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July 15, 2008 No. 39 Vol. 86
This Week’s
Program: Dr. Julie Mastry Janssen, Interim Superintendent Pinellas
County Schools
Dr. Janssen has a long
and distinguished resume of service to Pinellas County schools and the
community. Educated in Florida, she received her B.A from the University
of South Florida, her M.A. in Educational Leadership and Administration
from Nova University and her Doctor of Education from her original alma
mater.
Dr. Janssen’s career
progressed rapidly from instructor in Mathematics and Instructional
Computing to Principal of Countryside and St. Petersburg High Schools to
Deputy Superintendent and Chief Academic Officer for Pinellas County
Schools. She has a national reputation for programs she planned and
developed in math, science technology and engineering in K-12 schools
and has conducted in-service workshops for teachers on problem-based
learning with technological enhancement of curriculum through
integration of disciplines.
Dr. Janssen has been a
member of more than two dozen boards and committees, most of which are
focused on educational enhancement in Florida schools and with
low-performing students, but she also brings her considerable skills to
hospitals and community organizations to promote cancer and heart
research and to PARC. Daughter of the late and greatly respected Celma
Mastry, Dr. Janssen is President and Co-Founder of the Celma Mastry
Ovarian Cancer Foundation, a non-profit organization to fight
ovarian cancer. Dr. Janssen is taking valuable time out of her
schedule today to talk to us about the state of education in Pinellas
County and what the “post-Superintendent Clayton” future holds.
Last Week’s Program: Young Children Priority One
Committee and Dr. Ann Steele of All Children’s Hospital
Kiwanian-of-the-Day Biff
Baker presented his wife, Ann Miller Baker of All Children’s Hospital,
to introduce her colleague and our guest, stem cell researcher Dr. Ann
Steele. Ms. Baker said they affectionately call Dr. Steele the “Queen of
Recycling” both because she makes the best use of everything in the lab
and cast off equipment from other programs and because she has perfected
the art and science of using the discarded hearts of children receiving
transplants for stem cells they may need in the future. Dr. Steele
related a touching story from her childhood regarding the heart problems
of her best friend. Despite Ann’s best efforts at drawing and cutting
out paper hearts for her friend, her friend died at a young age. This
experience led Ann to pursue cardiac research as an adult. She has
founded a method to take a small bit of heart tissue from children’s
damaged hearts, isolate the stem cells and grow them. The cells can then
be injected back into the heart to make repairs before the heart disease
becomes critical. She has also found a way to use the discarded hearts
of young transplant recipients to isolate and grow stem cells for the
child donor’s later use if organ rejection or any other heart problem
occurs. She showed a video featuring a young boy who was the recipient
of her breakthrough research and who asked to meet her. Dr. Steele
showed him a picture of “Hope” the young female mouse in whose heart his
stem cells were growing. Ten children have gone through this program and
not one has died.
Dr. Steele keeps costs
low and all the staff researchers involved volunteer their time to
participate in this special research. Her goal is to assist as many
children as possible in living long, heart-healthy lives through
continued research and in treating more children. Our Club’s
Young Children: Priority One
committee, as represented by co-chairs Ron Scoggins and Kathy Condon,
presented a check for $1,500 to Dr. Steele as part of its emphasis on
the special needs of children from prenatal development to age 5. The
grant will allow Dr. Steele to accept four more children into the
program. Dr. Steele promised to come back in December to give us an
update on all the children in her program and her ongoing research.
Dr. Steele sent us the
following letter in thanks for our check:
- “Hello to all the wonderful Kiwanians!!!!
- I would like to thank you all so very much for your
graciousness, your kindness, your generosity and incredible support
of our efforts to help alleviate the suffering of the children we
serve in Cardiology and in the Cardiac Transplant Program at All
Children’s Hospital.
- I cannot tell you how very honored I am to join hands and hearts
with you all in this initiative. You have no idea how much help you
have extended to our cardiac children…these are little ones, some of
which are born with hearts so deformed that they could not even live
without a transplant within the first days of their lives (the
youngest child transplanted at ACH was two days old) and other
children whose disease or heart defects force them to live their
little lives watching and only dreaming of all the things that they
cannot ever do – running, jumping, learning to ride a bike, going on
an outing without being in a wheelchair, walking across a room
without becoming breathless – conditions which just keep getting
worse until they either die of heart failure or are placed on the
transplant list and by a miracle, get that new heart that changes
their lives!
- It is our goal to alleviate their suffering - to put every
child on their own transplant list – their own stem cell transplant
list! – with accessible cardiac stem cells that have the power to
strengthen failing hearts, to heal and replace lost heart muscle and
to make every heart, for every child, a perfect heart.
- For me, to receive the Kiwanis Young Children Priority One
Initiative Grant to help these children means so very much and makes
such a difference. For our effort to be recognized by such a fine
group as the Kiwanis is a huge honor for my team. I can guarantee
that your gift from the heart will truly connect with the hearts of
our children. As I said, we will be able to include four additional
children in this study who otherwise could not be included because,
very honestly, we simply lacked the funds. Similar to all of you,
everyone on my team volunteers their expertise to change the world
of these children…our team is a meeting of minds with one vision and
we are determined and dedicated – we are, simply stated, very driven
“Can-Do” folks....this idea was born of a dream, born of acute need,
born of a refusal to accept that children should die of a disease or
defect before they have ever lived.
