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Photos from our “Chocolatada” Christmas Party in Peru

January 6, 2012 in Events, General, Helping Children, Mission, Peru, South America by Jonathan White | Comments closed

On the 17th of December, our clinic staff in Peru, celebrated with an early Christmas party with some of the children and former patients of our clinic. Thanks to the the contribution of friends and family, the party was held with gifts, food, and a musical clown show for the children.

This year the party was held at one of the local municipality community centers, and we were able to provide a total of 110 gifts for the children. 90 of these gifts were handed out to the children at the party and the remaining 20 were given at a seperate gathering for children who are patients of ours with TB (Tuberculosis) and Malnourishment in another special meeting for them.

Thank you to David Franco, who also collaborated with us, brought gifts and also a basket of food,which draw in the audience.

A great time was had by all!

Dionicess IX: Beer & Booze for Charity

December 8, 2011 in Armenia, Events, Los Angeles, Providing Medical Support, Thank You by Sarah Stern | Comments closed

October 21^st 2011, I had the privilege of going undercover as a waitress at the highly publicized and anticipated Dionicess IX, a culinary extravaganza which has been appearing on the LA scene for the past 3 years, with all proceeds benefitting charity.

Gev Kazanchyan,a member of the Real Medicine Advisory Board and creator of these events was introduced to Real Medicine 3 years ago through our Armenian Project Director, Nairy Ghazourian. This introduction would lead to a series of pairings over the next 3 years benefitting our project in Shinuhayr, Armenia. From Dionicess II (which paired Coffee & Chocolate) to Dionicess VI (which paired Beer, Sausage & Fries) all have had rave reviews and have brought much needed awareness and support to our Armenian Projects.

This year’s event teamed up Gev with Dave Waltrous (Beachwood BBQ & Brewing) , Randy Clemens and Matt Biancaniello featuring “Beer & Booze” with an assortment of vegetarian dishes to compliment each.

The event was held at the Steingarten LA, which gives you a feeling of times past. Dark woods, a beautiful patio area and an atmosphere of sophistication, were the perfect setting for what we were about to experience. Their extensive menu was hard to pass up, and I enjoyed an absolutely exquisite Wild Boar & Berry Sausage with owner Abraham Berookhim between seatings.
Matt Biancaniello (voted LA’s top bartender 2010) was hard at work preparing the garnishes for the cocktails. There was fresh verbena that had been hand picked at 2am, pumpkin infusions, and a rare Belgian elderberry liqueur thathad never seen American soil. International shipping had caused quite a predicament as the precious nectar-of-the-gods had only arrived 2 days prior to the event!

Author and Chef Randy Clemen’s tantalizing vegetarian dishes included items such as the “Taquit-Ohhh Yeah”, a fabulous “Risotto Pop” and myfavorite, “the Hop and the Hound” which had a had a kick stronger than a mule! Randy’s “Sriracha Cookbook” is
available through Amazon.com and his recipes do deliver a punch! If you like it spicy, this is definitely the crème de la crème of cookbooks!

Having not waitressed since college (we won’t say how long ago that was!), I was a bit nervous-but with the assistance of Dr. Susan Jarakian & Armenian Country Director Nairy Ghazourian we were well prepared for the days journey. The 1^st seating’s attendees consisted of a host of press from a variety of culinary publications, some local and some from as far as Wisconsin. The 2^nd seating was primarily comprised of Gev’s cult following, this being his 9^thhighly anticipated event which each year sells out within days of its announcement.

This year’s event raised over $1,400 for our project in Shinuhayr ,Armenia which supports 8,000 people from surrounding villages and is the only access to medical care in the region. Last year, we were able to provide food and clothing to sustain families through the brutal winter months as well as providing the region with an ambulance equipped with emergency supplies.

A huge Real Medicine thank you to all that helped to put on this year’s event! To read more about Dionicess IX please go to:

DionicessIX: Combining Craft Beer & Cocktails for Charity and to be added to the
main invite list for future events please send a simple email request to: dionicessgigs@gmail.com.
For information about our Armenian Project and how you can help support the families through this year’s winter please go to:

RealMedicine Armenia or directly to our donor page here.

Tags: armenia, Culinary, Dionicess, Los Angeles

Real Medicine Foundation & Florence Western Medical Center Los Angeles Community Outreach

August 23, 2011 in Donate, Events, General, Helping Children, Los Angeles, North America, Sarah Stern, Thank You, Voices from the Field by Sarah Stern | Comments closed

“Back to School in South L.A.”

By Sarah Stern

This past weekend, Real Medicine Foundation & the Florence Western Medical Center hosted their first “Back to School” Event, providing more than 60 children and families with brand new backpacks filled with school supplies.

Recognizing the needs of this community has not been the challenge; the challenge has been how to encourage the community to show up for the services available to them. Free health and fitness programs for adults and children are offered at the center by Real Medicine, yet often we find a low attendance due to lack of access to information, transportation and health issues. While we have worked diligently to encourage the patients with incentives to attend these programs, at times it can be frustrating. Many charities in Los Angeles share this dilemma.

So the question becomes how can we bring about awareness of our programming in an area where the digital age has fallen behind? Phone numbers on sign-up sheets are often disconnected the following month. Most patients do not have home computers, making emails a futile effort. How can we meet the needs of the community and bring forth something that they will show up for, while giving them access to information about the center’s services and our programming?

The thought came to me that a “Back to School” event just might be the perfect solution. Given that our annual children’s holiday party has grown steadily these past few years, I wondered if we were to add an additional annual event, one that would prepare the children for the upcoming school year with a sturdy, brand new backpack if we would not have a good response from the community. A backpack filled with school supplies that once upon a time were provided by the school systems. A backpack that would free the parents from the financial stress associated with back to school (and as most families have several children these stressors can be extremely hardening on the family as a whole); a backpack that would produce excitement in the child about returning to school.

Dr. Kevin Thomas and I discussed the idea and we proceeded to move forward. Now the real challenges would begin! I contacted company after company to see about the possibility of donated or discounted backpacks for the event. Time and time again I received the same automated response that – “due to the overwhelming number of requests each year, unfortunately at this time they would be unable to help us”. I then turned to the internet and in search of ideas for discounted backpacks. Sure, I could go to downtown LA and get backpacks for cheap, but I was determined to give the children something they could be proud of, something that would last. Every parent knows that the backpack is just about the most important accessory in a child’s life (other than tennis shoes, which will be next year’s event goal!).

I presented my woes to Dr. Martina Fuchs, CEO and founder of Real Medicine who offered to delegate $1,000 from a recent event’s proceeds, and I asked that the remaining funds raised from my 2011 “Athletes for Real Medicine” LA Marathon 5k also be applied toward the budget. I searched high and low and finally found the source of our backpacks; Wal-Mart. They not only offered fabulous backpacks that fit the budget, but had the best pricing on the school supplies we needed to fill them!

In a collaborated effort, in the final week we were able to fill the backpacks and secure even more, as we had a waitlist of 21 children looking to attend the event on top of the 60 already confirmed.

Mary Miller returned to Northrop Grumman countless times for items such as pens, reusable water bottles and science books. Florence Western contacted their partners and the Office of Councilman Bernard Parks for support; I reached out to friends and family with pleas on Facebook & a Causes “birthday wish”. The response from all was overwhelming and as the supplies began to trickle in, I found myself quite emotional. Monday morning I had 56 backpacks and a long list of supplies needed, we had some but where short on what we needed to complete each backpack. By Monday afternoon I had personally raised enough funds to purchase cases of notebooks, glue sticks, pencil boxes, colored pencils and 4 additional backpacks. When I returned home, I found that a friend had placed 5 cases of water from Costco inside my gate, which brought me to tears.

