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Volunteers Needs for our Mobile Salon

 We have taken our Sharon Rose Wig and Prosthesis Salon on the road and need your help! New hospitals and clinics are signing up for our Mobile salon everyday, and to ensure that we provide the best service to those who need our help, Y-ME Illinois is looking for women to be trained fitters and event volunteers. We will train you to become a certified fitter for prosthesis and/or wigs. If you are interested in getting involved and would like more information on how to become a part of our Mobile Salon, e-mail or call Lyn Kos, Program Manager at lkos@y-me.org or (312) 364-9071.

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Información Latina! Buenas Noticias!

• On March 20th Univisión T.V came to Y-ME Illinois to film our office. Judy Guitelman, Program Coordinator, participated in an in-depth interview about Y-ME Illinois and breast cancer awareness in the Latino community. During the segment we provided information about free screening to more that 100 women in the Chicagoland area.

New Programs

• A Spanish-speaking support group was organized at St Anthony Hospital, and began on April 10th. They will continue to meet every third Thursday of the month. For more information call Rosie Flores or Silvia at 708-484-1883.
• On May 2^nd we are hosted our first mobile salon at Mercy Hospital! It was a great success. 

Upcoming Events/Program Expansion

• We are working on starting a Spanish-speaking support group in collaboration with Rush Copley hospital in Aurora.
• On May 24th we are having a Town Hall for Spanish Speaking volunteers at McNeal Hospital in Berwyn. Come and meet our staff members and learn more about the newest programs sponsored by at the Illinois affiliate!

Volunteers: Thank you for all the good work. Gracias to Tete Angles and Rosa Melgoza for your incredible help!

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Advocacy

The 2008 NBCC Annual Advocacy Conference was a Success!

This year, over 30 women form Illinois traveled to Washington, DC to attend the National Breast Cancer Coalition Annual Advocacy Training Conference and Lobby Day. Y-ME Illinois awarded 11 scholarships to advocates and brought four new first-time attendees! Our advocates were successful in building relationships with our elected officials and we able to get more Illinois Congressional leaders to support the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act-stay tuned for advocacy alerts as this bill is currently in the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives and we will need your voice to ensure it makes it to the floor!

If you are interested in getting involved in breast cancer advocacy and going to Washington, DC for the conference in 2009, e-mail Rachel Runnals at rrunnals@y-me.org.

Project LEAD Reminder: the deadline for NBCC'S Project LEAD Institute is May 23rd.  If you are applying and need a letter of recommendation, please email rrunnals@y-me.org as soon as possible to ensure your application is received on time.

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The Y-ME Illinois Associate Board- Get involved!

Interested in getting involved with Y-ME Illinois, but not quite sure if you have the time? Join the Associate Board! For more information, click here now! 

Why Join the Associate Board?

• Involvement. You’ll enjoy a tremendous opportunity to get involved with Y-ME Illinois and be at the forefront of some of our most exciting events.
• Networking. You’ll have the opportunity to work with enthusiastic young professional who are interested in making a difference, just like you.
• Education. You’ll have access to breast cancer education and training sessions.
• Flexibility. We know it’s sometimes tough to commit to volunteering, and being a member of the Associate Board gives you flexibility to be involved as little or as much as you can!

If you are interested in getting involved with the Associate Board, please contact Natalie Wilson at nslong1@yahoo.com

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Run with Pink Streak!

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has closed, but Pink Streak has some spots available! As a member of the Pink Streak team you can expect:

• Expert marathon training with CARA, Chicago Area Runner’s Association, and 1 YEAR MEMBERSHIP!
• A rockin’ kick-off party at Hard Rock Café (one of our sponsors!) on June 5^th!
• Use of the Y-ME Illinois tent in Charity Village on Marathon Day with food, drink, massages and more!
• A Pink Streak Singlet
• Two fun runs per month, hosted by our sponsors: Cardinal Fitness, LUNA, and The Runner’s Edge
• Workshops on training, clothing, nutrition, and successful fundraising
• Social Events each month
• Weekly emails with training information, tips from a trainer, event updates and stories featuring YOU!
• Pre-Race carbo loading dinner
• Information packet with fundraising ideas
• Your own fundraising website through http://www.active.com/
• Great prizes and incentives for meeting your goals!

Send an email to pinkstreak@y-me.org to get more information and to sign up!

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Ride to Empower

Y-ME’s Ride to Empower is a destination bike ride, with route lengths ranging from 32 miles to a 100-mile century ride. This incredible four day event gives participants the opportunity to challenge themselves on a long-distance ride and pay tribute to friends and loved ones touched by breast cancer. The Route: Solvang, 130 miles north of Los Angeles, is a picturesque Danish-style community located in the heart of Santa Barbara’s wine country. With the Santa Ynez mountains as a backdrop, the route offers something for every level of cycling ability—from rolling country stretches to challenging mountain climbs.

Make a Difference!

In exchange for successfully raising $4,000 or more, each rider will receive: roundtrip airfare, ground transportation, three nights hotel accommodations, meals during the stay, technical support, round-trip bike transportation, access to an expert cycling training program, group training rides, team gatherings, fundraising support, and a Ride to Empower jersey and team T-shirt.

Interested in Coaching?

Volunteering as a coach for Y-ME’s Ride to Empower is a great way to get involved with the breast cancer community! If you are an experienced cyclist and want to be a part of an exciting new event, please let us know!

Informational sessions will be held in May. If you are interested in attending, please contact Kate.

For more information, contact Kate Lacio, Special Events Manager, at klacio@y-me.org or (312) 364-9071.

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Third-Party Events

The Power of Pink!!!!

Y-ME Illinois is blessed to have many, many supporters who plan numerous Third Party Events to raise funds that insure no one faces breast cancer alone. It is impossible to mention all of them, but we would like to mention one highly successful one that took place in late February. It was particularly touching to us because it was organized by a group of high school boys at Saint Patrick High School – Chicago’s oldest all-male Catholic high school.

The boys on the Saint Patrick basketball team raised over $5,000 through their "Think Pink" initiative. Saint Patrick Staff purchased and donated 470 pink t-shirts. The shirts were then sold to students and faculty for $10. Head basketball coach Mike Bailey and his family added $1 for each shirt sold. Students were allowed to wear the shirts during the week of state playoffs. Everyone was encouraged to wear the shirts for the Saint Patrick Shamrocks’ IHSA State Playoff game against Lincoln Park on Wednesday, February 27. Coach Bailey wore his pink shirt over his traditional shirt and tie, the basketball players wore their pink shirts instead of their traditional warm-up tops, the Shamrock Band wore pink shirts, and the student cheering section was filled with students in pink shirts.

Y-ME Illinois wishes to thank the amazing boys, staff, and parents at Saint Patrick High School for this wonderful show of support for women facing breast cancer. The funds they raised will play a huge role in helping us continue to be there for those who cannot wait for tomorrow’s cure. Go Shamrocks!!

We have some exciting Third Party Events coming up in May! Please visit our site for more information!

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ShareRing Network

A free, monthly one-hour teleconference featuring a breast cancer related presentation by a medical professional followed by a question and answer session. Participants are divided into small groups for discussion, which are moderated by peer counselors.

The ShareRing Network teleconferences take place on the third Wednesday of each month, beginning at 7:00 PM Central Time (CT).

May 21, 2008, 7:00 p.m. (CT)
"Inspirational Stories of Strength: Five Dynamic Individuals Touched by Breast Cancer"

About the Speaker
Five dynamic speakers will share their stories. Jim is a male breast cancer survivor who also supported his wife through the disease. Donna is living with advanced breast cancer and its chronic effects. Kyle was first diagnosed as a young single woman and went on to have three children before her second
diagnosis. Dorothy shares the African-American perspective and the challenges that face her community. Polly underwent prophylactic mastectomies due to a strong family history.