Community Magazine September 2011

84 Community magazine Community Chest personally endorsed Weprin’s opponent, Bob Turner. These include: Rabbi Auziel Admony, Rabbi Shemuel Ani, Rabbi Haim Benoliel, Rabbi Gad Bouskila, Rabbi Simha Bunim Cohen, Rabbi Rahamim Harary, Rabbi Shelomo Lankry, Rabbi Avraham Levy, Rabbi Yirmi Levy, Rabbi Max Maslaton, Rabbi Isaac Mohadeb, Rabbi David Seruya and Rabbi Yeshayahu Shammah, Aside from the potential federal legislation on the definition of marriage that could come before the next congress, defenders of traditional marriage wish to demonstrate to those officials who supported the controversial New York law their unmistakable displeasure. $530,000 Raised by Bike4Chai 2011 One hundred elite cyclists raised $530,000 in the 2nd Annual Bike4Chai in support of Camp Simcha, a medically-supervised overnight camp for seriously ill children. The 150-mile bike tour was sponsored by Chai Lifeline, an international non-profit organi- zation dedicated to meeting the non-medical needs of sick children, their families and their communities. The riders started on August 3rd from The Berkeley hotel in Asbury Park, N.J. and made a triumphant entry on August 4th at Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, N.Y. Aiming to top the $206,000 raised in last year’s bike tour, this year’s participants, many of them professionals from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, surpassed their goal of raising $500,000. This will allow at least 80 children with cancer and other serious illnesses to attend the expensive summer camp tuition-free. The top five fundraisers were Abie Maleh, Alan Shamah, Brian Haim, Elliot S. Zaks and Michael Bauman, who combined to raise more than $130,000. Every year, Camp Simcha provides a full array of traditional camp activities, from archery to water activities, along with special events such as helicopter rides and concerts, to 430 ill children. A state-of-the-art medical center, dedicated medical team, and specially-trained counselors ensure that even children on chemo- therapy can enjoy two weeks of uninterrupted fun. Campers return home enriched by their experiences, with happy memories and new friends to help them through the rough patches in their lives. “Biking up to 150 miles in two days is naturally very challenging,” said Zaks, Director of Operations for the Lakewood, N.J.-based Madison Commercial Real Estate Services (MCRES), and one of the top fundraisers who helped organize this year’s ride. “But riding into Camp Simcha at the end of the second day and seeing the looks on the faces of the kids there made all the difficulties disappear.” A Back to School Plan for Allergic Children With two highly allergic children of her own, Miriam Kassin, decided to share her accumulated wisdom with other parents to ensure a healthy and safe school year: 1. Meet with the administration, school nurse, and upcoming teachers before school starts. The first few weeks of school are too hectic. 2. Explain to them, clearly, patiently and in very specific terms, what types of allergies your child has, and how they react. 3. Fill out a Plan of Action sheet with precise instructions for administering medication, when to call emergency first responders, and how to administer the epi-pen. 4. Check the expiration dates on your child’s medications and properly discard any expired medication. 5. Label your Benadryl and epi-pens with your child’s name and your phone number, and ensure they are readily accessible to school personnel. 6. Avail yourself to the staff and administration at all times! Make sure your child’s teacher has your phone number displayed and in full view in the classroom and lunchroom in case of an emergency. 7. For pre-school children, hang a picture of your child outside the classroom with an allergy warning sign stating what your child is allergic to, so that those coming into the classroom will know to wash their hands if they had come in contact with the specified allergen(s). 8. Provide snacks for the classroom yourself. Other parents, as sympathetic as they will undoubtedly be, cannot be expected to scrutinize the ingredients of every snack they send to school. 9. Ask the school to put up a poster in the lunchroom with allergy warnings and have your child’s name and class on it, with your phone number as well. This helps to aid in the immediate response time in case, Gd forbid, a child is having a severe reaction and their teacher is not in the immediate vicinity. Other teachers will be familiar with your child because of that poster and will know how to respond. 10. Never get offended by other parents’ comments regarding how difficult it is to deal with the restrictions on their child’s class because of your child’s allergies. What is second nature to parents of kids with allergies (reading food labels, washing down every surface our kids come in contact with, etc.) is still brand new to your child’s classmates’ parents. Let them know what a hesed they are doing by being aware of our child’s special circumstances and point out how they’re teaching their children the middah (trait) of watching out for their fellow Jew. Perhaps we were blessed with our beautiful children and their allergies to help bring about a greater understanding of Jewish kindness and love for our brothers and sisters. Let’s not miss the opportunity. On a last note, don’t stress-out worrying about your child in school. Remember that while we must take all of these precautions, our children are truly in Hashem’s hands and we have to have faith that they will be protected. May all our children be blessed with remedy for their allergies and protection and may Hashem bless them with a safe, healthy and successful new year. For more tips or for support, email Miriam at: dkassin@comcast. net or call 732-822-1847.