acts of kindness
GETTING IN TOUCH emember being in the pediatrician’s office with your middle-school-aged daughter when the doctor discussed breast self-examination and how she was appalled at the thought of doing so? The typical reaction of girls hits especially close to home for Mary Ann Wasil, the founder of the Get in Touch Foundation, a Milford, Connecticut-based foundation with the mission of encouraging girls of all ages to “Get In Touch” with their bodies, information and each other in the foundation’s crusade against breast cancer. When Mary Ann was 39 years old, she found a lump in one of her breasts. She had a negative mammogram, an ultrasound and a surgical biopsy to remove it and was told it was malignant. She then had a lumpectomy and a sentinel node biopsy and was diagnosed with Stage 2 invasive ductal carcinoma. She started chemotherapy, had a bi-lateral mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. During her recovery, Mary Ann and a close friend discussed ways they could ‘‘kick this cancer thing right in the teeth and turn lemons into lemonade.” They decided to focus on arming their daughters and girls around the world with information to “Get In Touch” with their breasts so they would be able to recognize changes and let an adult know when they notice changes. Mary Ann, along with a medical consulting board including a school nurse, a pediatrician, an oncologist, a breast surgeon and a radiologist, developed an interactive Daisy Wheel which teaches girls in a more girl-friendly, less intimidating way how to do breast self-examination. The Daisy Wheels are given out to girls in grades 5-12 through health educators in the school system as part of the curriculum focused on hygiene and girls’ changing bodies. The Daisy Wheels are offered to schools at no cost and the program is offered in 50 states and 21 countries. Within Connecticut, the program is offered in 53 schools. In the fall of 2012, the Foundation launched a Youth Ambassador program with the goal of empowering high school girls as representatives of The Get In Touch Foundation to promote the Get In Touch Girls’ Program in their schools and community. Rebecca Lobo, an ESPN basketball analyst, former UCONN and WNBA star, joined the Foundation as the Honorary Chairperson of the Youth Ambassador Committee. The Foundation accepted applications from high school girls and 12 girls were chosen nationwide for a one-year term. Of the twelve Youth Ambassadors, six live in Connecticut. The responsibilities during the term are to introduce the Get In Touch Girls’ Program to their individual school and to other schools in their community and to commit to raising a minimum of $1,000 for the Get In Touch Foundation. The money from the fundraising is used to enable the Foundation to provide the program free to school systems and girls throughout the world. One of the Get In Touch Youth Ambassadors chosen for the inaugural program is Stephanie Wengel, a senior at Weston High School. Stephanie chose to get involved because “we have lost a few family friends to breast cancer and have close friends who are survivors.” Stephanie has been successful in her endeavors; she was able to work through the Weston School District to get the Daisy Wheel program approved for Weston Middle and High Schools and has raised $8600 to date. Stephanie raised the money through the sale of hot pink shoe laces for $5.00 with 100% of the proceeds going to the Get In Touch Foundation. Stephanie has sold the laces at Weston High School, The Fitness Edge and through social networking initiatives on Facebook. For more information about the Get In Touch Foundation, the Daisy Wheel (including a video of how the Daisy Wheel works) and the Youth Ambassadors programs, visit www.getintouchfoundation.org. To purchase hot pink shoelaces, contact Stephanie Wengel at StephanieWengel@yahoo.com.
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STEPHANIE WENGEL
A UNIQUE, MEANINGFUL GIFT: CHARITY GIFT CARDS
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