Dr. Emily Frank - Chef and Physician Extraordinaire

On Tuesday night, I had the honor of attending a dinner and talk given by Dr. Emily Frank at her lovely home in Carmel. For those of you who know Emily, you also know that she is a very gifted internal medicine physician, who has a passion for women's health issues. As if that wasn't enough, Emily is also a fantastic cook, and she is furthering that past time by attending culinary school. She also happens to be my older sister.

About twenty OPTIONS Class Nine members and OPTIONS Alumnae members attended. We enjoyed a menu of appetizers that Emily prepared, including blueberry and brie shortbread tarts, goat cheese, caramelized onion and candied walnut pizza, gazpacho with shrimp, tuna tartar, and dark chocolate, among other treats. Emily prepared all these delicious goodies from scratch with ingredients that were vitamin rich and contained healthful qualities such as antioxidants.

Emily's theme was wellness for women and she focused our conversation on the recommendations that we should all keep in mind as we take care of ourselves. We discussed everything from the amount of vitamin D we should all be taking to whether the BRCA testing is a reliable screening tool for the chances of developing breast cancer. One of the common themes from the evening was the question of whether we would alter our behavior knowing the out come of these types of diagnostic tools. Even if we knew we carried the gene to develop breast cancer, would we do anything differently? The recommendations for the general public are that BRCA testing is not a reasonable exam because of the cost balanced against the likelihood of preventing disease. That then begs the question should cost be a factor when determining who is entitled to good medical testing? What tests are excessive and may lead to unnecessary treatment, regardless of cost? In this climate of complex debate regarding health care, our discussion seems even more timely.

Another reoccurring theme throughout the evening was nutrition. Emily mentioned that the issue of nutrition, and more particularly weight loss has come up every time she speaks to women on the topic of wellness. In our discussion, we talked about nutrition and weight loss in the context of what diets Emily would recommend, what supplements were safe and effective, and how to balance our love of good food against our desires to be a size four.

It was interesting to contrast our questions against the questions posed to Emily when she spoke to the Professional Women's Group at Dress for Success. These women aren't any different than us in that they want to know more about their bodies, their diets, and improve and extend their lives and the lives of their families. What is different is that Emily had to tailor her recommendations to the PWG women because of their tight budgets and limited access to fresh produce and healthy food. Jennifer had a great recommendation that perhaps Emily would go to Double 8 or the downtown Kroger before she speaks to PWG again so that she can see the meager food options at the stores in which these women shop.

And that is what is so great about Women's Fund. On Tuesday night we had the opportunity to better ourselves by listening to a dynamic, engaging, and informed speaker who gave us specific recommendations on how to improve our health and wellness. However, Women's Fund's commitment to women and girls in need still found its way into our discussion, and we all paused to think about how lucky we are that we can afford those shiny Honey Crisp apples at Whole Foods. Women's Fund helps us balance the benefits of our lives against the responsibility to remember and understand women in need residing in Central Indiana.

Thanks you Emily for a fascinating (and delicious!) evening.

Go Girl!

Driving home from a meeting with Women’s Fund, I found myself comparing them to an event I participated in over the weekend. On Saturday, I was one of 500 women who participated in the Go Girl Triathlon, an event benefiting the Julian Center (I can't believe I'm actually posting a picture from the race, but there I am).

At the triathlon, women and girls cheered each other on. “Go Girl, Go” was a common chant throughout the race. Women of all ages enthusiastically supported and encouraged each other along the course. Women empowered one another and lifted each other up. The energy and excitement was an incredible experience.

So, how does that compare to Women’s Fund? Simple. Women’s Fund awards grants that encourage and inspire hope to women and girls in central Indiana. They are the support and encouragement that organizations need to ‘keep going’ and to ‘finish the race’.

As I sat in traffic, my mind wandered and I thought about some of the women in our community who inspire and empower women and girls with grants from Women’s Fund. I smiled as I thought about how they cheer for the women and girls in our community.

