On the Town: Medical center’s guild hosts a healthy event

In keeping with awards season, the Founders Guild of the Glendale Adventist Medical Center recently put on its annual membership reception and awards luncheon.

Although 18 women were recognized as life members of the guild, the big winner was Glendale Adventist’s Play to Learn Center. The center, located in Eagle Rock, is an outpatient facility for special needs children from birth through adolescence. As the beneficiary of the guild’s fundraising efforts, the center is $9,700 richer.

After a fast-paced membership reception, Debbie Bright, the guild’s co-president, welcomed her audience at the Chevy Chase Country Club. Her co-president, Liz Mirzaian, was missing in action due to recent surgery.

Kevin Roberts, Glendale Adventist’s president and chief executive, gave a blessing followed by a buffet lunch with heart-friendly vegetable lasagna and salad.

The essence of the program, next on the agenda, was a talk by John Farley, who described his son’s experiences at the Play to Learn Center. Eight-year-old Harrison was born 34 weeks into his mother’s difficult pregnancy.

He had eating problems, a deficit of fine-motor skills and was afraid of sudden motion. The center’s staff of top-notch physical therapists continues to help Harrison through individual therapy and developmental play groups.

Traci Martinez, the center’s manager, introduced staff therapists who played a part in assisting Harrison. They were occupational therapists Suzanne Parker, Joanne Parrish and Stephanie Sayes. Center speech-language pathologist Emi Ikeda was also present. She was Harrison’s chief therapist. This was the first time the four had attended the awards luncheon.

Further, Martinez described the center’s patients as having a variety of special needs such as delayed speech or walking, sensory deficits, cerebral palsy, stroke, autism and genetic syndromes. Staff therapists give 100 hours of therapy every day.

Patient and family education also help center patients reach their developmental goals. Farley said he and his wife, Jennifer, benefited from that education.

Next up was the check presentation to the center. Doing the honors were Bright, Gayle Craig, who is Glendale Adventist annual giving and special events manager, and Marion Watson, Glendale Adventist’s director of rehab services. Martinez happily received the check on behalf of the center.

The program ended with the recognition of 18 outstanding Guild Life members. In addition to Bight and Craig, they were Orfi Barros, Dottie Boyd, Grace Carvajal, Eunice Fletcher, Margaret Kaufman, Helen La Gourgue, Marguerite Marsh, Duquessa McGuffin, Denise Miller, Anhid Minassian, Ida Parker, Alice Petrossian, Marina Raines, Georgiana Wu, Catherine Yesayan and Jean Zaik. (Although there are some 90 life members, many have now moved out of the area.) These ladies are fundraiser super stars.

Closing remarks were made by Irene Bourdon, president of the healthcare foundation.

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RUTH SOWBY may be reached at ruthasowby@gmail.com.