Martindale hosts Cure JM Foundation

By Kaci Taylor

POST-REGISTER

The Fifth Annual Cure JM Get Together was held last week at the Martindale United Methodist Church. Returning readers who may recall similar articles about this conference over the years might also remember that our very own Martindale is home to two families with children who have JM — a very rare happening for small towns. This y

ear, nine Texas families came together to discuss topics concerning fundraising techniques, the organization’s rapid growth, and future local chapters, but the most important aspect of the conference was in providing family support and reassurance, and instilling hope. Out of one million children in the United States, two to four will be diagnosed with JM each year. Juvenile Myositis (JM) is a rare and life-threatening autoimmune disease that makes the body’s immune system attack its own muscles and tissues. While each child with JM is affected differently and some cases are relatively mild, many children are affected chronically, leading to severe muscle weakness, breathing problems, digestive (GI) tract complications, vasculitic uclers, and contractures. If left untreated or not diagnosed quick enough, these cases become fatal. However, because of the growing support and attention Cure JM is garnering to advocate this disease, research is being funded to try to find a cure at last. To learn more about the symptoms of Juvenile Myositis (and to see how you can help) please visit www.curejm.org.

Martindale Community Library

The Martindale Community Library’s new hours began July 19! The library is open Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon – 6 p.m., Fridays, noon – 4 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., and closed on Sundays. Find the library on Facebook (Martindale Community Library) for current library news! To see if a certain book is at the library, go to the website at https://martindale.biblionix.com/catalog/. The library also has wi-fi if you’d like to bring your own laptop or tablet to use! If you would like to become a library volunteer or volunteer as a tutor, please contact Carol Deviney. If you have any questions, please call (512) 357-4492.

Dr. Sean Justice and his assistants from Texas State University are offering free children’s computer coding classes each Saturday in July! Classes are held 10 a.m. – noon at the Martindale Community Library. Google and the American Library Association have teamed up to help libraries begin their own coding classes. For more information about this program, check out: https://www.blog.google/topics/education/libraries-across-us-are-ready-code/. This is a great opportunity to get involved in your community (indoors, in such lovely air conditioning) and learn new skills for free!

The Martindale Community Library has partnered with the Caldwell County Master Gardener Association! The association has delivered a whole box of free seed packets for planting in family gardens. Each of these packets contain about 15 seed packets for vegetables and herbs. Instructions on when to plant the seeds are provided in English and Spanish, as well as contact information to the Caldwell County Master Gardener Association for further questions. There is a limit of one packet per family. Come by the library soon to pick yours up! The Master Gardeners will be providing future programs in the library for home gardening.

Looking for a way to give back to your community? The library is looking for more volunteers! If you’d like to donate a few hours of your time at your local library, please contact Carol Deviney. Computers and books are readily available for volunteers to enjoy while helping to watch over the library.

If you’re stuck on gift ideas for someone who believes in Martindale, Believe in Martindale t-shirts and bumper stickers are available in the Martindale Library! These can make great gifts and surprises for those you love. Stop by the library during regular hours to check out these brand new t-shirts available in a large variety of sizes!

Martindale Market

The monthly market is held 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at 413 Main St. in downtown Martindale the fourth Monday of every month. The market features a wide variety of vendors, food, and live music from local musicians. This is a great opportunity to come out and support your local community! If you’re interested in becoming a vendor, please contact Rachel McCartney at martindalemarket411@gmail.com for more information.

Martindale Soup Kitchen

Martindale’s free soup kitchen is open every Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. This is a free mission for anyone who could use a delicious lunch! Donations are greatly appreciated, but not required. The soup kitchen is located at 308 Bowie in Martindale. Please call (512) 227-2302 for more information.

Gardening Guide

This week is a good time to plant fresh perennials! Black-Eyed Susan, Butterfly Weed, Copper Canyon Daisy, Cupheas, Coreopsis, Shasta Daisy, Ox-Eye Daisy, Four-Nerve Daisy, Daylily, Eupatoriums (including Gregg’s Mistflower), Goldenrod, Kniphofia, Lamb’s Ears, Lantana, Plumbago, Ruellias, and Salvias can all be planted now.

For more organic gardening and planting information for this month, visit www.naturalgardeneraustin.com. Happy gardening!

Please feel free to let me know about all the events and happenings in Martindale! You can contact me at (512) 398-4886, or email me at (attn. Kaci Taylor) news@post-register.com. Have a great week!