Feel Good Friday - 10/31 Consortium

Happy Halloween! Today we’re profiling a krewe that’s been organizing Halloween events for children for the last 15 years, 10/31 Consortium.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 10/31 Consortium was started by a group of friends who love Halloween and wanted to find ways for the children in their area to have a safe an happy Halloween. You can watch this 2-minute explainer video to hear the origin story from one of the founders.

The goals of 10/31 Consortium include revitalizing the neighborhood tradition of trick-or-treating, providing comfort and support to children who are hospitalized, and creating outlets for the community to express its Halloween creativity. There are several programs that support these goals.

Trick or Treat assistance helps neighborhoods who want to encourage trick-or-treating by proving costumes for children, candy for neighbors to hand out, flashlights, street closures and security. Free costumes, both new and gently used, are collected during a costume and candy drive that runs from from September 1st through the costume giveaway day in mid-October.

In partnership with Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, 10/31 Consortium provides goodie bags for hospitalized children that can include art supplies, Halloween crafts and gift cards. There is also a Kids’ Court Youth Leadership and Volunteer Program that was created in 2018 to teach children ages 6-18 about organization, compassion and public speaking.

In addition to all of this, 10/31 Consortium organizes the Fifolet Halloween Festival every year. It is Baton Rouge’s largest free Halloween event and the 4-day festival culminates with a Halloween parade and food drive. The 2025 Festival took place earlier this month but now you know so you can plan your visit for next year. 

Since they began, 10/31 Consortium has collected more than 12,000 pounds of food, donated $25,000 to OLOL Children’s Hospital, and given away 6,409 Halloween costumes for a total financial impact of $335,247!

If you’d like to support their work you can volunteer your time, donate your money and shop for merch. You can also raise awareness on social media by following 10/31 Consortium on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and subscribing to their YouTube channel.

Feel Good Friday - Filipino Community Center

October is Filipino American History Month and we’ve still got time to celebrate organizations like the Filipino Community Center.

Founded in 2004, and headquartered in San Francisco, California, the Filipino Community Center (FCC) is “dedicated to providing a safe space where Filipino families can access services, receive support, and build community.”

The programs run by FCC are designed to develop community empowerment, grassroots leadership, advocacy, and organizing while providing free and low-cost services to community members that address both immediate and long term issues.

General services offered by FCC include free case management and referrals that connect people with employment support, such as job search and resume writing; immigration education on topics like citizenship, family petitions and immigrants rights; and resources related to housing, domestic violence and services for the elderly.

There are also specific programs. One focuses on worker’s rights advocacy and preventing wage theft for low-income, recent immigrants with limited English proficiency. Another, the Kabataan Youth Leadership Program, provides educational and skill building workshops for Filipino high school students. Finally, the Healthy Relationships Program provides culturally appropriate community education on domestic violence and yes, healthy relationships.

If you’d like help FCC build civic participation and grassroots leadership to strengthen the Filipino community and the larger society you can! Make a donation and amplify their work on social media. Follow the Filipino Community Center on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.

Feel Good Friday - International Menopause Society

Did you know tomorrow is World Menopause Day? Neither did I. Now that we do, let’s learn more about the organization that founded it, the International Menopause Society.

Founded in 1978 and headquartered in Truro, England, the mission of International Menopause Society (IMS) is “to work globally to promote and support access to best practice health care for women through their menopause transition and post-reproductive years, enabling them to achieve optimal health and well-being.”

Given that the vision of IMS is, in part, “that all women across the world will have easy and equitable access to evidence-based knowledge and health care”, it’s no surprise that the menopause info section of the website is extensive. 

For people who want to learn more about menopause, there are fact sheets on topics such as symptoms, sleep and hormone therapy provided in multiple languages. The fact sheet on cardiovascular disease is available in English, Bangla, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, French, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Malaysian, Mongolian, Portuguese, Spanish, Taiwanese and Turkish! If you don’t feel like reading you can check out the selection of videos and podcasts with leading experts from around the world.

These experts make up a network of IMS members who collaborate and share knowledge about all aspects of aging in women and advocate evidence-based treatment options that optimize mid-life women’s health and promote best practice in women’s health care. The professional resources section of the website has information to help healthcare providers maintain these high standards.

In addition, IMS founded World Menopause Day in 2009 to raise awareness of menopause and improve the experience of women around the world. Each year on October 18th, IMS highlights challenges faced by women during menopause and advancements in research, education and support. In 2025, the focus is on how lifestyle medicine, such as healthy eating, physical activity and healthy relationships, can ease menopausal symptoms, reduce chronic-disease risk and support women’s long-term health. You can view and download as many of the lifestyle medicine fact sheets as you’d like as well as register for online educational events.

If you work in this field, you can find and join your local affiliated menopause society. If you’d like to support the work of IMS you can make a donation to the Endowment for Education and Research. To help the women in your life learn about this valuable resource, spread the word on social media. Follow the International Menopause Society on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel.