Philanthropy
Trumping Spina Bifida Bridge enthusiasts play to prevent birth defects
In the world of duplicate bridge, partners move from table to table to play different pairs of opponents. As Atlanta bridge enthusiasts Janet Edwards and Brenda Shavin well know, some opponents can be downright pesky when they foil your opening bid. But in the midst of play nearly two years ago, Edwards and Shavin quickly warmed up to their opponents, Rollins epidemiologist Godfrey Oakley and his wife, Mary Ann. They agreed to have dinner to learn more about Oakley’s passion—reducing the number of babies born with spina bifida worldwide. By the end of the meal, Edwards and Shavin had volunteered to raise funds for the Center for Spina Bifida Research, Prevention, and Policy (CSB), which Oakley directs. “When we play bridge, we don’t really get a chance 28
public health magazine
fall 2014
to meet and mingle,” says Edwards, a member of the Duplicate Bridge Association of Atlanta. “When we learned about Godfrey’s work with spina bifida, we really wanted to be involved.” This past spring, the two women co-chaired Godfrey’s Grand Slam Bridge Benefit, bringing more than 90 avid bridge players together on a Sunday afternoon at Rollins and raising nearly $40,000 to support the center’s work. Before the rounds of bridge began, players listened as Oakley discussed his work to prevent spina bifida, received a lesson from New York Times bridge columnist Phillip Adler, and bid on chances to partner with bridge professionals at club, sectional, and regional games during a silent auction. Benefit players also met actors Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker, founders of Sophie’s Voice Foundation.
Named for their 9-year-old daughter who has spina bifida, the Atlanta-based foundation helped establish the CSB in 2012. The center’s primary goal is an ambitious one: global prevention of spina bifida and anencephaly, another neural tube birth defect, by 2024. Currently, the prevention rate is 25%. Spina bifida occurs when a baby’s spinal cord and brain form improperly—just 18 days after conception—and can cause nerve damage, brain damage, and paralysis. Children with spina bifida often require 24/7 care. Anencephaly occurs when babies are born without parts of the brain and skull. In most cases, both birth defects can be prevented when women of reproductive age eat foods fortified with vitamin B9, or folic acid. Oakley is credited with pioneering the effort to add