I can see:

• Sharon Pierce, president & CEO, The Villages, saying “Go Girl” to a teen who suffered abuse, yet overcame tragedy and graduated from high school.


• Pat Wachtel, executive director, Girls, Inc., high-fiving a young girl as she crossed the finish line driving the soap box derby car she made at camp.


• Niki Girls, executive director, Concord Neighborhood Center, cheering on a team of girls playing basketball, soccer or softball.

And the list goes on.

What women do you know who empower women and girls? I’d like to know so I can say “Go Girl” and Thanks!

Mentors and the green sash

When I think of the experiences in my life that have made the person I am, there are many that come to mind, but one that stands out is my Girl Scout experience. I was a Brownie, Junior Girl Scout and a Cadette (there were no Daisy’s in 1973). I now realize how lucky I was to have amazing mentors as my troop leaders. In fourth grade, Yvonne Shaheen dutifully guided us through all the badges we worked on as a troop. She and Barbra Mundt took time to help all of us with our projects and take us to new places. We all went to Camp Dellwood, part of Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, on Indianapolis' west side. I don’t remember too much about it except it rained. I am not much of a camper, but we cooked on a fire and all and all had fun!

Girl Scouts, Women's Fund grant recipient, is much more than selling cookies - although I sold a ton of them. It taught me life skills. I baked my first cake because of Girl Scouts, went bowling, and sewed up a very cute halter top that I wish I could still fit into. I believe Scouting made me a leader. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience today engages girls to discover, connect, and take action.

We are all busy in our lives but ask yourself: who mentored you? Do you mentor anyone? I challenge you to take the time to give back to today's young women. They might look back one day - as I do - and say "thank you" for the life lessons you gave them. Thanks Yvonne and Girl Scouts!

Back to School...or Not?

It is back to school season... yellow busses abound on our streets and school supplies line the aisles of our favorite stores. This time is one of excitement for many children and parents, and one of dismay for others. Most parents have to adjust work schedules to manage pickup and dropoff for their children, determine new caregiving options, and the like.

"Kids go back to school... or maybe not" talks about the challenges the Indianapolis Public School (IPS) system faces this time of year. Having worked with families and schools in IPS in the past, I know attendance can be an issue. I was surprised to see the actual number of children not present in the first days and weeks of school. IPS School 60 had around 100 children absent the first day, and according to this article, almost 9,000 children expected to attend school were not present on the first day.

Several questions linger in my mind: What happens to those children who are not in school on the first day - are they safe and well-cared for? What about children like 7-year-old Anya, who want to go to school, but are not able to attend due to a barrier related to income? What is the impact on our entire community of nearly 9,000 children missing one day, one week, or more of school?

I am proud Women's Fund provides funding to address issues around caregiving and insufficient income. I hope that the families who struggle with back-to-school time know their options. One great resource is our grantee, Indianapolis Day Nursery; they keep a list of childcare resources. Check back on Thursday for a post by Jennifer, who will continue our discussion about childcare.

Women's Fund Endowment Campaign

Welcome to my very first blogging experience. This is a big step for someone who does not facebook or twitter! I make this exception because Women's Fund is an organization that is important to me and, I believe, essential for the central Indiana community. If you look over some of the previous posts, you can read about a few of the services provided by agencies that focus on meeting the needs of women and girls. Women's Fund exists to support agencies that provide these front-line services. It does so by distributing grants to effective and innovative agencies that will transform lives. However, it is important to me that the impact is not a short-term one. The transformation of a single woman or girl is amazing, but it takes more to build a community and sustain that success.

Women's Fund maintains a permanent endowment. A well-funded endowment allows Women's Fund to research and communicate the needs of women and girls in this community. A well-funded endowment supports the needs of the agencies to continue their crucial services. A well-funded endowment creates opportunities for sustained success in changing the lives of our friends and neighbors. A well-funded endowment builds communities that help women and men, girls and boys, live lives of dignity.

