TRIBUTESIn honor of the 80th birthday of Sandy Goldfarb Lynn & Mel SchreiberIn honor of the 90th birthday of Bernice Harwood Marilyn & Sheldon KrubinerIn memory of Raydel, beloved sister of Bernard & Ethel Kolbor Blanche & Murray SilverIn memory of Elaine Kurtzer, aunt og Abby Fox, beloved wife of David Kurtzer Gloria OkinIn memory of Elaine Kurtzer, beloved aunt of Abby Fox Gloria Okin Marlene BermanIn memory of Alice Morrel, beloved mother of Eric & Andrew, dear grandmother Anne & Steve SiegelIn memory of Martin Sokolsky, loving husband of Geraldine Sokolsky Myra & Hy Mazlin

ALL OCCASION FUND IN MEM-ORY OF:Harold Silverberg, beloved father of Mrs. Andrew Shevins & family Lorna Greene

GOLD ALL OCCASION FUNDIn memory of Mildred Scholnick, beloved mother of Barbara & Arnold Tolkin Carole & Marvin TolkinIn memory of Elaine Kurtzer, beloved wife of David Kurtzer Marie, Michael, Tony & MaryIn honor of Joan Steingart, honoree at the Long Island Sections luncheon Helen Schwartz

SILVER ALL OCCASION FUNDIn memory of Elaine Kurtzer, beloved wife of David Kurtzer Claire Josephs Carole & Marvin Tolkin Harriet RubensteinAlice Morrel, beloved mother of Andrew & Eric, dear grandmother, beloved friend & Board member of Peninsula Section Carol Hemley Marilyn Kopp

BLUE ALL OCCASION FUNDIn memory of Nat Herbstman, beloved husband of Aileen Herbstman Rhona Goldman

George Buskey, beloved father of Dwight Buskey and family, dear grandfather. Anne & Steve Siegel Gloria OkinGeorge Kaminow, beloved husband of Louise Kaminow Lynn & Mel Schreiber Rene PowersEddie Cogen, beloved husband of Lois Cogen Barbara & Norman ReitmanJonathan, beloved son of Joan Worth Gloria OkinJoel, beloved son of Helen Asarch Blossom ScheckerAlbert Resnick, beloved husband of Ev-elyn Resnick Charlotte SmallElaine Kurtzer, beloved wife of David Kurtzer, dear grandmother, dear Aunt of Abby Fox & family Sally & Henry Telias Barbara Vanefsky Pam & Paul Shelden Linda & Neil Gorin Carole & Marvin Tolkin Bonnie & Peter Sperry Sandra Mintz Joan Steingart Helaine Gerber Adrienne & Arthur SingerJoyce, beloved sister of Leah Berger Sunny Kleiner

List Incomplete

NCJW PENINSULA SECTION Tributes Sent

February 12, 2013 thruApril 14, 2013

COMING EVENTS

BulletinVol. 58, No. 5

May/June 2013

Peninsula Section

MON/6JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

Aviva My Love1:30PM & 7PM

MON/13JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

The Rafle1PM

Sholom Aleichem7pm

MON/20JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL

The Thomashefsky’s1:30PM & 7PM

* All Films Shown atPeninsula Library

WED/8LI SECTION LUNCHEON

Temple Avodah11:30pm

MAY

TUES/4FOUNDER’S DAYWoodmere Club

11 AM

TUES/4ISREAL BENEFIT EVENT

5PM

TUES/11BOARD MEETING

9:30AMInstallation to follow

JUNE

Celebrate with us as we honor

ABBY FOXwith the

HANNAH G. SOLOMONAWARD

at our

FOUNDER’S DAY LUNCHEON

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The Woodmere Club11 o’clock in the morning

2

KEEPING UP TO DATE

NCJW Long Island Section Partners withTurning the Tables:

An NCJW Israel Granting Site

It is with much pride and excitement that for the 6th time

Long Island Sections will earmark the profits from the “18th

Annual Making a Difference Luncheon” to an NCJW Israel

Granting Site. This year “Turning the Tables” was selected by

the luncheon committee from a list of seven outstanding grass-

roots organizations which are all dedicated to creating social

change for Israel’s women, children and families.

“Turning the Tables” is an initiative to enable women who have

broken out of the cycle of prostitution and human trafficking

to live productive and independent lives. “Turning the Tables”

centers around a fashion design studio, where women receive

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

On June 17, 2012, we, the ABC team of Abby Fox, Bonnie Sperry

and Carole Tolkin, were installed as Peninsula Section’s first Pre-

sidium of three and charged with leading our section forward.

