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RMF Los Angeles Outreach Program update

June 8, 2011 in Los Angeles, North America, Rebuilding Communities by Jonathan White | Comments closed

by Sarah Stern

Annual Report for RMF Outreach program at the Florence Western Medical Clinic

Real Medicine’s partnership with Whole Foods Market, Venice, California is continuing successfully. In the last 12 months, 1,728 patients were provided with bags of nutritious groceries. Patients sign up at the Florence Western Medical Center’s front desk to be considered to receive food. We are looking into additional partnerships with organizations and grocery stores that would be able to meet the growing dietary needs within this community.

Our children’s Health & Fitness program is held the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month, from 10am-2pm. Fitness instructor Roz Baker provides nutritional education and goals along with a fitness “boot camp” that provides children with fun, yet challenging exercises and a cardiovascular workout. Our yoga instructors provide the children with stress relieving breathing techniques and poses that they can take into their daily lives. 144 children were provided Health & Fitness instruction along with yoga and nutritional classes last year. The physical condition of most of the children participating in the program starts out as poor.

Many have very little cardiovascular fitness, are weak and some are obese. Our experience shows that after a few classes the kids understand the importance of being healthy and how it is in their own power to get healthy and fit. Regular attendees now request us to create exercises for them to take home and several children have started to lose weight. The majority of the kids live in areas where parks are dangerous, and few and far between. This program gives them the knowledge and confidence to take control of their health. Our goal is that it will transfer to all aspects of their lives.

Real Medicine Foundation believes in focusing on the “whole” child. In Sri Lanka, following the Tsunami of December 2004, we found the use of art therapy extremely beneficial in helping children to deal with the tremendous trauma they had experienced, to relieve post-traumatic stress and to open the door to communication.

The children of South Los Angeles face many emotional challenges, such as gang violence in the streets where they live, homelessness, unemployment and despair of their parents or caregivers on a daily basis, and our goal is to provide them with a safe atmosphere to be able to express themselves. Thus, we provide art, reading and specialized workshops as these services are unavailable within their community. Real Medicine will continue to expand this program by providing summer programs as well, i.e. a “Back to School” drive which will provide all children with new backpacks, school supplies as well as vouchers that can be used for clothing and shoes.

132 adults attended our “Healthy Living” workshops provided by our partner Health Net. Workshops educate the patients about the importance of a healthy lifestyle and how to incorporate it in their daily lives. Dietary suggestions as well as low-impact exercises are presented, along with encouragement to quit smoking and limit alcohol use. 80% of all patients who participate are suffering ailments due to obesity, poor dietary and lifestyle choices.

Our annual holiday party was held on December 18th, 2010 where 65 children received over $2,000 worth of toys, books and sports equipment donated by Northrop Grumman Corporation. We are looking forward to this year’s holiday and expect it to provide even more items and gifts for the families.

Four times a month, Real Medicine provides physical therapy sessions with a licensed Physical Therapist, Charmayne Cahn. In the past year over 25 patients (with a 50% return rate) received physical therapy sessions. The majority of patients are seeking treatment for injuries due to strokes, arthritis, falls and automobile accidents.

Our program continues to grow each year, and with the possibility of additional funding promises to provide even more services for patients including a registered dietician, Lifestyle counseling, field trips to cultural activities centers for the children and transportation to music programs, grief counseling and other free community services provided within Los Angeles. Depending on funding, we also aim to resume our Psychological Trauma Support Program since it is desperately needed in the community we are serving.

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

 Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or become a fundraiser for us at Causes.com

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Real Medicine Foundation To Participate in LA Marathon For Second Year, Portion of Proceeds to Go Directly to Relief Efforts in Japan

March 18, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Disaster Relief, Helping Children, Los Angeles, North America, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities by Jonathan White | Comments closed

Los Angeles, CA – March 18, 2011 – Real Medicine Foundation is proud to announce that for the second year, it will be an official charity of the LA Marathon this Sunday March 20th.  Runners from across California have joined Athletes for Real Medicine raising $18,000 so far for the non-profit which provides humanitarian support to people living in disaster and poverty stricken areas.

Some of the funds raised will go directly to Real Medicine Foundation’s relief efforts in Japan. The organization has partnered with JEN (Japanese Emergency Non-profit) to provide food and supplies to emergency shelters. JEN’s motto of “psycho-social care and assistance for self-reliance” is very similar to Real Medicine Foundation’s focus on the person as a whole, providing medical, physical, emotional, economic and social support.

Forty LA Marathon runners have opted to run and fundraise on behalf of Real Medicine Foundation, which operates in 15 countries throughout the world, including at home in Los Angeles, serving more than 6 million people a year. Donations of any size are accepted, and donors may earmark funds to be dedicated to specific projects, including relief efforts in Japan.

Dr. Martina Fuchs, founder and CEO of Real Medicine was honored earlier this year with Lifetime’s Remarkable Women recognition.  Fuchs says, “We are thrilled to be included in the LA Marathon again this year.  With every step these runners take, they are bringing people around the world closer to complete health. If that’s not a great reason to run, what is?”

Real Medicine has received considerable support from the community, including Fox Entertainment Group’s FoxGives, CAA, Environment Charter High School of Lawndale, and Comfort Chiropractic of Monterey Park. Sole Runners Long Beach has runners dedicated to Real Medicine as well.

Lisa Suen, who oversees Real Medicine’s Creative Development, says, “The support we are receiving in the LA Marathon will allow us to continue battling malnutrition, providing screening tests for children, or even just providing the food people need to survive another day, whether in disaster areas like Japan or areas of on-going need such as Haiti and India.  We spend every day promoting health, so to see runners use their extremely strong health to benefit our work is doubly powerful.”

Real Medicine is sponsoring a cheer station at Mile 22 (San Vicente and S. Canyon View Drive) and invites the public to come and show support. The station will feature cheer boards to encourage runners, made by the children who benefit from Real Medicine’s Community Outreach Programs at Florence Western Medical Center in South Los Angeles.

About Real Medicine Foundation: Real Medicine Foundation (www.realmedicinefoundation.org), a 501c3 registered non-profit organization based in Los Angeles, provides humanitarian support to people living in disaster and poverty stricken areas.  RMF believes that “real” medicine is focused on the person as a whole, including medical/physical, emotional, economic and social support.  RMF’s unique approach to humanitarian relief involves partnering with local groups wherever they are to ensure that the clinics and solutions it creates will be sustainable long after the public spotlight has moved on.  Real Medicine’s CEO and Founder Dr. Martina Fuchs was recently honored by Lifetime as one of Lifetime’s Remarkable Women for the work she and her organization have been doing around the world. RMF currently has clinics and projects around the world, including Haiti, Peru, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, the United States, and more.  For complete listings of RMF’s projects, please visit www.realmedicinefoundation.org/our-work.

Athletes for Real Medicine Fundraising Newsletter #2

February 11, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Los Angeles, North America by Jonathan White | Comments closed

February 11th, 2011

“Driving the Momentum – Mile for Mile, Dollar for Dollar”

Hello Athletes!

I hope your training is going well. We only have 40 days to go before Race Day!

On this newsletter, I wanted to highlight a few questions that have been asked:

  1. “What do I fundraise through?” There has been some confusion with which site to use for fundraising. The LA Marathon is promoting Crowdrise.com as the main medium. Active.com is the default link sent to you when you first signed up. You can use either but Crowdrise does give you some functionality that Active does not. If you have not yet set-up your fundraising page, please do so at Real Medicine’s Crowdrise Team page. Click “Join the Team” to start your own page in which your donations will be attributed to the team’s total page. You can view any team members page to get an idea of the set-up. Contact me if you have any questions.
  1. “How can I get my donors interested in my cause?” It all comes down to YOU and YOUR CAUSE. Let your donors know why you are passionate about running the LA Marathon for Real Medicine Foundation. Let them know that RMF separates itself as a nonprofit organization with 92% of donations going directly to its projects! Unheard of in a lot of organizations nowadays! Not only that, I suggest that you specifically fundraise for one of RMF’s projects in 15+ countries. This allows you to tell a story. We all love stories right? What better way to fundraise when you can bring to life a story of a child in India, Armenia, Peru, Haiti or right here in Los Angeles?! I encourage you to take a look at our blog, which is constantly updated: http://www.realmedicineblog.com/. OR I invite you to go an extra step and create your own story by volunteering at our Florence Western Children’s clinic on 2/19 or 3/5 as we make race day poster boards! More details to come or contact me if interested!
  1. “I’ve sent my initial fundraising email, now what?” If you’ve already sent out your initial email now is a perfect time to follow up if it’s been a couple of weeks. Remember, it takes a few friendly reminders to get a donor’s commitment. People mean well and want to help, we just need to remind them since it may be on the tail-end of their to-do list. So don’t give up!

I hope this Q&A session has helped you kick-start or further your fundraising efforts. Now is the perfect time to drive that momentum! If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Lisa Suen anytime at lisa.suen@realmedicinefoundation.org or Brandi at brandilhowell@gmail.com.

Remember, it is because of you and your support that the Real Medicine Foundation can help so many patients in 15 different countries! Thank YOU for being an Athlete for Real Medicine!

And remember:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Confucius –

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

Follow us on Twitter or our Athletes for Real Medicine Facebook page or RMF’s official Facebook page.

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Athletes for Real Medicine: LA Marathon Training…Trail running!

February 3, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Los Angeles, North America by Jonathan White | Comments closed

By Brandi Howell

If I had to choose one word to describe Sunday’s training run it would be “ouch”.  Ouch during the run, ouch after the run, ouch still, three days later.  Nonetheless, we had a great time, we were elated once it was over, and we are now one training run closer to the finish line.

Sunday’s run was a grueling fourteen miles, six of which were uphill…2,000 feet uphill.  We started at the base of Temescal Canyon and followed the trail into the Santa Monica Mountains.  We were immediately surrounded by trees, creeks, paths and the sounds of the wild.  Within minutes of setting out, we were climbing steep switchbacks, dodging hikers, breathing hard and feeling the burn in our legs.  We climbed 900 feet for over two miles before getting a break.  When we reached the first plateau, I thought my lungs were going to explode.  Taking a minute to catch our breath and to stretch our already tired legs, we were able to enjoy the panoramic views and cool breeze.  We saw the clouds thickening overhead and realized that the “chances of rain” were more like definite rain.  But, we pushed on and on, covering another three miles and 800 feet of elevation gain.  It started to sprinkle.  The smell of wet dirt and fragrant sage wafted through the air.  We ran through waist-high weeds that whipped and soaked our numb legs.  We finally came to our turn around point.  I thought it would never come or that I would collapse trying to reach it.  The truth is, the guys were much faster than me and I was just feeling wimpy that day.  Running is such a mental game.

Once we headed back down the mountain, I knew I was going to be fine.  We let gravity pull us down, as we swung our arms faster to speed up and widen our stride.  We hopped over boulders, caught ourselves before tripping, and took advantage of the physical ease to guzzle down oxygen.  We came to a familiar fork in the path and turned left instead of right.  This took us around new corners and bends, over a bridge, past a few waterfalls, and down more steep, rocky trails until we eventually saw Sunset Blvd. and our parked cars.  As tired as we were, we took a water and nutrition break and then set out to run another seven miles.

We headed down Temescal Canyon Rd, at the bottom of which we joined the bike path and our usual route.  We ran north until the path ended, then turned around, ran south for a few miles and looped back to the bottom of Temescal.  One more huge hill to conquer.  I later found out that Temescal Canyon Rd is one mile long and climbs 300 feet.  This was a tough way to finish an already intensely difficult run, but we had to get to the top.  When we made it back to our cars, it felt like 8:30 am and our pre-run chat was weeks ago.  We were completely spent, ready to shower, get warm and relax.  We were also very proud of our accomplishment, a little bit closer to one another for having gone through it together and excited that while we could have been sleeping, we were out there making a difference.

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 Facebook

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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.

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

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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 3rd 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.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or become a fundraiser for us at Causes.com

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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

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Athletes for Real Medicine Fundraising Newsletter

January 12, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Los Angeles by Jonathan White | Comments closed

Athletes for Real Medicine Fundraising Newsletter #1

“A New Year, A New Way to Make a Difference”

Happy New Year! I hope that the holidays treated you well and that your marathon training is going great!  It’s an exciting new year and we are kicking off a series of Fundraising newsletters to help you in your campaign.

Since this is the first newsletter, I wanted to familiarize you with the overall strategy of fundraising.

Some tips from Active.com’s Fundraising Headquarters

• Set a Goal

• Start Early so you can give people ample time to donate.

• Educate your Donors on your cause

• Stress the Benefits of contributing

• Follow Through by sending emails

• Send Thank You notes

• Ask BIG before going small

• Stay Positive and remember the reason

• Never Feel Guilty about asking for donations

• Ask, Ask, Ask

Remember, sticking to your plan will ensure success!

Fundraising Tip #1

Make your first donation email now. Remember that it may take several attempts before you get a response, so be positive and stay persistent. Make your donation email personal. Explain to your peers why you are doing this race and what it means to the people you are helping. For example, this could be your first marathon, you could be running it for someone who has inspired you or it could be your resolution for the new year. The more personal your story and cause are, the more your donors will be inspired by it.

Fundraising Idea #1

Reach out to your Facebook friends for $5 each. Imagine what you can achieve with 100 friends! 200 friends! 300 friends! Give a deadline to reach your goal. You’ll be amazed at the results! Most importantly, make it fun and exciting!

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me anytime at lisa.suen@realmedicinefoundation.org. Remember, it is because of you and your support that the Real Medicine Foundation can help so many patients in 15 different countries! Thank YOU for being an Athlete for Real Medicine!

Always remember:

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out” – Robert Collier

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

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Athletes for Real Medicine: Sunday training run blog

January 11, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, Disaster Relief, Helping Children, Los Angeles, North America, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities, Strategies for the Future, Whole Health by Jonathan White | Comments closed

This week’s Sunday run was an intense 11 miles, with 1200 feet of elevation gain.  We started out at the base of Sullivan Canyon, surrounded by towering oak, eucalyptus and sycamore trees.  It was 8:30 am.  The canyon was cold and misty as it hadn’t seen direct sunlight since the previous afternoon.

We wore layers to stay warm.  Within ten minutes of running, we could feel our breath deepening, our heart beats speeding up.  We were already gaining altitude.  A small stream intersected the trail on multiple occasions, which gave us a chance to catch our breath as we stopped to observe the best point at which to cross.  After gradually ascending 950 feet over 5 miles, with muddy shoes and tired legs, we arrived at a plateau.

Here, we stopped for a quick water and nutrition break, before tackling the last 300 feet of elevation in the form of steep switchbacks.  Huffing and puffing, we focused on the ridge above us.  And before we knew it, we were out of the lush, green canyon, and atop a ridge surrounded by sprawling city views.  From here, we ran east along the ridge, taking in the beauty and ease of running on flat ground.  After a few miles, we turned South along a wide fire road and started our quick descent.

After all of our hard work, we let gravity pull us down the trail, enjoying the serenity of an early morning run in nature.  Looking back, we realize that when the run got tough, it helped to think about the bigger purpose of these runs, like helping communities through Real Medicine.  Those positive thoughts gave us the strength to keep going.

Only nine more distance runs to go before race day…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

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January Fundraising Contest for LA Marathon

January 7, 2011 in Athletes for Real Medicine, General, Los Angeles, North America by Jonathan White | Comments closed

Athletes for Real Medicine, thank you for your participation and enthusiasm in fundraising and training thus far.

As a team, our goal is to raise $30,000 by March 20th.  In order to encourage and give thanks to our participants, we have created a monthly contest from now until Race Day!

We are kicking off with our January Contest: Everyone who raises at least $500 by January 31st will win a prize of dining certificates and merchandise valued at over $50.  (Prize specifics to be announced)

Grand Prize: The person who raises the most money by March 20th will receive a 5 night stay in Kauai at the serene Hanalei Surfboard House, valued at $225/night.

To see our Fundraising Totals click here.

Good luck and here’s to making a real difference in 2011!

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