We have many things to be excited as members of the NCFR Family and Health Section. First, we were well represented throughout the 2011 conference in Orlando. We sponsored excellent special sessions and enjoyed individual presentations from across our membership. Another very exciting part of the 2011 conference focused on our own section's launch of the 2012 Walk to Phoenix project and the culminating 5K Walk/Run Event to be held as part of the 2012 conference. It is always exciting to think about the annual conference, but 2012 is of particular significance for our section because the conference theme is Families and Health!

We're underway

Our conference project is in full swing and we're on our way to Phoenix in a healthful way! As you read this, I hope all of you are "walking, walking, walking" for our sponsored health project. This is a project whose inception was generated at our 2010 section meeting. During the summer, we partnered with Walgreens/AARP's wellness program to record our progress. While we were in Orlando, attendees had the opportunity to visit the Walgreens/AARP Wellness Tour Bus to sign up for the walking project, receive a bag of goodies including pedometers for our walk to Phoenix as well as samples and coupons, and receive free health tests. The official start date for our project was November 18, 2011. If you have not yet signed up, you can still participate. Information to the entire membership is available to help you get started, determine team membership, etc. Visit www.ncfr.org/walk-to-phoenix for more information. (You can be eligible to win prizes, even with as little as 100 miles recorded between now and the next conference.)

Next year's conference

As we close the books on another calendar year, it is also time for us to be getting ready for conference proposal submission. Because 2012 is a special year for us, I'm hoping we will be well represented. The deadline for submitting proposals is March 1, 2012.

Last year, I received some suggestions for special sessions. I will return to this list as part of the 2012 planning process, but encourage you to email me with any suggestions that you believe should be a part of the 2012 conference.

I will not be able to incorporate all of them, but the more we have the more I can pass along to Elise as she assumes her leadership as chair at the 2012 conference. We both want to be responsive to our Families and Health Section membership.

In closing, I wish all a restful time as we pause at the end of year and celebrate a new beginning as we welcome in 2012. As a section, we have had a successful year and a healthful, fun 2012 ahead of us. I want our FH team to be a winner when we make awards at the con-ference in Phoenix. We have undertaken an interesting and innovative project for our 2012 conference. It gives us a chance to "shine" in an exciting way while we are in Phoenix.