Cookies for A Cause

Article in the Palisades Post
May, 2006

A little girl in Pacific Palisades, California, has cooked up a very direct way to make a difference in the world.

Jade Brenner-Katz, age 10, is actively involved in a variety of humanitarian and animal rescue causes. When she heard that The Real Medicine Foundation was supporting the long-term medical treatment of an 11-year old tsunami victim in Sri Lanka, Jade decided to roll up her sleeves and help.

"Madumakala is an 11-year old girl in Sri Lanka who needs very expensive medication to live," Jade explained. "She was in a bus accident when she was three years old, and she stopped growing. Now she needs growth hormone treatments and her parents can't afford the $480 a month it costs."

Jade decided to hold a bake sale to raise money to cover at least one month of treatment for Madumakala. She enlisted the help of her tutor, Palisadian resident Kimberly Giancola, and together they made four dozen cookies in an afternoon. Then Jade set up shop at the office of Palisades chiropractor, Dr. Luke Cohen, and raised $70.00 in a couple of hours. "I charged $1.00 per cookie, and people were very generous!" Jade says.

Real Medicine has committed to assisting Madumakala for the next four to five years, the length of time she requires the hormone treatments. "This type of care is what makes Real Medicine so unique," explains Lauren Brenner-Katz, Creative Director for the foundation. "The medical relief provided after a disaster is just the beginning. Real Medicine focuses on healing the whole person, including physical, emotional, environmental, and socio-economic aid. Real Medicine doesn't walk away after the initial rescue efforts are complete. Madumakala's case is just one small example of how committed Real Medicine is to on-going, personal and direct transformation."

Jade is equally committed to on-going efforts for the organization. "I learned a lot about life in Sri Lanka after the tsunami, and it made me realize how lucky we are here in America. I want to do whatever I can to help, and I'll keep making cookies to help Madumakala and other kids who need us. If everyone who reads this would give even just $1.00, Madumakala will have a chance for a normal and healthy life!"

Valentine's Day Project

By Hannah Stern
February 14, 2006

There are still 200 school children in the school system of the Catholic Diocese in Memphis displaced after Hurricane Katrina. Hannah decided that she wanted to use the occasion of Valentine's Day to show them that they are not forgotten. And she initiated a "Valentine's project" at her school, Serrania Ave. Elementary in Los Angeles, California.

For two weeks, children of all ages were drawing and preparing Valentine's cards for the children in Memphis and on Valentine's Day, February 14th, she and her schoolmates were able to give out more than 130 Valentines.

Her dream is for this to be the beginning of "long-term Valentines", of children being in contact and exchanging letters offering peer support, understanding and compassion around the world. These are the memories that will last a life time.

Thank you to all the children at Serrania Ave. Elementary who participated, their teachers and to Principal Babitt and her staff for making it all possible!!!

CLOTHING FOR A CAUSE

By Hana Brenner-Katz
August 20, 2005

Several months ago, I had the idea to host a 'Clothes Trading Party'. I was going to invite my friends and we were all going to just swap clothes.

A few days after I had the idea, my mom got involved with Real Medicine. After hearing so much about the cause and the organization, I realized I had to do something to help out. That's when it hit me - I could turn my clothing party into a fund raising event!

I decided to ask all my friends, family and even local retailers for donations of clothing. Once I got all of the clothes, I couldn't believe how much stuff I had gotten! My living room looked like a store.

I charged $2-$5 per item and about 25 people came to the event. We raised about $300, which may not seem like a lot, but it can buy 3 sewing machines. Those 3 sewing machines will provide an income for 3 families. Knowing that I have changed the lives of 3 whole families makes me really proud that I had this event.

We had a ton of clothing left over, so I am going to donate it to Real Medicine. Everyone who came seemed to really enjoy the event, so I'm going to keep the rest and do it again soon!

CLOTHING For Pakistan Earthquake Victims

By Lauren Brenner-Katz
December 17, 2005

Not long after the Pakistan earthquake, we got a call from Dr. Martina Fuchs of Real Medicine. "The earthquake victims are now in danger of freezing to death due to unbearable weather conditions," she said. "I have found someone in Los Angeles who has personal contacts in Pakistan and is shipping supplies there in a week."

Martina had been searching for a way to deliver goods to Pakistan, that would get directly into the hands of the people who needed them the most. She was introduced to Al Lekchani, a Pakistani man living in Chatsworth, California, who was packing a special overseas shipping container and shipping it directly to his friends in Pakistan. "The container is as large as a garage," he told us, "And I will send as much as I can squeeze in."

Blankets and sleeping bags were the top priority, and my children and I sent emails and made phone calls to round up as many as we could. We managed to collect about 12 large trash bags of blankets, clothing, and toys for the families - not enough to save the world but certainly enough to warm quite a few people.

When Al came to pick everything up, he told us how he had collected tents from the local Boy Scouts. "The tents were used and wet," he said, "So I set them all up on my street and recruited my neighbors to help dry them all off. It looked like a tent city," he said. Jade, age 9, helped pack the donated items into Al's truck, and we all felt honored to have met someone as caring and generous as Al.