Preschoolers
to deliver breast cancer data with moms' Valentines
By LYNN DUCEY
Published in the Asbury Park Press
- 13 February 2001
POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ - A special
message for moms will be tucked inside handmade Valentine's Day cards
carted home by many Ocean County youngsters in public schools.
Cards created by pupils in kindergarten through third grade this week will
contain a special bookmark outlining the ABC's of breast cancer, said Tom
Riles, founder of the Empathy Foundation, a nonprofit organization based
in the borough.The bookmark -- prepared by the
American Cancer Society -- discusses survival rates when breast cancer is
found early and encourages women to get mammograms and conduct breast
self-exams.
The bookmarks "might help get the
mom in for a check-up and mammogram. If it helps save one mom, then it's
all worth it," Riles said. The bookmark project is a joint effort
between the foundation and the cancer society.
The project encompasses youngsters of
all ages and got its start yesterday when a group of senior citizens from
Sunrise Assisted Living Center in Wall visited preschoolers at The
Learning Center Nursery School of the Central United Methodist Church in
Point Pleasant Beach, Riles said.
The two groups worked together to make
Valentine's Day cards for hospitalized children that will include the
bookmarks.
Foundation volunteers will deliver the
cards, along with teddy bears, to children at Jersey Shore Medical Center
in Neptune on Valentine's Day tomorrow, Riles said. Jenkinson's Pavilion
also donated tickets that will be included in the gifts to be delivered to
the hospitalized youngsters."Jenkinson's will also give out
the bookmarks to moms who buy tickets during Easter weekend and to moms
walking the boardwalk on Mother's Day," Riles said.
Youngsters at the learning center will
also take home bookmarks for their own mothers, Riles said.Nancy Cameron, learning center
director, said she was glad to participate in the awareness effort. "This is an outreach program. We
teach the children about health and safety and this is a way to show that
we care about their moms," Cameron said.
After receiving such a welcome at the
day care center and other local nursery schools, including The Chalk
Garden and Tiny World, the bookmark project took off, Riles said.The American Cancer Society and the
foundation sent a joint letter to heads of elementary schools throughout
the county asking for their participation in the awareness effort, Riles
said."Every superintendent said yes
and volunteers with Merrill Lynch in Toms River and the Ocean County Girl
Scout Council are delivering more than 20,000 bookmarks to the
schools," Riles said.
Ellen McCarthy, senior financial
consultant, said every one of the more than 30 employees in the Merrill
Lynch office lent a hand.
"Everyone that lives in a certain
school district has volunteered to deliver in their area. It's pretty
exciting how everyone has pulled together to help," McCarthy said.
Meanwhile, Riles is hoping to take the
message of cancer awareness to the state level. He is asking that e-mail
letters be sent to the foundation to help him lobby for a proposal to
allow state and municipal employees four hours of paid time to be used for
cancer screenings.
"Based on the knowledge that early
detection of cancer is critical to survival, we can have the state take
the lead and save lives," Riles said.
More information is available on the American Cancer Society site,
www.cancer.org.
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