Tuesday morning, Mara Leng, the office manager from Florence Western Medical Center, called to say that they had secured 30 additional backpacks and several boxes of supplies from their Health Net representative, which allowed me to phone the remaining families on the waitlist and confirm their children for the event. One mother expressed tears of joy that her son would be able to attend and receive a backpack, which was a stark reminder of just how great the need for this type of event was and an affirmation of why I love my job so much. Wednesday, Real Medicine Team Armenia member Nairy Ghazourian introduced us to Amy Sheyer and Diane Baxter, Health Net executives who offered to provide all of the food for the event, which was a huge weight off our shoulders! Chip Matthews from FWMC then informed me that several LAPD cadets would be available to assist with the event (also very welcomed news!!). Thursday morning Nichole Stephenson a RMF volunteer and I began filling the 80 pencil boxes (I couldn’t help but be reminded of the “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy and Ethel were on the factory line at the chocolate factory) we figured out what we were short and it was one last trip to Wal-Mart, 60lbs of red apples from Costco c/o Health Net to supplement the granola bars they were providing, and my all time favorite, the 99cent store for 60 water bottles. My apologies to the cashiers and to anyone that found themselves in line behind me this past week! Friday morning the city of LA dropped off 10 tables and 75 chairs (this is a free service for community events, a huge thank you to the office of Bernard Parks!) We completed the backpacks, did a walk through, called volunteers and printed flyers about the Saturday children’s outreach program and sign-up sheets. I didn’t know if I would ever sleep again..

Showtime:

At 8:30am on Saturday, setup began. A host of RMF volunteers along with Dr. Kevin Thomas’s sister and niece began the process of preparing the stage – the large parking lot area in the back of the clinic. Everyone pitched in and to our delight we were completely prepared to meet the 60+ children that were due to arrive at 10am. Once the children were checked in, they began working on banners for the clinic and for the upcoming “Mobility Event” the following weekend. The children were then led in a large group exercise routine by our very own Roz Baker, I peeked around the corner and a huge smile crossed my face as I watched these children in a large circle working together.

At this point, Councilman Bernard Parks, former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and now representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles, made an appearance, much to everyone’s excitement. His tireless efforts and compassion towards the families of South Los Angeles have made him a pillar within the community. Snacks and much needed hydration were handed out to the children followed by the grand finale: Backpacks!! We lined up the little ones first, managed to avoid any mob scenes and successfully handed out all of the backpacks (along with shirts and other goodies that Mary Miller had received last minute) and the children proceeded to personalize their brand new backpack with a rainbow of fabric pens.

Parents expressed their gratitude and filled the Saturday Children’s Program sign-up sheet (much to my delight!). The children’s thanks came with hugs as we watched them head out the gate with their backpacks in tow.

We all sat back and relished in the day’s events, there had been not a single glitch and only one scraped knee (which Dr. Kevin Thomas saw to personally). Cadets and volunteers enjoyed much deserved sandwiches and discussed the marvels of the day. We had all come together for a common cause, and the day could not have been more perfect. I thank all of those who came out to support, who donated funds, supplies and most of all helped create our First Annual Back to School Event which will now be a part of our services for years to come.

To contribute to this initiative, please click Donate button or visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org/donors.

Tags: back to school, children, community outreach, community support los angeles, Florence Western Medical Center, LA, Los Angeles, Los Angeles non-profit, volunteering, Wal-Mart

Thank you to Andrew Weiss Gallery for Fundraising Event!

June 28, 2011 in Events, General, Helping Children, Los Angeles, North America, Partners, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities by Jonathan White | Comments closed

On behalf of all of us at Real Medicine Foundation, we would like thank everyone involved for the wonderful fundraising event at the Andrew Weiss Gallery on Sunday!

Your support, generosity and contributions will make a difference in the lives of countless children and their families we serve around the world.

