Doing Good: Card game benefit raises funds Spina Bifida research
Who’s doing good? Each Tuesday, we write about charity events such as fun-runs, volunteer projects and other community gatherings that benefit a good cause. To suggest an event for us to cover, contact Devika Rao at doing.goodAJC@gmail.com.
To learn more about Sophie’s Voice Foundation go to www.sophiesvoicefoundation.org
Bridge is a game that has a following for many. So, it only made sense for Janet Edwards and her bridge partner Brenda Shavin to use this as a chance to give back to a good cause.
“When we play bridge, we don’t really get a chance to meet and mingle,” said Edwards. “(Brenda) and I wound up having dinner with (Dr. Godfrey Oakley) and when we learned about his work with spina bifida and how it’s practically preventable, we really wanted to be involved.”
Oakley, a fellow bridge player, is an epidemiologist at Emory University and is known for his work to prevent birth defects resulting from folic acid deficiencies (specifically, Spina Bifida F), including paralyzing spina bifida and fatal anencephaly.
On May 18 at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University, Edwards and Shavin used this game to host the Godfrey's Grand Slam Bridge Benefit for The Center for Spina Bifida Research, Prevention and Policy in an effort to raise money and awareness about this preventable birth defect.
Spina bifida, a neural tube defect, is a condition that affects the spine and is usually apparent at birth. It can result in mild to severe physical and mental disabilities.
“Our team at Rollins has estimated that about 25 percent of what can be prevented had been prevented, but it leaves about 180,000 children born each year with Spina Bifida F,” said Oakley, who is also the director of CSB. “Ninety percent of these cases can be prevented by ensuring that women of child-bearing age have enough Folic Acid in their diet.”
The event was also in partnership with Sophie’s Voice Foundation, a nonprofit that was founded by Hollywood actors Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker after their daughter Sophie was diagnosed with Spina Bifida. In 2011, SVF established the CSB at Emory University, in partnership with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health.
“CSB is tackling one of the top 10 public health issues that could be resolved in a decade,” said Kodjoe. “Sophie’s Voice Foundation is proud to support its work in advocating and organizing families, physicians and government leaders to fortify grains and other food sources with folate which has prevented most of Spina Bifida in the U.S. and other countries.”
Godfrey’s Grand Slam Bridge Benefit raised over $30,000 for CSB to help continue its work towards global prevention of Spina Bifida by the year 2022. The center will also create programs to help advance the quality of life for individuals living with spina bifida.
The community can donate to CSB or Sophie's Voice Foundation towards their research and outreach, but they can also be involved by volunteering with Spina Bifida Association of Georgia's programs such as the annual Walk-N-Roll at Georgia Tech.
In other news: Fayette County Eagle Scout candidates, Andrew Aycock and Connor Chewning, gave back to Bloom, a local nonprofit that provides support and services for foster children. The 16-year-olds collected and donated over 600 pairs of shoes to The Bloom Closet, and built the organization a storage shed to hold many of its daily clothing donations.
