.com

BSA Grand Canyon Council Partners with ISE coming to UOP Stadium Feb. 23-26

The Boy Scouts of America’s Grand Canyon Council will partner with the 12th annual Arizona International Sportsmen’s Exposition (ISE) during the state’s largest outdoor event Feb. 23-26

Glendale, AZ, January 16, 2012 - The Boy Scouts of America’s Grand Canyon Council will partner with the 12th annual Arizona International Sportsmen’s Exposition (ISE) during the state’s largest outdoor event Feb. 23-26 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

Scott Impecoven, BSA’s COO for the Grand Canyon Council, said, “It’s a great partnership for us because what we do fits right in the with the outdoors. We appreciate the opportunity for the increased visibility the ISE offers to us through this partnership.”

According to John Kirk, Communications Director at ISE, the expo has offered the BSA generous opportunities for marketing, fundraising and outreach, including a large exhibit space at no cost. Boy Scout troops will enjoy access to discounted prices to sell tickets to participants, from which the ISE will award the BSA a percentage for every ticket sold. Event tickets are free to all youth under 16.

ISE will also partner with BSA to solicit donation items for auction or raffle at the event, and will promote BSA in media.

A win-win partnership, the BSA will in turn promote ISE’s discount ticketing via emails, websites and newsletters, and also during pack/den meetings beginning this month.

At the ISE, BSA will create an activity area that includes a monkey bridge and climbing tower, featured as part of the expo’s youth fair, which is hosted by Arizona Game & Fish Department.

“We respect and admire BSA for fostering self-reliance in youth, as well as a respect for the outdoors. We believe ours is a great platform for BSA to promote their message, and also, the ISE appreciates their help in broadening our attendance in Arizona,” said Kirk.

300 exhibitors will pack the stadium’s 160,000-square-foot space, offering outdoor enthusiasts products and services for fishing, hunting, travel, offroading, boating, camping. Increasing the event’s value are free seminars, contests and clinics. Celebrity guest appearances include Lt. John Nores Jr., co-star of National Geographic TV’s Wild Justice, and Hank Shaw, author of Hunt, Gather, Cook.

For further information, send an email to info@SportsExpos.com, visit ISE on Facebook, or tour www.SportsExpos.com. For information regarding the Grand Canyon Council of Boy Scouts of America, visit: http://www.grandcanyonbsa.org

Contact:

Scott Kelly

CEO

Black Dog Promotions, LLC

9920 S. Rural Rd., Ste 108

Tempe AZ, 85284

480-206-3435

scott@blackdogpromotions.com

http://www.blackdogpromotions.com

2B Scientific Announce New Tool for Apoptosis, Flow Cytometry and Microscopy

2B Scientific, a leading UK distributor of life science reagents announce a new tool for scientists working in the field of apoptosis, pSIVA – Polarity Sensitive Indicator of Viability and Apoptosis from IMGENEX Corporation.

Oxford, UK, January 17, 2012 - 2B Scientific, a leading UK distributor of life science reagents announce a new tool for scientists working in the field of apoptosis, pSIVA – Polarity Sensitive Indicator of Viability and Apoptosis from IMGENEX Corporation. This new tool for apoptosis, flow cytometry and microscopy is the first reversible probe for detecting phosphatidlyserine (PS) on plasma membranes. The reversible nature of the probe differentiates it from previous products which are all characterized by irreversible binding. This new capability opens up types of analysis previously unavailable to scientists.

pSIVA is an annexin based, polarity sensitive probe for the spatiotemporal or kinetic analysis of apoptosis and other forms of cell death. The new probes reversible binding enables researchers, for the first time, to detect transient PS exposure which is associated with both normal physiological processes as well as reversible or rescuable apoptosis cell death events.

Passing comment, James Bernard CEO of 2B Scientific said, “We are delighted to announce the availability of another novel and innovative product from IMGENEX that will provide our customers with an analytical advantage over traditional apoptosis probes, pSIVA novel binding capabilities will allow scientists to analyse and quantify new aspects of apoptosis previously unattainable to researchers.”

About the company, 2B Scientific is a specialist distributor of immunological reagents to the UK life science market. 2B Scientific take a novel approach to life science reagents distribution and provide a wide range of products including antibodies, PCR and flow cytometry reagents, proteins, kits and life science consumables.

Contact:

Mathew Taylor

Director

Algorythm Solutions Ltd

10 Torkington St

Stamford

Lincolnshire PE9 2UY

+44 (0)773 403 2112

mtaylor@algorythmsolutions.com

http://www.algorythmsolutions.com