Photos of the event below:

: Yolanda Parker and Dr. Martina Fuchs

: Denise Weiss and Dr. Martina Fuchs

: Diane Sargisian, Denise Weiss, and Nina Sventitsky

: Jody Weinberg

: Lily and guest

: Lily and guest

: Lily Yu

: Lyndie Benson

: Nina Sventitsky

: Steve Glenn and Leslie Berliant

Japan Relief Fundraiser at Space 15 Twenty a Success

April 4, 2011 in Asia, Disaster Relief, Events, Helping Children, Japan, Providing Medical Support by Jonathan White | Comments closed

Rachel (TOM's shoes), Tania (Space 15 Twenty), Vy (Rudy's Barbershop)

We would like to thank everyone involved at the Japan Relief Fundraiser held at Space 15 Twenty on Saturday for their support, it was an amazing day filled with fun, music and charity!

As this event was sponsored by the kind folks over at Rudy’s Barber Shop www.RudysBarbershop.com, Ace Hotel www.acehotel.com, Cha Cha Lounge www.chachalounge.com and Bimbos Cantina www.bimboscantina.com, this group agreed to match donations to our Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief raised at both this event and on our website.

We brought in $1,246 for the Japan Relief Effort through this event, and 100% of these funds will go directly to providing the evacuation camps with food, water and supplies for which they are in dire need.

Many thanks again for helping with the recovery process for the people of Japan, and be sure to check our website for updates on how you have made a difference- www.realmedicinefoundation.org

Enclosed are more photos from the event.

If you are interesting in donating to the earthquake/tsunami relief efforts in Japan, click on Donate below and be sure to mention Japan as the donation purpose and we will continue to organize funding to JEN’s relief efforts.

: Rachel (TOM’s shoes), Tania (Space 15 Twenty), Vy (Rudy’s Barbershop)

: DJ’s Stone’s Throw Records

: Rudy’s Barbershop giving cuts

: Stone’s Throw Records

: Rudy’s Barbershop

Tags: japan, Japan Fundraiser, japan relief, japan tsunami, Space 15 Twenty

Athletes for Real Medicine: 20 mile training run!

March 3, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Events by Jonathan White | Comments closed

by Brandi Howell

Sunday’s run was the most anxiety-provoking run thus far. Even after all of the crazy hill runs we’ve done, no amount of intensity could’ve prepared us for the thought of running 20 miles. As with most challenge-related fears, the best way to overcome them is to roll up your shirt sleeves and “tear off the bandaid”–or in this case, lace up your running shoes and start with a slow jog. Which is exactly what we did.

Our three-man group planned an easy three mile warm-up jog, before settling into our individual paces. We caught up about the week and shared travel stories as we climbed the mild incline on San Vicente. As soon as we hit the three mile mark, our group started to spread out. I turned on my i-pod and was comforted by Al Green, Fleetwood Mac, Thievery Corporation and many more (by the end of the run, I had listened to 41 songs).

After looping down Montana Ave, back towards the ocean, we hopped on the bike path, with seven miles down and thirteen to go. The bright morning sun warmed our skin. The waves were choppy and a pod of dolphins played in the water. I even saw one jump high out of the water to dive back in. Nearing the turnaround point, I spotted one of the team members running back towards me. We gave each other high fives and kept on going.

At mile twelve, I realized that I was more than half-way done. I was comforted by this thought, as I gazed out at the wind-blown sand covering the beach, decorated by ripply patterns that made it look like a mini Saharan desert. Before I knew it, the Santa Monica pier was behind me, the fifteen mile marker had been passed, and Venice Pier, marking the final turnaround point, was just ahead.

The last four miles whizzed by. As often happens, I had reached “the zone” and managed to stay there comfortably. Dodging in and out of crowds along the Venice boardwalk, I slowly closed in on the finish line. I even picked up my pace when I saw that I was closing in on another distance runner who had passed me a mile before. After “picking him off”, I ran up the Santa Monica pier and coasted through Palisades Park, until finally reaching the end.

