“Observe good faith and justice towards all nations.

Cultivate peace and harmony with all.”

~ George Washington

In This Issue:Welcome Newcomers!

Presidents’ Day

Heart Health Awareness

Random Acts of Kindness Week

Mardi Gras

Leap Year

FYI

News

Effective 2/1/20, GPM updated and realigned many stores in order to better

position the Ops team to meet the needs of the customer, support store operators,

& allow for future growth.

So we would like to give a great big “Hello & Welcome!” to our newcomers. The

Northeast TriCities Region has gained several Virginia & North Carolina stores in

Districts: #70, 75, 402, & 409 along with District Managers: Jason Mitchell, Kelly

McCrary, & Renee Bishop. We’re glad you’re here!

We’d also like to extend a heartfelt “Thank You!” to our Tennessee stores in

Districts: #173, 174, & 177 and their District Managers: John Kelley, Paul Wallis, &

Etta Schwarz for all their hard work and contributions to TriCities.

With the recent realignment, they were moved into the Northeast Blue

Ridge Region. We wish them all the best and know they will do great! ☺

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress.

Working together is Success.”

The 2020 United States presidential election is

scheduled for Tuesday, November 3rd.

Presidents' Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the third

Monday in February; Presidents' Day 2020 occurs on Monday,

February 17. Originally established in 1885 in recognition of

President George Washington, the holiday became popularly

known as Presidents' Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s

Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more 3-day

weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have

individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington,

Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents' Day is now

popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past

and present. It is also to reflect on the founding of our

nation, our values as a country, and as quoted in

Washington’s Farewell address “the beloved

constitution and union, as received from the Founders”.

MYTHS ABOUT WASHINGTONIf you think that George Washington chopped down a cherry tree and then admitted his wrongdoing by saying to his father, “I

cannot tell a lie,” think again. He didn’t say it; he didn’t even chop down the tree! Parson Mason Weems (1759–1825), one of

Washington’s biographers, made up the story hoping to demonstrate Washington’s honesty. Even so, cherries are still often

eaten on Presidents’ Day & the tradition comes directly from this woven tale. That is not the only myth about Washington.

His wooden dentures? They weren’t made of wood. Instead, they were made of hippopotamus teeth that had been filed

down to fit Washington’s mouth.

15 Presidential Fun Facts:• 6 presidents never had children: George Washington, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, James Polk, James Buchanan, &

Warren Harding.

• William Henry Harrison had 10 children (6 boys/4 girls).

• John Tyler had 15 children (8 boys/7 girls).

• No president has ever been an only child.

• James Buchanan never married.

• Virginia is the birthplace of the most U.S. presidents.

• The youngest person to be elected to office was John F. Kennedy (43), but the youngest person to assume office was

Theodore Roosevelt (42).

• The majority of presidents were age 50 or older at the time of their inauguration.

• The phrase “OK” came to be because of Martin Van Buren who was from Kinderhook, NY and therefore known as Old

Kinderhook (O.K.) during his campaign. The phrase came to mean “satisfactory” or “alright.”

• George H. W. Bush survived 4 plane crashes in WWII.

• William Henry Harrison was president for only 31 days before he died from pneumonia.

• Gerald Ford held his daughter’s high-school prom in the White House. (Anyone else jealous?!?)

• Rutherford B. Hayes was the 1st president to use the telephone…his phone # was 1.

• Ulysses S. Grant was once fined $20 for speeding in his horse & carriage.

• 3 of the 1st 5 presidents died on July 4th after leaving office (Adams, Jefferson, & Monroe).

Your health is important and optimum fitness will improve your daily functioning both at home and work. 80% of heart disease and strokes can be prevented. So be mindful and decrease your risk with these helpful tips. It’s never too early!

Of course you can indulge a little considering February is also National Chocolate Lovers’ Month, but practice restraint and you’ll be fine. Medical professionals also recommend minimizing your consumption of red meat and screen time, eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day, & laugh, laugh, LAUGHING! Turns out, laughing may increase your overall health. Research suggests a good laugh can increase your blood flow by 20%. The positive effects of this can last for 24 hours. So get out there and giggle for the health of it! …Dr.’s orders.