Little did we know of the challenges that would lie ahead.

Hurricane Sandy was our first big challenge. We were able

to mobilize our forces to bring aid to the Five Towns Com-

munity Center, the Five Towns Early Learning Center and the

Interfaith Nutrition Network (INN), all the while dealing with

our own personal damage and devastation.

Our next big undertaking was hiring our first executive director.

Under the leadership of Joan Riegel, Judy Mintz and the search

committee we chose Linda Tolkin, who has added her knowl-

edge, creativity and people skills to our dynamic executive team.

In March, Linda attended her first Washington Institute, along

with 10 delegates from Peninsula Section and two Hewlett

High School students from Generation: Next. Here, along

with NCJW women from all over the country, we learned

how to make our voices heard and then took our advocacy

issues to our representatives in Congress.

This past month we volunteered at the INN and helped pre-

pare and serve lunch to over 200 men, women and children.

We hope to make this an ongoing commitment.

Our mission – to help women children and families – is no

better exemplified than in our Back 2 School Store. This

project, which will take place on July 28, 2013, is truly a

labor of love. At that time we will completely outfit 250

needy children with clothing and school supplies so that

when they return to school in September, they will do so

with pride and dignity.

In spite of the many challenges, we have had a very success-

ful year, bringing outstanding programs, lectures, films, trips

and special events to our members and the community. We

have advocated for gun violence prevention, immigration re-

form and reproductive rights at home and in Washington. A

faith in the future and a belief in action can make a differ-

ence. We are already enthusiastically planning for the year

ahead. There will be new exciting, educational events of-

fered to our members and the community we serve. Please

join us!

Abby Fox, Bonnie Sperry & Carole Toklin

Co-Presidents

social services and vocational training, enabling them to even-

tually earn a livelihood. This feminist program is aimed at the

economic and professional empowerment of women who exit

the destructive cycle of drug abuse, prostitution, imprisonment

and street life. In Israel approximately 15,000 adult women

and teenage boys and girls are caught in the cycle of prostitu-

tion. Many of them have been trafficked from other countries,

especially from African nations engaged in civil war, such as

Eritrea and Sudan. In recent years there has been a growing

awareness that this target community needs specialized reha-

bilitative services. “Turning the Tables” is the first and only

program to address this issue in Israel.

We look forward to May 8th at the LIS Luncheon and invite

you to join in the celebration. Your presence will guarantee

the success of the afternoon, help to recognize our honorees

and also support “Turing the Tables”. Thank you!

Judy Mintz

3

With Much Appreciation ToSo many of YOU For Making A Difference

The Peninsula Section Board of Directors extends much appre-

ciation to all of you who have supported the NCJW Israel Grant-

ing Program. Each time you purchased a section tribute card ear-

marked for Israel, you helped the section reach the fundraising goal

of $2500, the minimum needed to partner annually with an Israel

Granting Site.

This year thanks to your generosity, we will earmark our com-

bined donation to Israel Hofshit (Israel Befree). Founded in 2009

this national grassroots movement promotes democracy, freedom

of religion, and Jewish pluralism. The specific project-”Mobilizing

the Israeli Public to Combat Gender Segregation”-involves organiz-

ing a network of community activists composed of thousands of Is-

raelis, of all backgrounds, to take action to advance pluralism and to

counter religious extremism and gender segregation. They work to

ensure that elected officials make these issues a high priority during

their administrations. The activists use social media and viral videos

along with local field activities to make an impact.

We remind you that “Israel tribute cards” are always available

for sale. Just call the Peninsula Section Office at 569-3660 to make a

purchase and to have a card sent out marking one of life’s milestones.

Straight donations are also welcomed. Thank you again for your sup-

port. We, in Peninsula, are proud to be able to annually support an

organization which mirrors the mission of NCJW Inc. Together we

are making a difference. We certainly appreciate your help!

Judy Mintz

NCJW

ISRAEL BENEFIT EVENTTUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2013THE INTERCHURCH CENTER

475 RIVERSIDE DR., NEW YORK

5:00PM-7:30PMJoin us for an inspiring conversation with women leading

social change in Israel, followed by a cocktail reception.

