Ilene Winters (l) became aware of the need for a support center for cancer victims when her mother (r), Cissie Winters, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Below is the logo for The Wellness Community-Northern Jersey Shore, which she is founding. Support community
seeks permanent
home in area
BY LINDA DeNICOLA
Staff Writer
LONG BRANCH — A proposed wellness center for cancer survivors and their caretakers is well on the way toward becoming a reality.
Wellness center founder Ilene Winters hopes to have it up and running by the end of the year thanks to a partnership between the Goldsmith Wellness Center, which operates out of Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, and the Wellness Community, which has its roots in Philadelphia, Pa.
Winters said 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.
The Goldsmith Wellness Center is named for the late Diney Goldsmith of Rumson.
“While she [Goldsmith] was sick, she found some nonmedical therapies and services that enhanced her life and her well-being. They included yoga, t’ai chi, qigong, visualization, meditation, nutrition and support groups,” said Winter. “She wanted to make sure that after she was gone, others were able to benefit from these therapies and services, as well.
Goldsmith’s husband, Barry, founded The Goldsmith Wellness Center to carry out Diney’s wishes and to offer these services to the public, 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 in March to tell the public about the organization and to garner support.
The end result is that Barry Goldsmith, on behalf of the Goldsmith Wellness Center, offered it a gift of $50,000 which represents the initial seed funding to obtain a charter from The Wellness Community – National.
“We received our charter in July. We were the fastest group of any of them to get a charter. That’s because we were able to raise money so quickly and get a committee together. It’s easy to find people who are willing to help,” Winters said.
In addition, to the seed money, organizers got their 501c3 status in August and have been able to raise over $160,000, almost half of the $400,000 they need to raise. They have also added Burlington County to their charter, so it will now serve Monmouth, Ocean and Burlington counties.
“We have made great strides in a short amount of time, but we have many challenges ahead,” Winters said. “We are in the process of forming the board of directors, the Professional Advisory Board, and the Community Advisory Board. We are scouting for a 4,000-5,000-square-foot, home-like setting in which to house The Wellness Community, and we still need to raise $200,000 before we can open our doors. We are doing this by reaching members of the community, corporate donors, as well as applying for grants from foundations.”
According to Winters, there are many fundraising events coming up in the next several months. On Sept. 29, Whole Foods Market in Middletown will host The Wellness Community Day.
“Throughout the store, services that will be provided by The Wellness Community when it opens in our area next year will be demonstrated,” she said, adding those demonstrations will include yoga, tai chi, qigong, relaxation and meditation.
In addition, there will be presentations on topics such as nutrition and breast cancer, the latest on prostate cancer, and eating well during and after cancer treatment. The day will conclude with a cooking show by the “Dietitian in the Kitchen,” Diane Hendricks, who will highlight healthy, whole foods for both cancer prevention and cancer wellness.
On Friday evening, Sept. 30, there will be a thank-you event for Founding Donors (anyone who contributes at least $1,000 to The Wellness Community during start-up), Winters said.
“This will be an elegant, catered cocktail event at Sonny and Alan Winters’ home in Elberon with live music, a special guest speaker, an update on what we’ve accomplished and a look at where we are headed.”
On Thursday, Oct. 27, at 5:30 p.m., in conjunction with Meridian Health, the center will conduct an educational presentation titled “Frankly Speaking About New Discoveries in Cancer.” This presentation will be held at the Lance Auditorium at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. It will be free to participants and will include dinner.
The weekend of Jan. 15, a team of runners and walkers will be sent to the PF Chang’s Rock and Roll Marathon in Phoenix, Ariz. Each participant will raise $3,000 and in return will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Arizona for the weekend, as well as admission to the Marathon.
“This Marathon is special, as there is a band at every mile marker along the course. And, Phoenix is a nice place to visit when it is biting cold in New Jersey,” she said.
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.
The Wellness Community is a charter of a national organization formed in 1989. There are currently 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 and 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.”
In addition to organizing the above events, Winters has 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 the group’s progress can log on anytime.
The Web site is www.twcjerseyshore.org.