BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer
Ilene Winters (l) and Tammy Zacks There will be a comprehensive wellness center for cancer survivors and their caretakers in the area by the end of the year, thanks to a collaboration between The Wellness Community (TWC) Organizing Com-mittee and The Goldsmith Wellness Center.
The two organizations, focused on cancer victims, announced recently that they are partnering in forming a new entity called The Wellness Community-Northern Jersey Shore, The Diney Goldsmith Center, named for the late Diney Goldsmith, of Rumson.
“We are thrilled that The Goldsmith Wellness Center is working with us to open The Wellness Community in the Monmouth County area,” said Ilene Winters, of Monmouth Beach, who is leading the committee along with Tammy Zacks, director of the Goldsmith Wellness Center.
“The Goldsmith Wellness Center is providing the initial seed money to fund the Wellness Community, which will significantly fast-track the efforts and bring free support and services to our area sooner than anticipated. We expect to open our doors by December,” Winters said.
The formation of The Goldsmith Wellness Center has moved very quickly since Winters held two informational meetings at the Monmouth Beach Cultural Center early last month to tell the public about the organization and to garner support.
She said she wanted to form an organizational committee that would be responsible for helping to raise funds and find a site for the center, and generally, see the project to fruition.
Winters said that while scouting the area to make sure that nothing like The Wellness Community already existed, she found the Goldsmith Wellness Center operating from a room in Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch.
“While she [Goldsmith] was sick, she found some nonmedical therapies and services that enhanced her life and her well-being — things like yoga, tai chi, qi gong, visualization, meditation, nutrition and support groups. She wanted to make sure that after she was gone, others were able to benefit from these therapies and services as well. Her husband, Barry, founded The Goldsmith Wellness Center to carry out Diney’s wishes and to offer these services to the public,” Winters said.
She added that she met with Zacks, and almost instantly decided that they should find a way to work together.
“Together we could get enhanced services to more people in the community. After all, the goal is to help as many people as possible. So, we met several times to see how we might work together and help more people affected by cancer,” Winters said.
The end result is that Barry Goldsmith, on behalf of the Goldsmith Wellness Center, offered a gift of $50,000, which will represent the initial seed funding to obtain a charter from The Wellness Community-National.
“From the meetings we had in early March, we gained enough interest from the medical community and the community at large to form an organizational committee, and draw up our letter of intent. We are now applying for 501(c)3 status, raising additional funds and looking for a location.”
Winters added that the new entity, which will be a free-standing center somewhere in the area, will be called The Wellness Community-Northern Jersey Shore, The Diney Goldsmith Center and will serve both Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Winters became aware of the need for a cancer center when her mother, Cissie Winters, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She died last year, and Winters said she woke up one morning and realized that she had to do something.
Winters said plans have already been arranged for three fund-raisers. On May 19, there will be a luncheon at Barry Goldsmith’s home in Rumson; on May 26, there will be a wine tasting at the Salt Creek Grille, also in Rumson, and on July 18, there will be a golf outing at Due Process Golf Club in Colts Neck.
“We have also created a Web site so people in the community who are interested in helping out, donating time or money, or just interested in tracking our progress can log on anytime.”
The Web site address is www.twcjerseyshore.org.
The Wellness Community is a charter of a national organization formed in 1989. There are 22 wellness communities in the United States and overseas with more in development. The Wellness Community is the largest support program in the country devoted solely to providing free psychological and emotional support to people with cancer and their families and caregivers. It is supported by tax-deductible individual, corporate and foundation gifts and grants.
Winters said, “People with cancer feel alone. The Wellness Community is a place where people with cancer and their loved ones are invited to join a community of others with cancer who wish to improve the quality of their lives and learn strategies to enhance their recovery process.”
She explained that participants can choose from a variety of groups, educational workshops and mind/body programs designed to improve the quality of their lives, reduce stress and enhance their well-being.
“The programs revolve around nutrition, exercise, stress management and support. All of the programs are offered free of charge,” she said.
In 2002, TWC launched The Virtual Wellness Community to provide free, professionally led, online support groups.
For more information about The Wellness Community-Northern Jersey Shore, The Diney Goldsmith Center; to get involved; or to find out more about the fund-raisers, call Winters at (732) 263-0444 or e-mail [email protected].