New Website!

Isn’t it grand!  Diane Tremblay and Elaine Wainer found our new webmaster, Michelle Neely with micdzyn, and she has brought the DWE web site into the 21st century.  We’re very happy that Michelle is working with us and so proud of our new site.  Hope you enjoy it too.

PSA Testing

Still figuring out if we can do prostate cancer screening and how we can raise the money to help uninsured/underinsured men get the diagnostic test that they need.  September is National Prostate Cancer month and if all goes well we will launch our program then.  If anyone is interested in helping develop this program or has any information that they think will be helpful to us, please contact Elaine at nobpalmsprings@aol.com.

Tax Returns

We filed our first 990 tax returns for 2007 with the expert help of volunteer Doug Roper.  So many people helping DWE provide free mammograms.  The generosity of this community continues to overwhelm me.  Thank you Doug Roper!  Anyone interested in seeing our tax return is welcome to drop by our office and take a look.

Palm Springs Leather Order of the Desert

A great big thank you for giving Desert Women for Equality $2,000.  Your gift represents the continued support we are getting from our community.
The LGBT community has once again shown that it is our love of equality that makes us very special people.  The free mammogram program was borne to help lesbians, a high-risk breast cancer group, get life-saving preventative medical care.  And, along the way we are serving all uninsured and underinsured women of our Valley.  I never thought that this great rich nation of ours would have to resort to grass roots medical care but that day has come and has been with us for a long time now.  We need to take care of our own and we are!  Thanks so much leather guys!

Membership Questions? Want to Join Our Committee? Contact Us!

Print and mail in your completed Membership Form or order your membership online. click here!

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Desert Healthcare District

As many of you know from reading our local papers, Desert Healthcare District awarded DWE a $40,000 grant for our “We Care” Free Mobile Mammography Program.  Most of the money was given to us for mammograms but we did get some admin money too and we were able to purchase a couple of inexpensive but very comfortable chairs for our volunteers to sit in while making appointments.  They deserve to be comfortable. 
Because of the generosity of DHCD we were able to add another clinic in 2008 and worked out a 2009 clinic schedule as well.  We are still sending postcards out to the women who had mammograms in 2006 and early 2007 to remind them that annual mammograms save lives.  These uninsured/underinsured women are coming back to us for their second free mammogram and because of this grant and your continued support we are still here to serve them. 

Clinic Update

January in Desert Hot Springs; February in Coachella; and March back to DHS.  One hundred and forty-five women were served in 2008 bringing our total since June 2006 to over 560 and we still have five more clinics to do this year.

Volunteers

Hey, did I tell you that we have 20, that’s right 20 volunteers doing shifts in our office. Amazing.  They are all dedicated men and women who believe in what DWE is doing.  We still need people to train to be at our clinics.

Contact:
Bonne Lunt
Volunteer Coordinator
binthedesert@dc.rr.com

Vivian Gonzales
Mammogram Committee co-chair vgonzie@msn.com

Sharon Doty
Mammogram Committee Co-Chair
palmspringsdoty@aol.com

Regional Access Project

Many thanks to RAP and their executive director, Judith Cox, for giving us free printing and translation services. Our brochure and flyers have never looked better.

Palm Springs Rodeo

Six DWE members volunteered and worked all weekend to help the PS Rodeo this year—thank you Jay Adler, Donald Grimm, Vivian Gonzales, Candice Gilmore, Sharon Doty and yes, I helped too.  DWE was the rodeo’s sole beneficiary this year.  Local bars, like Hunter’s, also helped raise money for the rodeo and DWE. I’ll let you know next month how many mammograms the rodeo contributed to DWE.  The rodeo was great fun and if you missed it this year, look for it again next year.

Lalapoolooza2

Aren’t we all so very lucky—Lalapoolooza will be here again in September 2008.  The first steering committee meeting led by our very own director Pat Goody is happening in early May.  I’ll keep you posted on the details.  They will be needing sponsors and volunteers.  For more information, please contact patgoody2004@yahoo.com or go directly to www.lalapoolooza.com. 

Tax Deductible Donations

Send your checks to:
Desert Women for Equality
555 S. Sunrise Way, Suite 212E
Palm Springs, CA 92264.
Every dollar counts!

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