So become a #RAKTIVIST and spread kindness like confetti!! It doesn’t require grand or expensive gestures. Small acts of kindness are like a pebble thrown in the pond – They send out ripples of generosity that extend further than we may ever know. You didn’t get to participate in the 7 heart-warming days of giving back? No worries! It’s never too late and you can do it any time of the year. Here are some easy & inexpensive ideas to inspire you:

• Let someone go ahead of you in line at the store or in traffic • Write & send a letter of forgiveness or gratitude• Compliment a colleague on their work• Volunteer or Donate (Time, Money, Blood, etc.)• Post anonymous sticky notes with validating or uplifting messages

around for people to find• Take muffins to work

Random Acts of Kindness Week 2020 kicked off this past Monday, 2/17. The movement has steadily grown in popularity each year and is celebrated by individuals, groups, &

organizations encouraging and spreading random, unasked for gestures – big and small –in an effort to make the world a better, kinder place.

There are different stories about how it began. In the U.S., National RAK Day was created in 1995 by a small nonprofit organization and celebrated on February 17th. New Zealand also claims founding

credit. RAK Day has been an annual day of celebration there each September 1st for the past 15 years. Josh de Jong is said to have come up with the idea after being stuck in traffic and cut off by impatient drivers. He wondered what it would be like if for just one day a year people were reminded to be kind to a stranger. It matters little who gave kindness its own day first. What matters is that the importance

of kindness is being recognized by millions of people as an essential moral value.

Need more motivation than that? Then you should also know that positive psychologists have found that people who make being kind a purposeful and regular part of their days feel better about

themselves and others. Kindness produces serotonin which generates feelings of calmness. Studies have shown that being kind reduces pain, alleviates stress, reduces anxiety and depression, lowers blood pressure, provides energy, promotes positive self-esteem, & even helps you live longer! It also

builds a sense of community. We don’t have to agree with each other 100% to be nice. True kindness shines brightest when faced with dissimilarity.

February 25th marks the day of excess

and debauchery known as Mardi Gras. In 1827, a group of students dressed in colorful costumes and

began dancing in the streets of New Orleans to emulate the revelry they’d observed while visiting Paris. 10 years later the first recorded Mardi Gras

parade took place and continues to this day. If you are fortunate enough to visit Louisiana during the

festivities, you will hear “Laissez les bon temps rouler” (pronounced lay-say le bon tom roo-lay) over and over again. It means “Let the good times roll!” in

Cajun French, which many party goers can get behind. And you also better be prepared to hoard or

dodge trinkets galore in the streets. Officials estimate 25 million pounds of items get tossed from

floats each year!

Here are some fun & interesting myths associated with the Leap year tradition:

• “Leap Year Is Bad Luck”•Some cultures avoid getting married on a leap year as they are seen as bad luck. Italian proverb warns women that leap years are likely to make them erratic & urge them to avoid making any big life decisions until the leap year has ended. 1 in 5 engaged couples in Greece will plan to avoid getting married in a leap year. There is no evidence to support this marriage theory, but 2 major events occurred during leap years: Ancient Rom e burning in 64 AD & the Titanic sinking in 1912. Also – the first warrants for arrest went out on February 29th (Leap Day) 1692 for the Salem witchcraft trials. Spooky!

• Conversely – “Being Born On Leap Day Is A Sign of Good Luck”

• Astrologers believe people born on February 29th have unusual talents such as the ability to burp the alphabet or paint like Picasso (?!?) or special characteristics like optimism, loyalty, strength in their beliefs, & a childlike innocence.

• “The Weather Always Changes On A Friday During Leap Year”

• Russians believe that leap years bring unpredictable weather patterns & Scottish farmers see them as bad for crops. “Leap year was ne’er a good sheep year.” (Old Proverb)

*FUN FACT* There is no special leap day food, but if there was, it would probably be frog’s legs.

Please be advised that we have several open

job postings on the intranet right now.

Interested persons must have a satisfactory

performance review in their current

position. Two Manager levels plus the

Department Head must approve the

candidate before they can apply for the

position.

Approved candidates must send the Internal

Application Approval Form along with a

resume to the contact person.

And as always, if you have anything you would like to contribute to this bi-weekly Regional

distribution, please feel free to contact us at

kjones@gpminvestments.com & ktownsend@gpminvestments.com

We enjoy hearing from you all & seeing what you’re up to!

~ The F.U.N. Crew