The Tennessean from Nashville, Tennessee • M1

TennesseanBroadsheet Master TennesseanBroadsheet Master 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 5 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 5 TennesseanBroadsheet Master TennesseanBroadsheet Master 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 5 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1M www.tennessean.com A Tennessean supplement DAVIDSONA.M. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2006 Hospital offers free help with healthy meal plans NOLENSVILLE ROAD Wavering on your New Resolution? Southern Hills Medical Center wants you to take heart. The dietitians have created a free, 30-day meal planner, filled with heart-healthy, nutritious recipes to help people get back on track. For a free copy of the meal planner and heart-healthy cookbook, call the TriStar MedLine at 342-1919. AmSouth celebrates Nippers Corner opening NIPPERS CORNER AmSouth Bank will celebrate the opening of its new Nashville branch, at 15580 Old Hickory with a neighborhood block party from 10 a.m.

to 2 p.m. Saturday. There will be free food, complimentary facials, massages, nail treatments and chiropractic screenings, a kick-boxing demonstration, face painting, games, drawings for televisions, contests, gift-card giveaways and autographed Nashville Predators items. Event to showcase greyhounds for adoption 100 OAKS Retired racing greyhounds and their owners will be at the Petsmart store at 100 Oaks Mall, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday. People interested in adopting retired racing greyhounds are welcome to attend, meet the dogs and their owners and see dogs that are available for adoption. Each year, 22,000 greyhounds retire from U.S. tracks. Greyhound Pets of is part of a nationwide network that places retired racing greyhounds in appropriate homes.

Locally, adopted more than 80 dogs in Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky in 2004. For more information, call Mardy Fones at 297-2033, e-mail her at or visit www.gpanashville.org. Assistance League joins school for reading event By SUZANNE NORMAND BLACKWOOD StaffWriter ANTIOCH As Assistance League member Jane Ann Cain read from the Dr. Seuss book, The Cat In the Hat Comes Back little eyes were glued to every page. the water getting on his said Emily Howell, a second-grader in Mary Ellen class at Glencliff Elementary.

She was referring to the part where the cat sat in the tub with the shower running while eating his cake. The book is about how the Cat in the Hat tries to get a spot out of little dress. had an said Cain, explaining why the cake get wet, as she pointed to the illustration. Afterward, she asked the children if they would invite the cat into their house. After some and some yeses, a few agreed they would let him in their houses only if he agreed to behave.

The occasion, which took place on Dr. 102nd birthday, was part of a national weeklong event called Read Across America Day. Members of the Assistance League of Nashville, Glencliff PENCIL partner, read Dr. Seuss books to the kids. PENCIL partners are businesses, organizations and other community groups that schools, offering them financial assistance, tutoring other services.

They also wore Dr. Seuss hats, creating a sea of red and white at the school, and gave each student a Dr. Seuss book to take home. Nicole Coltharp, the B.E.A.R. (Be Enthusiastic About Reading) coordinator for the Assistance League of Nashville, said the chapters throughout the country were participating, because it is a national event sponsored by the National Education Association.

are a wonderful group of she said of the local chapter. are so generous with their time and passionate about Also, Coltharp said, want to thank all the local businesses and individuals who contributed to the Assistance League to make donating these books The Assistance League, in 117 communities in 26 states, is a national organization geared toward community service through philanthropy-based projects. The Assistance League of Nashville was the first guild in Tennessee. Glencliff Principal Mary Chambers described the local Assistance League as marvelous that has been very committed. is such a vital she said.

to have a group entirely focused on that is a huge Said Linda Wyatt, the reading specialist, a big step toward Wyatt said the visit was being tied in to the Family Read Night, during which parents got together for hot dogs and drinks and learned tips about how to help their children become better readers. Second-grader Austin said he was already familiar with Dr. Seuss before the event. have another Dr. Seuss book named The Butter Battle he said.

found it at the Second-grader Jakelin Domingues said she really likes Dr. Seuss. so she said. writes funny GlencliffElementary celebrates Dr. Seuss By SUZANNE NORMAND BLACKWOOD StaffWriter Teen pregnancy and abortion, the battle of the sexes, and why some Hispanics choose not to live in Hispanic communities are just some of the topics listeners might expect to hear radio personality Ricardo Cardenas talk about.

Cardenas, 22, is host of the radio show, De Todo Un Poco and senior producer of Selecta 1240, which entered the market last year. The Spanish-language station, formerly WMDB, was recently purchased along with its sister station, WNSG, by the Davidson Media Group. Rejoice WNSG-AM 880 is a black gospel station. Both are downtown inside Cummins Station. Cardenas, who lives in Antioch, said he thinks he can appropriately discuss issues that Hispanics often face, because he has faced many of them himself.