I believe in this mission and I have seen the impact Women’s Fund already has had on this community. When Women’s Fund determined to do more for central Indiana so that agencies with qualified needs were not left without adequate funding, I was grateful to be able to contribute to and participate in its endowment campaign. Women’s Fund is in the final few months of a crucial campaign to grow its endowment an additional $10 million. This will allow Women’s Fund to significantly increase its impact on the community, with a goal of distributing $1 million dollars a year.

Contributing toward the transformation of lives and building a better community through an organization that so carefully monitors and distributes my philanthropic dollars means that I can make an immediate and lasting impact through one endowment fund that will support this community well beyond my lifetime. Reach me through Women's Fund. I would be glad to tell you more about making a donation that impacts lives for more than a lifetime.

Planning for Impact

What do all of the following entities have in common?

• Indianapolis Colts
• Indianapolis Woman magazine
• Indianapolis Airport Air Traffic Control

Planning. All of these have a plan - a detailed plan - to accomplish great success. The Indianapolis Colts spend months recruiting players, determining a training schedule, running routes and drills. Indianapolis Woman has a dynamic content and image plan for each issue. The Indianapolis Airport's Air Traffic Control artfully instruments a high volume of air traffic safely on and off its runways every day.

What does this have to do with Women's Fund and with you? Everything! Women's Fund places an emphasis on careful planning. For example, our Advisory Board leadership is planned years in advance and we recently adopted a strategic plan. We also make grantmaking decisions informed in part by our research, such as Still on Shaky Ground 2006.

You know that planning helps you get places on time and remember important tasks. What about your personal philanthropy? If you are like many people, you probably have not thought carefully about your philanthropy goals. What are your values? What issues do you want to impact? It is never too early or late in life to become more strategic with your personal giving.

Personally, since joining the Women's Fund and CICF team about a year ago, I have become a more thoughtful philanthropist and have grown in my efforts to impact areas I care about. Over time, we will share on this blog how Women's Fund helps many current and future donors with their philanthropy planning, through programs such as GO: Give Back and OPTIONS.

A Delightful Experience

As an alumnus of OPTIONS Class Eight, I had the opportunity to attend a Girls Inc. “Do’s and Taboo’s Class – Etiquette Tea Class” last Wednesday, July 29, to see a program funded by the members of the OPTIONS Class Eight.

Two sessions took place at the Morris-Butler House, attended by 55 girls from 6 to 14 years of age. The class began with a tour of the historic home followed by the initial test of setting a table properly. I sat at a table with four girls with ages ranging from 11-14. They struggled to set the table correctly. Do you remember if the fork goes on top of the napkin or to the right of it? Where is the knife’s blade positioned next to the plate? I failed to get these two items correct (by the way, the napkin goes to the left of the fork and the blade of the knife faces the plate). It was an interesting exercise for us all.

Tea and finger foods were served with instructions provided throughout the session. Amy, the program director at the Morris-Butler House, provided interesting etiquette tips and asked various etiquette questions of the group. Many hands were raised with either the answer or another etiquette question. My OPTIONS classmates felt very strongly about providing this type of instruction and experience to the participants of Girls Inc. We understand the value of having good etiquette skills in the business environment and how that can give them an edge.

I will leave you with the Cardinal Rules for Dining that was shared with us on the back of our menu:

• Always say “Please” and “Thank You".
• Keep the conversation pleasant and enjoyable. Never engage in gossip.
• Always bring food to your mouth, not the mouth to the food.
• Never talk with your mouth full.
• Don’t blow your nose on your napkin – ask to be excused and visit the restroom.
• Chewing gum and applying makeup are never allowed at the table.
• Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
• Toothpicks are never used at the table, nor are forks to be used as toothpicks.

Also, I wanted to extend congratulations to Girls Inc. on its 40th Anniversary!