Duke employee to head society

BALTIMORE, Md. -- Joe Jackson, director of grounds and sanitation services for facilities management at Duke University has been elected and installed as the new president-elect of the Professional Grounds Management Society.

Founded in 1911, the society is an individual membership society of grounds professionals dedicated to advancing the grounds management profession through education and professional development.

Portable gym on view Sat.

DURHAM -- RubberBanditz, a Durham-based fitness company, has created a portable, elastic strength training gym.

It was invented by RubberBanditz's Ari Zandman-Zeman, a former Northern Colorado University basketball forward, during a stint with the Peace Corps in rural Guatemala.

Rubberbanditz will donate all unused production materials to Scrap Exchange, a local non-profit, and allocate a portion of the proceeds to build exercise band gyms in underprivileged communities.

Zandman-Zeman will demonstrate the portable gym on the lawn at Durham Central Park on Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Nursing home receives grant

RALEIGH -- Croasdaile Village of Durham is one of 18 North Carolina nursing homes receiving grants this fall to improve facilities to the benefit of their residents.

The two-year grants are financed by fines paid to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by homes that have been cited for deficiencies in the provision of services under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. The goal is to help de-institutionalize the care setting, while providing enhancements that residents can enjoy. Fifty-two applications were screened by a committee to determine the winning proposals.

Grant winners are required to develop a method for monitoring the effects of the improvements on the facility's residents and staff, and for sustaining the projects after grant funds are spent.

Croasdaile Village's $18,845 grant will fund an adaptive computer system known as "It's Never 2 Late."

Cancer patient drivers sought

DURHAM -- The American Cancer Society in Durham needs volunteers for its Road to Recovery program to drive cancer patients to and from their cancer treatments.

Join this meaningful program and make a positive difference in the lives of those around you. Free training is provided. Requirements for volunteering for Road to Recovery include a good driving record, a valid driver's license, auto insurance, and a vehicle that is in good working condition.

For more information on becoming a Road to Recovery volunteer, call Tracey Smith at the American Cancer Society at (919) 334-5241 or e-mail Tracey.Smith@cancer.org.

Contact Mark Donovan at mdonovan@heraldsun.com or (919) 419-6655. E-mail news of interest to our readers to news@heraldsun.com.