Kee-Notes

Weekly Newsletter of the Kiwanis Club of Bethesda, Maryland

Serving the Community Since 1945

Meeting Date: October 23, 2008

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President Debbie Van Horn led us in the Pledge, singing of God Bless America and Bob Cressy gave our prayer.

Debbie welcomed back Ben Schlesinger and thanked Jeanne Smith for chairing last week’s meeting while she vacationed in Scottsdale, AZ, and Pat Tiede for arranging for our Holiday Party on December 4 at Alfio’s.  Upcoming activities were reviewed.  We will have an inter-club attending the Spiritual Aims Breakfast at Leisure World on Saturday, October 25.  Pat Tiede circulated a sign-up sheet for the Wheaton Silver Spring Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, November 1 at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville. Please get your tickets from Jeanne Smith.  Dick Ruprecht spoke about the Homeless Walk being held on Saturday, November 22.  To register to walk for Bethesda Cares, Inc., go to www.helpthehomelessdc.org and join our Bethesda Cares team or form one of your own. Our Key Clubs are very involved and you can sponsor a student (to walk) by paying $15.00.  Dick will be glad to take your check.  Bernadeen Zivkovic spoke about the YMCA Turkey Chase held on Thanksgiving Day.  It seems our member Ben Schlesinger has truly put the “turkey” in the Turkey Chase by participating since the 80’s.

Happy Dollars

Liz Quinn HD for speaker Judy Macon and for Bethesda Care’s 20^th Anniversary celebration.  Bob Cressy HD for the dinner he recently attended honoring Governor Tom Ganse and for his wife Nancy Cressy who is now the secretary for the Potomac Club.  They also attended the Potomac Village parade and peddled peanuts in search of new members.  Dick Ruprecht HD for Walter Johnson High School winning their first football game in 3 ½ years and for his daughter, Catherine who spent three weeks camping in the Natural Bridges National Park where the days were squelching hot and the nights were super cold and the sky was truly clear to view the stars.  Ben Schlesinger HD’s For Dick Ruprecht’s dedication with the Homeless Walk and Pat Tiede’s work on the Kiwanis website.  Ben is glad to be back after all his world-wide travels.  Pat Norry HD for her sister who works for SOME (So Others Might Eat).  Pat Tiede’s HD’s for our speaker and the breast cancer survivors present -- Liz Quinn and Pat (15 years).  Debbie Van Horn’s HD for her daughter’s who are active in sports.

Speaker:

In keeping with October being National Breast Cancer Month, Past President Liz Quinn introduced Judy Macon, who is also a breast cancer survivor.  Since 1998 Judy has worked for Suburban Hospital’s Cancer Program where she manages the community outreach and patient education services.  There are three prime risk factors – family history, age, and being a female.  To reduce the risk it is important to maintain a healthy weight and to exercise.  Women who exercise five or more hours a week reduce their chances by 38 percent.  It is also important to reduce exposure to estrogen which can be done by maintaining a normal body weight (no yo-yo dieting), reduce exposure to estrogen (oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy (HRT).  Diet is important in reducing your risk of breast cancer and one should strive to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables and limit alcoholic beverage intake.  Quitting smoking and learning to relax are also important factors.  New medications that are used in the treatment of breast cancer are Tamoxifen, Raloxifene (Evista) and Aromatase inhibitors.  All drugs have some side effects.  For more information, check out this website:  www.suburbanhospital.org/cancercare.

50/50 was won by Pat Tiede.

 Pat Tiede, Editor for the Day