He understands what it is like to come to a new country and learn a new language, what it is like to be away from his family and what it is like to struggle with a life-threatening disease. a great young said Clarence Kilcrease, general manager for WNSG and the person who gave Oprah Winfrey her first job in radio. Cardenas previously worked as a producer for Davidson Media Richmond, station, Selecta 1320, before being transferred to Nashville. Despite the challenges of being in a big- ger city, Cardenas said enjoying every moment. is my he said.

Young DJ turns radio show host Cardenas said his involvement in radio began as an accident. The then, 8-year-old El Salvador native had been taken acting classes and was given a role in a production of The Jungle Book A couple of weeks before the performance, he got sick and able to do his role. His director was impressed with his ability and felt bad that he able to participate. So he took him to a local radio station and introduced him to some people. He thought Cardenas could publicize the play as a community announcement.

The senior producer liked what he heard and asked Cardenas if he would do commercials for the station. like Cardenas said. But he agreed to try it. I discovered I really like he said. At 14, Cardenas became DJ for the program, Doble When the station was bought by Miami-based Cardenas was laid off.

He had only been away from his job a day when the new owner asked him to come back. Cardenas helped out at the station in various roles until one day he was told he would have to do a little more. The sta- tion wanted him to come up with a new product and said his job depended on it. told me, you can come up with something to catch the attention of the people, you can do what you he said. Not knowing what else to do, Cardenas called the Miami station for help.

They put him in touch with music legend Julio Iglesias. was he said. was a little boy; I know what to But Cardenas said Iglesias immediately put him at ease, and their discussion resulted in first celebrity interview. helped me with everything. Basically, he saved my Cardenas said.

what I think started my Learning to talk again family had to move to the U.S. in 2000. Although he had been mostly home schooled in El Salvador, his parents Cardenas tackles talk radio Southeast Davidson edition Southeast Davidson NewsNotes To our readers Davidson A.M. is a news and information supplement to The Tennessean dedicated to covering neighborhoods. The Southeast Davidson edition focuses on stories from neighborhoods in the southeastern part of the county.

Call 2598089 with story ideas and suggestions. Bellevue Southeast East North West Published Wednesday and Friday Southeast LARRY MCCORMACK STAFF Ricardo Cardenas keeps his Spanish-speaking audience informed about the happenings in Nashville with 1240 WNVL-AM. Young host star ofSpanish radio station Did you know? author and illustrator Dr. Seuss, lived from 1904-1991. His real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel.

PHOTOS BY RICKY ROGERS STAFF Lu Cole, a charter member of the Assistance League of Nashville, reads to the kindergarten class of teacher Mary Jean Darby at Glencliff Elementary School for Dr. Seuss Day. The Assistance League is a PENCIL partner of the elementary school. Katrina survivor begins Operation Smile By SUZANNE NORMAND BLACKWOOD StaffWriter SOUTH NASHVILLE Before Hurricane Katrina hit, Shawn Montgomery, 16, had seen a television special about Operation Smile. She watched the televised campaign with one of her teachers, Cathy Boucvault, at John Curtis Christian School, just outside New Orleans, and had planned to start a campaign at the school.

When the hurricane came, she had to abandon the idea for a while. Shawn now is carrying out her passion for helping others through an Operation Smile campaign she started at Father Ryan High School, where she is a junior. She kicked off the campaign during halftime of the Father Ryan and Pope John Paul II High School basketball game during Catholic Schools Week. There to help her promote the campaign was Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap. John Spore, director of guidance at Father Ryan and academic advisor, said Shawn is the only person he has known who managed to get everyone quiet during halftime at a basketball game.

in itself, was he said. Operation Smile is a private nonprofit organization that provides surgery for people born with facial deformities. a great Shawn said, adding that she hopes to go eventually on a missions trip through the program. RICKY ROGERS STAFF Father Ryan High School junior Shawn Montgomery talks with her teacher Randall Lancaster about a research assignment in her honors British Literature class. Serena Easley, left, and Enrique Gutierrez from the kindergarten class of teacher Mary Jean Darby of Glencliff Elementary look over the free book they received for Dr.

Seuss Day. Please see RADIO, PAGE 2 Please see KATRINA, PAGE 2 Stay tuned Selecta 1240 AM radio personality Ricardo Cardenas has a new show time. His show, now called De Todo Un Poco has moved to 3 p.m. Also, former co-host, Maribel Ornelas, has her own show. Noche Para Dos airs at 7 p.m.

Selecta WNVL-AM 1240 also offers news, comedy and music. South East.