While stretching in the warm sun, I couldn’t help but smile with joy. The longest training run of the season was over, the big day that we’ve all worked so hard for was just a few weeks away, and our fundraising efforts were adding up. While the sunshine heated me up on the outside, gratitude and pride radiated from within.

For more information about RMF’s Athletes for Real Medicine, click here.

Follow us on Twitter or our Athletes for Real Medicine Facebook page or our Group page on

Tags: athletes for real medicine, fundraise for la marathon, la honda marathon, LA Marathon, Los Angeles Marathon

Athletes for Real Medicine: Sunday’s 15 mile training run!!

January 26, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Disaster Relief, Events, Helping Children, Los Angeles, North America, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

This week’s Sunday run was intimidating because it was our longest training run yet–15 miles! Nevertheless, my dedicated teammates were enthusiastic and cheerful when I arrived at 8 a.m. It was another gorgeous So Cal morning, warming up quickly under a bright white sun in a pale blue sky. Despite our sleepy eyes, we were in high spirits, joking with each other as we discussed the course. I had planned two loops and a short “out and back” to make up the mileage. But the guys suggested we run one huge loop, so that by boring mile 12, we could be entertained by the lively Venice crowd. And what a great idea that turned out to be!

After setting out North for four miles, we doubled back, leaving the peaceful and desolate wide-open beaches behind us, and heading for the bustling Santa Monica pier and colorful Venice boardwalk. The three of us stuck together the whole way, helping one another through the tough mental blocks and achy pains, common to endurance runners. We laughed, people-watched and inspired each other from mile one to mile fifteen. It was one of my favorite runs thus far, because we started the run as a team, we finished as a team and we lifted each other up like teammates do.

Running long distances is humbling because the mind and body experience intense challenges along the way, but sharing the pain and laughter with a community, and running with a purpose, is powerful and moving. We are thankful for these Sunday runs and excited about the comments and inquiries that our T-shirts have been generating.

Go Team Real Med!!!

For more information about RMF’s Athletes for Real Medicine, click here.

Tags: la marathon training, Los Angeles Marathon, los angeles marathon training, marathon training, Real Athletes

RMF/Florence Western Medical Center Holiday party

January 18, 2011 in Events, General, Helping Children, Los Angeles, North America, Rebuilding Communities, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

By Sarah Stern

In the month leading up to our annual holiday party at Florence Western Medical Center, there was a great deal of excitement in the air. Carly Krause, a dedicated RMF volunteer and I began the preparations for our 3^rd annual holiday party, with our attendance expected to double to approximately 50-60 children. Florence Western’s Medical Director, Dr. Kevin Thomas, introduced us to Mary Miller, who was excited to join the RMF team for this year’s party. On a limited budget, we sought donations of food, toys and supplies for the children – and exactly one week before the party Mary called me with the news that Northrop Grumman would be making a large donation towards the purchase of toys for the children! Our phone conversation at 11:30pm that night was filled with tears of joy and gratitude, and now came the fun part: though we were grateful for and happy with donations from FOX Entertainment Group, toys bought from Target’s $1 bins and a generous gift card from Gelson’s Markets, we now had the ability to provide everyone with dream gift bags.

Story continued below photo gallery:

RMF volunteer Anicee Lau took on the task of assisting me with coordinating our volunteers, which came flooding in the weeks prior. We had close to 20 volunteers who showed up in spite of the weather (record breaking rainfall in Los Angeles), offering holiday cookies and decoration supplies for the children to decorate as well as gifts for the children, photography services, and helping hands that were greatly needed. Real Medicine is built upon a foundation of “Friends helping Friends helping Friends”, and this year’s volunteer turn out showed that 5 years since our inception we are going stronger than ever, and growing each and every year.

