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Lose weight, exercise more. The commonly adopted, less commonly achieved New Year's resolution tends to follow a predictable course. Initially, eager exercisers, clutching pedometers and energy bars, embrace their new workout routines. But the optimism that accompanies the new year quickly fades. Laziness creeps in. Competing obligations win out. By winter, the resolution is a distant memory.

But in Garrett Park, one woman and her cohorts have been exercising consistently since at least Baby 2000. Sally Dimsdale, the namesake of Sally's Exercise Class, which takes place at Town Hall, said a stalwart group of about 10 Garrett Parkers join her every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 11 a.m. to work on their range of motion, balance, strength and flexibility.

Consistency, after all, is the key.

"One thing I have come to understand in my short life is exercise is not something you can store, you can't bank it" said Dimsdale, who teaches exercise classes throughout the county.

Dimsdale said her students are mostly seniors.

"My oldest is 101 and the average is probably 75 to 80," with a few in their 50s sprinkled in, she said.

Tom Rodes, 74, said he has been attending the class for about a year. His primary reason to go was to stay fit, he said, but the classes have evolved into a social gathering as well.

"There's great camaraderie there, and we can discuss local politics," such as the current lawsuit against the town, he said, as well as things like the presidential election and the latest movies.

Rodes said the class is not all consistent: Dimsdale changes up the routine so it's "not boring at all."

Dimsdale said anyone who wants to drop in once to see if Sally's Exercise Class is right for them may do so before paying the normal $5-per-class fee. Rodes said he'd recommend doing just that.

"I would encourage a lot of people who think that they're pretty good elsewhere to come to our class, because we think it's better."

Group raises money

for Mumbai terror victims

The India Development and Relief Fund, a North Bethesda nonprofit that supports nongovernmental organizations in India is raising money to donate to victims of the series of terror attacks that killed more than 170 people in the country's financial center over a three-day period in late November.

Dr. Vinod Prakash, president of the IDRF, said the unfortunate truth is the special fund for victims of terror and insurgency has existed since 1999, when more than $145,000 was raised for families affected by the Kargil War with Pakistan. Since then, the fund has continuously raised money and issued a total of more than $330,000 in grants to help build schools and housing for children affected by various conflicts in the area, but contributions wax and wane based on recent tragedies.

"The world has so many events, good and bad, but the people's attention span is not good," Prakash said.

Because so many people were affected by the attacks in Mumbai, Prakash said the IDRF had to narrow down the beneficiaries.

"Our resources are pretty limited so we are focusing on the families of security guards or those that were on duty that lost their lives or had life threatening injuries," Prakash said.

He said the money will be given to an Indian NGO sometime in January. Money raised by IDRF will be given to NGOs that are audited and eligible to receive money from foreign organizations.

Donations can be made via credit card or PayPal by going to www.idrf.org and clicking on the link that says Special Fund For Victims of Terrorism/Insurgency. Checks made out to IRDF with "terrorism victims" in the memo line can also be mailed to: India Development and Relief Fund, 5821 Mossrock Drive, North Bethesda, MD 20852-3238.

Kensington Geocache

up and hidden

The Maryland Municipal League Geocache Trail officially launched on New Year's Day, which means somewhere in Kensington a treasure trove containing an official town pin, flashlight and pen, as well as a complete listing of area businesses and other goodies has been hidden by municipal elves.

Geocaching is a hobby through which would-be treasure hunters find hidden boxes using coordinates and a Global Positioning System (GPS). The Maryland Municipal League is capitalizing on the idea by recruiting municipalities to sponsor cache boxes to promote tourism. Montgomery County's current ‘cachers and those who'd like to start may obtain an MML Geocache Trail Passport at the Montgomery County Office of Tourism, 12900 Middlebrook Road, Suite 1400 in Germantown. The first 500 people to obtain stamps in their passports from found caches in at least 22 of the 78 participating municipalities will receive a collectible "Geo Coin." For more information and a list of participating municipalities, visit www.md

municipal.org and click on the Geocache Trail link.

O Negative and B Negative nearly in the red

The holidays may be over, but it's always better to give than receive. For instance, the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Region of The American Red Cross has reported a decline in area blood donations overall, causing both B Negative and O Negative stores to dwindle to less than a one-day supply. A healthy supply for the area would require three to seven days blood, according to the organization.

Dr. Joan Gibble, Medical Director for the GC&P Region, said the area supply needs to be replenished on a daily basis. The GC &P Region provides more than 1,100 units of donated blood daily to area hospitals.

"When donation rates drop, the community blood supply diminishes quickly.," Gibble said. "We need the community to prevent a critical shortage by donating as soon as possible."

Lately, scheduled appointments to give blood have declined, probably due to the holidays, the Red Cross reports. Meanwhile, holiday travel increases the potential for accidents that could lead to more patients needing blood.

In general, a good prospective donor candidate would weigh at least 110 pounds, be in good health and at least 17 years old, or 16 with parental consent. The person also should not have received a tattoo in the past year, or donated whole blood within the past 56 days.

To schedule an appointment to donate, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE. A list of regional blood donor centers and community blood drive locations and times is available at www.my-redcross.org.

It's not too early to think about gardening

Learn about growing a truly "green" garden at a workshop on environmentally beneficial landscaping for small and large property owners from 2-3:30 p.m., Sunday, at the Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, Room A, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda. Jean Schwab, manager of the Environmental Protection Agency's GreenScapes program will talk about gardening with native plants, controlling storm water runoff, reducing waste through composting and limiting pesticides, fertilizer and water use.

The workshop is free and sponsored by the Montgomery County Sierra Club. For more information, call 301-438-3453 or visit maryland.sierraclub/montgomery/sections/events.asp.

This column is for you. Share your good news! Feel free to send press releases and news tips. Contact Jen Beasley via e-mail at jbeasley@

gazette.net, phone at 301-280-3005, fax at 301-670-7183, or snail mail at 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.