In 2013, as NCJW celebrates its 120th anniversary, the State

of Israel will celebrate her 65th birthday - a milestone for

which NCJW is proud to say “we have been there since the

beginning,” helping and supporting Israel as it developed into

a vibrant nation-state. For 65 years, NCJW has been commit-

ted to advancing women’s status in ISRAEL by helping them to

develop a stronger voice at all levels of society.

ADVOCACY WITH GENERATION: NEXT Our trip to Washington, D.C. for Washington Institute 2013

was an unforgettable experience, one that was both educa-

tional and heart-warming. We shared moments of tears, laughs,

and deep comprehension. Listening to other peoples’ stories

opened our hearts and minds to ideas and problems that we

had never heard of. The women who mentored us were also

spectacular...learning from them was soul-satisfying. They made

us feel welcome, especially at those times when they clarified

the issues, particularly those relating to immigration, guns, and

access to contraception and women’s health. Through their

coaching and encouragement, we were able to advocate intel-

ligently and convincingly on behalf of women with Congress-

woman Carolyn McCarthy. Beyond educational and touching...

our days were perfect. It gives us great pleasure to thank Pen-

insula Section Board personally for giving us this opportunity

of a life-time!

Samantha Cohen & Sylvia Vcherashensky

On Sunday, March 3, 2013, a few NCJW Peninsula Section “Gener-ation: Next” members attended the CSW57 (The 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women—part of the UN) Teen Ori-entation for eliminating and preventing all forms of violence against women and girls. The members attending were Sylvia Vcherashansky, Daryl Last, Samantha Cohen, Maayan Samuni, Rachel Vcherashansky, and Leeran Shafir. At the opening, we learned about the orientation’s purpose: the ways to prevent violence. We listened to different sce-narios that dealt with various forms of violence against females. We then split into groups (“breakout rooms”) where we talked about the reasons women experienced violence in different scenarios. We also discussed the nature of violence itself—why the cycle continues. We attributed this to various causes such as culture, language, traditions, and media. Importantly, we learned how to advocate for women who have been abused. (We not only introduced ourselves as represent-ing NCJW “Generation: Next” but met other girls from all over the United States, as well as places such as the UK and Africa.) Later on, we assembled in one group, and Michelle Bachlet, the Director of UN Women, talked about her organization and the current violence against women. In all, we learned useful information to help stop the violence against women. Most important, the information can help us educate our friends and classmates about NCJW’s mission so as to make positive changes in the world. (The best thing for all of us was the way in which everyone came together to work toward the same goal: women’s rights.) Sylvia Vcherashansky, Daryl Last, and Samantha Cohen

Sally TeliasFinancial Coordinator/Thrift Shop Treasurer

Sally will continue her position as Financial Coordi-nator and Thrift Shop Treasurer for the coming club year. She has previously served as Co-President, and both Section and New Generation Treasurer. Sally has prepared many visual presentations for our guest speakers as well as our membership and has been instrumental in developing our web site. Sally received the Emerging Leader in 2003, and in 2012 she was the recipient of the prestigious Hannah G. Solomon Award. A licensed CPA, she has been a controller at Kirby McInerney LLP (a New York law firm) for 18 years. She lives with her husband Henry, their two children, Michael and Elizabeth, her mother-in-law Angela, and their four adoring dogs. With Sally’s expertise in the field of finance, and her wise judgment, she has been able to guide the Section on many important decisions.

4

Bonnie SperryCo-President

Bonnie served as Fundraising Vice President. She has been President and Vice President of New Genera-tion, and Section Dinner Dance Chair. She was also Dinner Dance Journal Chair for six years. She has been the Chair of Preschool Vision Screening and Pin Marketing. Bonnie is a recipient of the Emerging Leader award and has been a NCJW member for 12 years and a Life Member since 2000. She believes NCJW is “A way to lend my voice to help make changes in our society. A way to show my daughters that there is more to life than making money…you need to volunteer to make a real difference in your life and in the lives of others.” Bonnie attended the University of Miami and has worked in Accounts Receivable for Trophy World. Husband Peter and daughters Mackie and Ricki make up her immediate family. Her hobby is tennis.

Sandra MintzVice President, Advocacy and Jewish Affairs

Sandra has served as Executive Vice President. As a Life Member of twenty-eight years, Sandra views NCJW as a unique organization. “We are women engaging together, inspired by Jewish values. Our agenda is progressive and our strength and action are demonstrated through our grassroots activism. NCJW is a place to meet like-minded women who are committed to help ensure a better world for our children and grandchildren.” Professionally, Sandra was a kindergarten teacher in the NYC public schools. She has been President of the League of Women Voters of Nassau County, Director of Volunteer Services of Planned Parenthood of Nassau County, the Northeastern National Field Rep of NCJW, and Development Executive of UJA Federation of New York. Sandra was the recipient of the prestigious Hannah G. Solomon Award in 2009. She enjoys time spent with her three children and their families including seven grandchildren.

Abby FoxCo-President

Abby begins her second year as part of the ABC Co-Presidency with enthusiasm for the future. Abby is also looking forward to continuing as Vice President of the Thrift Shop. Abby has shared the Presidency with Sally Telias and Pnina Knopf and has been VP of Membership, VP of Public Relations, Chairwoman of the Five Towns Early Learning Center, Co Chair of Volunteer Recognition and has a long history of involvement in many other aspects of NCJW. Abby will be receiving the Hannah G. Solomon Award at the Annual Founder’s Day Luncheon this June. “NCJW is a fabulous organization with progressive ideals and women who believe in making this world a better place. I am fortunate to have grown up with NCJW and proud that my children learn the impor-tance of volunteerism, advocacy, community service, philanthropy and education”.

Peninsula section

executive Board

2013 ~ 2014

Sunya KleinerVice President, Community Service

Sunya joined NCJW to fill a need to come together with women involved in community, philanthropic and social ac-tivities. The shoe fit, and she has been a member for twenty years. Her activities started with Membership and work on the Campership Committee. She helped in the NCJW office with specific records relating to the Thrift Shop, such as sorting and recording information regarding the Thrift Shop receipts. Sunya co-chaired the Lecture Series for eight years and helped find speakers that were interesting, stimu-lating and knowledgeable. For many years Sunya worked with the Helen Keller Services translating books into large print for partially-sighted children. She was the President of the local B’nai B’rith wherein advocacy nationally and internationally for fellow Jews was of cardinal importance. Her participation was most enjoyable, as Vice President and Co-chair, in the Community Arts Council of the South Shore. This organization was a non- profit showcase for lo-cal musical and artistic talent and was in operation for over fifty years. Sunya has a B.A. from Hunter College and an M.A. from Hofstra University, and she was an elementary school teacher for thirty years. She has two children, Jay and Susan, and three grandchildren, Brendon, Kirsten, and Steven. Sunya loves reading, going to lectures, concerts, and her canasta group. If you had asked her four years ago, she would have added traveling and playing tennis!

5

Florence KrumanVice President, Membership and Marketing

In 1990 Florence retired and said “Now, what?” She had the good fortune to become a member of National Council of Jewish Women, Peninsula Section, and thus began a career in volunteerism. Her first position was Co-Chair of the New Member event, followed by Co-Chair of Jewish Life Institute. Since then she has Co-Chaired the Lecture Series and joined other committees as needed.

Her business career began in 1963 as Registrar of a private business school. In 1980 she established her own business school and was actively involved with State agencies that counseled the disadvantaged and physically challenged. Her school helped these students become proficient with appropriate skills for employment. Retirement came after 40 years in the educational and business world.

Florence and Marty have two wonderful sons, two lovely daughters-in-law, and an adorable great granddaughter.

She is looking forward to an exciting 2013-2014 club year as she contiunes in her position as Vice President of Membership and Marketing.

Hope ColemanVice President, EducationHope has proudly accepted the position of Vice President of Education. She has served as Vice President of Community Services for the past 4 years, and also served as Chairwoman of five Community Services Projects. Most recently Hope sits on the Steering Committee of the Back 2 School Store and is the chair of fundraising..

Hope served as a Director of Child Care Centers and worked in this field for over 25 years. Her husband Michael has de-voted his life to public service. He is a public defender and is currently the Director of The New York County Defender Services . Michael also served as the Judge in the village of Lynbrook for 8 years.

Hope is very proud of her son Lee, daughter-in-law Laura, daughter Joanna and son-in-law Josh and takes great pride in her grand-daughter Allison who is two years old.

Hope’s interests include: NCJW, volunteering, exercise, canasta, maj jong and taking cruises with her husband Michael of 32 years.

A highly motivated and involved individual, Hope is looking forward to the challenge of taking on a new position. She brings to this new endeavor a great deal of experience and creativity. She looks forward to the next year in her new posi-tion as Vice President of Education with much enthusiasm and is especially looking forward to working with a new dynamic group of women..