Kwanzaa stories, yoga/fitness fun, snowflakes and wreath creations followed by cookie decorating were the planned activities, and though the weather had dampened our original plans to hold the event outdoors, we made do with one very intimate, energetic outreach room. The children then proceeded to share in all of the beautiful food trays the volunteers had prepared, and one by one their names were called out and they received a bag overflowing with gifts. The parents’ expression of gratitude alone was enough to fill your heart, but that combined with the children’s laughter and smiles from this year’s event, well, that was enough to fill your soul.

My deepest thanks to the dedicated staff of Florence Western Medical Center, my assistants Carly Krause and Anicee Lau for their countless hours of preparation, Maya Jabbur Photography for hundreds of beautiful photos, our amazing volunteers who made sure that everything ran as smoothly as possible, our angels of the season Mary Miller, Mara Leng, Chief Bernard Parks office for all those tables and chairs, Northrop Grumman, FOX Entertainment Group and last but not least, the most beautiful and amazing children of South Los Angeles which we will continue to love and support with our outreach programs and holiday parties.

If you would like to help support our Los Angeles programs, which provide health & nutrition workshops, art therapy, yoga and reading programs for children of low-income families, I encourage you to make a donation today, as every bit counts. The children of this community have no access to the programs Real Medicine provides through their school districts, and we are able to offer them a safe haven for education, creativity and stress management. Please help us to be able to continue to provide these services as well as expand them to include programs for the local teens that desperately need local programs that would help them to obtain the necessary skills to become responsible, well rounded young adults.

To contribute to this initiative, please click Donate button or visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.

Tags: florence western, Florence Western Medical Center, la donations, los angeles charities, los angeles children charities

Athletes for Real Medicine: Sunday Training Run

January 17, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Events, Los Angeles, North America by Jonathan White | Comments closed

By Brandi Howell

We met at the park in Santa Monica at 8 am. The air was warm and the sky was blue. Although it was January, it felt like a summer morning–this being one of the benefits of living in Los Angeles. While our east coast friends are shoveling snow, we’re dusting sand off our feet after a day at the beach. But I digress. This glorious, west coast morning, we gathered in our Real Med t-shirts, chatted for a few minutes, discussed the route, then set out together for our 10 mile run.

We were happy to have a new team member joining us, who was running her first long run of the season. She and I ran together so I could show her when to “GU” (refuel on nutrition packets), how to pace and how to get through the “wall”(emotional blockade that makes runner’s want to quit).

We looked out at the glistening ocean, appreciated the great weather and talked…so much that we ran a bit too far, adding an extra mile to our 10 mile run. By the time our trek was over, we were inspired, high on endorphins and already excited for next Sunday’s run. We stretched out in the comfortable grass, looked up at the trees as we “threaded the needle” (stretched our hips) and parted ways, proud of our early morning accomplishment.

Go Athletes for Real Medicine!!!!

For more information about RMF’s Athletes for Real Medicine, click here.

Folllow us on Twitter or our Athletes for Real Medicine Facebook page or our Group page on Facebook

Tags: athletes for real medicine, donate la marathon, honda la marathon, LA Marathon, Los Angeles Marathon, real medicine foundation marathon, Related Links

Photos from our Christmas “Chocolatada” party for children in Peru

January 4, 2011 in Events, General, Helping Children, Peru, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, South America, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

In Peru, Christmas is fairly similar to celebrations held in the US and Europe, when many families get together, celebrate and exchange gifts. The well off families generaly eat turkey and eat Paneton (a cake/bread filled with fruits) and drink hot chocolate.

In the week preceding Christmas, it is also popular for communities, churches or charity organisations to organize “Chocolatadas” where people who make a Christmas gesture to poor children and families by offering them a cup of hot chocolate, food and perhaps small gifts.

Below are some of the fun photos of the Chocolotada that RMF and our clinic staff/volunteers arranged for the community of San Clemente: