[by Phyllis Shaikun]
The opening luncheon of the National Council of Jewish Women’s programming year was held on Wednesday, September 12, at the Louisville Marriott East. President Mindy Klein presided over the meeting, which featured Norton Healthcare spokesperson Jackie Hayes as guest speaker.
Klein offered an overview of the organization’s recent successes. A Jewish Hospital HealthCare Services’ Louisville Jewish Community Excellence Grant provided support for NCJW’s Jewish Resource Center and the organization also was the recipient of a grant from the Helen and Bernard Goldstein Foundation.
Thanks to the efforts of co-chairs Shelly Meyers and Sandi Friedson, the sale of Shopping Spree cards was a huge success. One of the section’s largest fundraisers, Fashion Encore, takes place on October 21 and 22.
Treasurer Barbara Pass is collecting kippot for a synagogue in Poland and she can be contacted if there are additional donations.
Sandi Friedson reported on the NCJW Inaugural David Richart Pathway to Justice for Children Event, “Who Counts? A Call for Justice for Abused Children,” being held in Richart’s memory at The Temple on Wednesday, November 14, from 7-9 p.m. Richart was the driving force and founding director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, a well-known independent advocacy and lobbying group for children. Representative Tom Burch will receive the First David Richart Justice for Children Award.
Judy Shapira spoke about last summer’s Gilda’s Club camp experience and read a letter from the organization thanking NCJW and its members for their ongoing support.
Shelly Satton announced that NCJW’s Second Annual Mah Jongg Mania event will be held at Temple Shalom on Sunday, December 2, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. A free maj lesson will be offered on Sunday, October 28, from 1:30-3:30 in the JCC Café.
Former newscaster Jackie Hayes began her presentation by saying how difficult it was for her to continually report news stories that seemed to focus on the negative. Three years ago, she felt the need to redefine herself from TV commentator and mother of college-age children to something she could be positive about. She decided to retire from TV news and found that writing and producing health-related stories for Norton Healthcare satisfied both her creative needs and her schedule.
“I am delighted,” she said, “to be reporting on stories about the possibilities available to save lives.” She shared a story about a three-year-old child who had a circulatory system defect that caused seizures. Two neurosurgeons were able to perform a procedure that closed the vessels and took away any risk of rupture. She also discussed the case of a 12-year-old girl whose doctors used MRI and CT scans to create a three-dimensional model of her brain to treat her medical issue.
Hayes encouraged those in attendance to consider becoming volunteers in hospitals and in the community. Some 89 percent of volunteers, she noted, derive satisfaction from their work, 73 percent feel their stress level is lessened and 93 percent find an enriched purpose in life. In addition to volunteering, Hayes commented that people need to take care of themselves.
She reported that 50 percent of illnesses and health problems could be avoided; of the remainder, 40 percent are either environmental or genetic and 10 percent cannot be avoided. Diabetes and obesity are behind more than 30 percent of the five basic problems in health care, and keeping weight under control could help eliminate diabetes. She discussed various immunizations and tests that should be performed on a regular basis to help keep people healthy.
Her parting comment: “My husband and I want to live to be 83 and 85, and while we have no control over genetics, we are determined to take charge over the things we can do something about.” It would be helpful if everyone else could do that as well.