Carole TolkinCo-President

Carole joined NCJW to be part of a group of dynamic women committed to Jewish values. She is a gerontologist with graduate degrees in Education and Public Administration. Sixteen years ago Carole retired from her position as Executive Director of the Five Towns Senior Center in Hewlett, New York, and became active on its Board of Directors, where she served as president for four years. She was on the Board of the New York State Coalition for the Aging, from which she received the prestigious Henrietta Rabe Award. Carole served as a spokesperson for the International Year of Older Persons in 1999 and attended the United Nations Conference on Aging in Paris that year. In November 2005, she organized a community-wide forum called “Ageism: The Last Prejudice” which was attended by almost 300 people. In December 2005 Carole was named Person of the Year by the Nassau Herald for her community efforts. In March 2006 she and her husband Marvin received the Maggie Kuhn Award for their outstanding contributions in the field of aging.

Linda GorinFund Raising Treasurer

Linda has again accepted the position of Fund Rais-ing Treasurer for the coming club year. She has done a fantastic job as Chairperson of Duffle Up. Linda has been a NCJW member for nine years. She proudly states, “NCJW is a wonderful Jewish organization that is involved in so many areas to help women, children and families. I’m so happy to be able to give something back to my community by working with them.” She presently works as an office manager in a dental office. Linda and husband Neil are the proud parents of Ariel, Michael, and Samantha. She spends her free time doing the things she loves: reading and yoga.

Harriet RubensteinTreasurer

Harriet will continue in her position as Treasurer. She previously held the offices of Vice President of Community Services, Vice President of Public Affairs, Executive Vice President, Recording Secretary and Thrift Shop Treasurer. In 2001 she received the Rudy Rosen Award and previously had been chosen as Emerging Leader. In 2003, Harriet was presented an Honorable Mention Award for Outstanding Leadership at the Leadership Conference in Chicago. In 2005 she accepted the prestigious Hannah G. Solomon Award. Harriet has been a devoted member of NCJW Peninsula Section for 46 years. “It has been an honor to work along side so many outstanding women to achieve the organization’s worthy goals.”

ALICE MORRELA Woman of Valor

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the loss of our esteemed and beloved Executive Board Member, Alice Morrel. Alice passed away on the 28th of March 2013. Alice’s career in National Council of Jewish Women, Peninsula Section, started as a result of an ad in the Bul-letin advertising for a craft’s teacher at the Inwood Five Towns Center. Another ad in the Bulletin caught her eye asking for volunteers wishing to learn computer skills. In 1989 she began to work in the Thrift Shop creating the monthly profit and expense statements. In 1998, she was appointed Chair of the Computer Committee. In addi-tion to overseeing our computer system, she remained our Financial (keeping our membership records up-to-date) and Recording Secretary until her recent death. Alice was a devoted member of NCJW and through the years chaired and co-chaired many successful events. She never refused an assignment and carried each out in her usual dignified and competent manner. Alice was truly an “Eishes Chayil,” A Woman of Valor who will be sorely missed by us all.

6

ADVOCACY AT THE WASHINGTON INSTITUTE

In March, my peers and I attended a screening of Nicholas Kristoff ’s Half the Sky (Part I). The film was an eye-opening window into the hardships women and girls face round the world. What makes the stories particularly poignant is that most often these victims of unspeakable, everyday abuses (ranging from sexual mutilation to educational deprivation and rape and incest) are voiceless. Ironically, I realized that children are not alone in their need for education...we (our

generation) need to know what is going on so as to begin to get the word out and, more important, take action. At the film’s end, I had a chance to speak about another pressing global fe-male problem--that of the fistula. As a privileged Hewlett teen-ager, I feel gratified to have educated the audience about the desperate need these female victims face. I am also proud to say that I, along with other voices in my generation, have raised over $5,000.00 to offset the fees for the reconstructive sur-gery that the women so desperately need. Sunday, March 24th was a day of revelation for each audience member!

Margaret Feldman | Hewlett High School | Generation: Next

Advocacy Film SeriesHalf the Sky

Washington Institute is the NCJW premier public policy event. From March 17-19, Peninsula Section delegates joined 400 NCJW members from across the country. It was an ex-citing opportunity to network and to share ideas with like-minded individuals. Those attending from Peninsula Section were our co-presidents, Abby Fox, Bonnie Sperry and Carole Tolkin. Join-ing them were Marlene Berman, Laurie Stone Brofsky, Hope Coleman, Sunya Kleiner, Shelly Mann, Sandra Mintz, Pam Shelden, Linda Tolkin and two Hewlett High School students, Sammi Cohen and Sylvia Vcherashansky. Washington Institute provides a forum for NCJW mem-bers to gather together to enhance their knowledge of is-sues facing our country through in-depth briefings by politi-cal leaders and policy experts. Workshops were presented on “Economic Justice for Women and Families”, highlighting Healthcare, Food and Nutrition, Education and Work-Family Supports. “Turning Beliefs into Action: Issue Conversations” offered the opportunity for experts to discuss some of the most vital issues. Learning from leading experts strengthens our knowledge on important social issues and inspires us to take action. We took action when we went to Capitol Hill to meet with our elected representatives and advocated for Gun Violence Prevention, Immigration Reform and Reproductive Justice. We met with Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy and aides to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to discuss our NCJW positions. On Gun Violence Prevention, NCJW sup-

ports efforts to pass the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazine clips, universal background checks and an effective anti-gun trafficking law. On Immigration Reform, NCJW supports advancing the prospects of young people brought into this country illegally as young children, facilitat-ing reunification for all families, including same-sex couples, providing visa and other protections for immigrant women who are victims of domestic violence and establishing a direct and inclusive path to earned citizenship. On Repro-ductive Health, NCJW supports guaranteed fair treatment for every woman in accessing abortion, regardless of her income or type of insurance. Restoring insurance coverage of abortion respects a woman’s moral agency and religious liberty. Coverage of abortion is essential to preserving a woman’s health and safety and abortion coverage is an issue of women’s and families economic security. Congresswoman McCarthy and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand are supportive of our NCJW positions, but as progressive Jewish women, we must constantly be vigilant and active advocates for these issues which will impact our country for generations to come. Washington Institute was also a time to celebrate. We honored NCJW’s upcoming 120th anniversary and Sammie Moshenberg, NCJW’s Director of Washington Operations, for her 30 years of service. Coming together in large numbers, witnessing democracy in action, hearing from experts and expressing our views on

Sandra Mintz, VP Advocacy

7

COMMUNITY SERVICE

The National Eye In-stitute reports that “the most prevalent and significant vision disorders of pre-school children are amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed

eyes) and significant refractive error – each of which can be identified and addressed early if children are screened for possible problems and receive adequate follow-up vision care.”

Addressing that problem is Joyce Solovay, Chair of NCJW’s Pre-school Vision Screening program. Dedi-cated and knowledgeable, low keyed and unassuming, Joyce has chaired and participated for approximately 30 years in preventing future serious vision disabilities for pre-school children.

Joyce’s interest in preserving healthy eyesight was sparked by her own eye problem at theage of eight when she became aware that she wasn’t reading at the 20/20 line after she was tested in public school. It became important to her to identify vision problems early enough to be corrected

She was instrumental in noticing eye problems in her own grandchildren. She observed that when her four year old granddaughter was tired, her eye turned in. At Joyce’s suggestion, the child had a professional ex-amination and was diagnosed with an early stage of lazy eye (amblyopia.) The same disorder was identi-fied in her two year old granddaughter. Lazy eye is a muscular problem that responds to a combination of

IntroducingJoyce Solovay

Chair Pre-School Vision Screening

vision exercises and wearing a patch over the “good eye” in order to strengthen the weaker eye. This ear-ly intervention was successful and both children do not need glasses any more. If a school nurse or social worker identifies a younger child with suspicion of an eye problem, that child should be tested.

Testing is done by volunteers, many of whom are re-tired teachers. An eye chart is used with the figure E image and the “legs” facing right, left, up and down. The test takes a few minutes with each child and there is tremendous cooperation from the teachers, one of whom is always in the room and frequently able to get a child to cooperate.

Joyce teaches new volunteers how to do the testing. Volunteers work in groups of three at each school. Parents are notified of this remarkable free community service. Some schools ask for parental permission and other schools take on the responsibility without ask-ing. A few mothers will not accept the idea that some-thing may be wrong with her child and ignore the sug-gestion of a professional follow-up. Sadly, a child who is diagnosed with a learning disability may be actually struggling with a vision problem.

Joyce strongly credits her mother for instilling in her the commitment to help children, by teaching “You have to give back in life, you can’t just take.” She is grateful for the good fortune of a caring, compassion-ate husband, two accomplished daughters and four wonderful grandchildren. She firmly believes that “Ev-erybody should do something for somebody else.”

Enid SchwarzbaumFeature Editor