- These kids are so, so brave, they are true, Heroes in every
sense of the word. I will share a short story of one of these
children facing the countdown moments prior to transplant. He asked
the nurse to give him a pencil and paper – and unknown to his
parents, he wrote a letter to them, thanking them for the life and
love they had given him, told them to please not be sad if he died
during the surgery but if this happened just know that he loved them
for all the things they did to make his life complete through all
the years of illness…he felt wanted and loved…he told them he was
very scared but that he wanted to take this chance to have a new
heart …and to him, that chance was worth risking death.
- I can tell you that the fear that child felt in the operating
room was reflected in the huge, silent tears rolling down his cheeks
as the anesthetist put him to sleep to receive his new heart. The
happy ending is that the child made it through his transplant with
flying colors and he is one of the children in our program!
- So, as you see, it is very hard to truly describe how much
good your gift will do. Our children will live that good you have
made possible. Please just know that by your generosity that you are
playing a hugely significant role in children’s lives by reaching
out to help our cardiac kids.
- In closing, I can only say, humbly and sincerely, an inadequate
thank you so very much from all of us!
- God Bless you all!
- Kindest Regards,
- Ann
-
- Dr. Ann Steele
All Children's Hospital
Dept. of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
In no other program can we see our dollars making
such an incredible impact on the lives of children as in Dr. Steele’s
incredible program. Thank you, Dr. Steele, for your very big heart that
saves the hearts and lives of so many.
Guests and Visitors
Forty-nine members attended our luncheon last week
in addition to our speaker and Ms. Ann Miller Baker, wife of Biff Baker.
What’s Happening?
Kiwanis District Convention Deadline
Jose Josinvil passed along the following message:
“District Convention is quickly approaching August
21-24). We have just completed a highly successful international
convention, but now it is time to change our focus to
Jacksonville. The information below is for your
convenience in registering for the upcoming District Convention.
Hotel Reservation Deadline July 20
Please use the following numbers to make your
reservation at the
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront: (800)
233-1234 or (904) 588-1234. Or visit the Hyatt's Website at:http://jacksonville.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp
Rooms are available for $99/night.
Convention Registration Deadline August 1
Go to the following website to see who in your
Division/Club is registered.
www.floridakiwanis.com/convention/dconview.asp Some Clubs send 10+
members, so please plan to participate.
To Register Online, visit
www.floridakiwanis.com/convention/
To Download A Registration Form, go to:
www.floridakiwanis.com/convention/forms/08districtConventionregNEW.pdf
International Convention News
Markus gave us a brief rundown on the voting
results from the International Convention which can be summed up in the
following two words: Status Quo. While it was decided that electronic
balloting is okay and elected officers will serve for two years, the
rule regarding “no Kiwanis logo on the fundraising peanuts” still stands
and, as before, one can only have one Trustee on the District Board at a
time. For a more in-depth discussion of convention doings, visit the
Kiwanis International website.
Cynthia McGowan Farewell
Dear Friends,
It is with regret that I tell you that my new job
in Tampa precludes my continuing as a member of our Club. This issue of
the Bulletin is my last.
I have greatly enjoyed my role as Bulletin editor
and had looked forward to serving on the Board in the upcoming year. My
experiences in the Club and the friendships that have developed
surpassed my expectations. You are among the finest people I know and I
am honored to call many of you friends.
Having said that, I hope that I can find a great
group of community-minded (and fun!) individuals in a Tampa Kiwanis
Club, but please know, if at some time in the future I can steer my
course back to St. Petersburg, I will happily rejoin you all at lunch as
a fellow member once again.
Thanks for everything. Keep in touch! My home email
address and phone numbers stay the same.
Cynthia McGowan (not Mulligan!)
TODAY’S QUIZ:
1.
The historic Oregon Trail begins in what state?
2.
Andy Warhol painted “Twenty Marilyns.” True or false?
3.
The legendary King Midas was based on a real kind who ruled over
what peoples? A. Sumerians B. Phoenicians C. Assyrians D. Phrygeans
4.
John Steed and Emma Peel were characters in what popular ‘60s TV
show?
Bonus Questions
(because it’s my last quiz as your editor!)
I. Name the boat Quint
captained in 1975’s movie hit, “Jaws.”
II. “Laura Croft, Tomb
Raider” was based on a popular video game.
III. On what is
“Hellboy” and “Hellboy II” based and for whom does Hellboy work?
LAST WEEK’S
QUIZ:
1.
Walter Payton wore jersey number 34 for the Chicago Bears.
2.
President James A. Garfield was assassinated on July 2nd, 1881, just
four months after his inauguration.
3.
No two “spot patterns” are the same on Holstein cows, giving them a
unique physical identifier similar to fingerprints in humans.
4.
A light-year is equal to about
5,878,625,373,183.61 international miles.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
(Hindu Salutation To The Day)
Look to
this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendor of achievement;
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision;
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
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