Links Chapter makes donation to WSSU
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
The International Trends and Services
Facet (ITS) of the Winston-Salem Chapter
of The Links Inc., affirmed its commit
ment to The Ralph Bunche Society at
Winston-Salem State University by the
presentation of a $1000 check on
Wednesday, Dec. 17.
Joti Sekhon, director of the
International Programs Division, and
Senai Afework, president of the Bunche
Society, rendered remarks of appreciation.
At the Links National Assembly in
July, the ITS Facet received The Legacy
Award for its continuous exemplary col
laborative programming with various
facets of the WSSU International
Programs Division.
This Link contribution marks its sec
ond donation to the Ralph Bunche
Society. In February of 2007, the
Winston-Salem International Trends and
Services Facet and the Phelps Stokes
Fund jointly provided the initial $5,000
seed money to institutionalize the Ralph
Bunche Fellows Program. The first in the
nation to be organized, the WSSU pro
gram will serve as a model for establish
ing Fellows programs at other institutions.
The second Bunche Society was organ
ized recently at the University of
Maryland at College Park.
The national and international net
working, internship possibilities, scholar
ships, and travel opportunities are only
some of the caveats afforded Bunche
Scholars. Antionette Dunston, a WSSU
Bunch Scholar, was awarded a scholar
ship to study in France for a semester.
The Links, Incorporated is an interna
tional organization of more than 10,000
women who implement strategies
designed to impact educational, civic, and
cultural needs.
In addition to the International Trends
and Services Facet, three others are
included- The Arts, National Trends and
Services and Services to Youth. Dr.
Gwendolyn Lee is the current National
President, and Toyoko Beaty serves as the
Winston-Salem Chapter President.
WSSl' Photo hv Garrett Garms
Link members and WSSU officials take part in the check presentation.
Trees
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coming," said Freshwater.
Quality trees that are six
feet or less are picked for the
giveaway, so people can easily
fit them in their homes. In
addition to trees and piney
decorations, one volunteer
even brought ornaments to
give away.
State Rep. Larry Womble
has been with the event since
the beginning. He said that a
free tree can be a real help to
those on a tight budget.
"They could use that
money that they were going to
use for a live green Christmas
tree for something else, maybe
their utility bills," said
Womble.
For those who can't come
get a tree, the giveaway comes
to them. Volunteers load trees
onto trucks and take them out
into the community. Often
they go to those in public
housing. The Housing
Authority of Winston-Salem
provides a list of those in need
of a tree to event organizers.
Among those picking . up
trees was Helene Evans. A
mother of four, this is her sec
ond year getting a tree from
the giveaway. Normally she'd
have to pay more than $40 for
a tree. That's gotten tougher to
do recently, so she's grateful
for the free tree. She said the
money it frees up helps when
buying presents for her family.
"I think it's just wonder
ful," said Evans. "It really
helps a lot."
Bettie Wardlow got a tree
and a wreath for herself and
her grandkids Shaquae and
Maliek. Her great grandson
Jaylin also accompanied them
and was excited to see the tree
being strapped to the top of his
great grandma's van. Wardlow
said her finances are tighter
this year so when she heard
about the tree giveaway from a
friend, she decided to take
advantage of it.
"If you can't get it, it helps
you out and trees are kind of
expensive," said Wardlow.
Every year there are
dozens of volunteers, many of
whom make helping with
Operation Christmas Tree an
annual tradition. Lynda Morris
has volunteered with the oper
ation for eight years. When she
recalls the hugs she's gotten
from people who truly could
n't afford a tree, it almost
brings tears to her eyes
"It's just a wonderful
Christmas treat," said Morns.
"It's a wonderful thing Ted has
done, so many people would
n't have a tree, it's just a small
part of Christmas but they
want it."
For Tim Carter, it's his first
year volunteering. He was
looking for a holiday volunteer
opportunity, when he heard
about the event from a friend.
Like many, he brought his
children. Spencer and Tanner,
to help out.
"The economy's been bad
and there's a lot of people out
of work, I just thought this
year we're going to go out and
help as much as we can," said
Carter.
After the giveaway was
over, Carter planned to deliver
one tree himself to a family he
knows in Kernersville that's
struggling financially. Carter
said the tree would be a very
pleasant Christmas surprise for
them.
Many others helped with
Operation Christmas Tree . The
Budd Group provided trucks
and drivers to help haul the
trees. The city provided a
police escort for the caravan
that takes the trees to various
local communities. Krispy
Kreme provided donuts and
Starbucks on Stratford Road
provided coffee to help volun
teers though the chilly morn
ing, Ace Hardware in Advance
"proVided rope to secure trees
to vehicles.
Photo by Todd Luck
Volunteers carry trees to waiting cars.
wssu
from page A1
You take it more seriously
because you know you don't
have time to do it all over
again," she said in hindsight.
Becoming a graduate was
the fulfillment of much more
than a simple dream for Penn;
with it came the realization
that she is capable of more
than she had ever imagined.
"I just feel like I'm on top
of the world," she declared. "I
think that my horizon has been
broadened and I have a better
outlook on life. It is the best
experience one can have for
self fulfillment."
The moment was bitter
sweet for Everette Dumas.
Dumas, an interdisciplinary
studies / public administration
major, had expected to share
the day wity Jannifer. his wife
and staunchest supporter.
Sadly, Mrs. Dumas wasn't
there to see her husband
achieve the honors her love
and encouragement had
helped him achieve. She
passed away suddenly just
weeks before the ceremony.
Despite the unimaginable
grief he feels after losing his
wife of 25 years, Dumas put
on a brave face.
"I'm proud. I feel good
about what we've done," he
said.
The graduation served as a
bright spot in what have been
some of his darkest days,
Dumas said.
"If it wasn't for that, I'd be
in trouble," he said. "(But) if
I make it across the stage
tonight, I'll be all right."
Hatian native Marie
Jolande Massenat bore the
hopes of an entire community
on her shoulders throughout
her collegiate journey.
Massenat came to the U.S.
with her parents as a child and
set her sights on college as the
ticket for a better life.
"It's a dream come true to
graduate from a four-year uni
versity and have a degree so I
don't have to deal with what
my parents went through not
having a degree," she said.
A Clinical Labratory
Science major, Massenat
attends a Hatian church in
High Point.
"I'm like the first to gradu
ate (from college) in that
church," she revealed. "They
want me to set an example for
... the young ones."
Graduation Day was a
long time coming for Zena
Jackson. Jackson, a mother of
four, has been working on her
degree for 16 years. Though
the demands of family kept
her from being in the class
room as much as she would
have liked, Jackson says she
never gave up on her goal,
"It's been trying but it will
help you know the stuff you're
made of," she remarked. "It
was challenging, but I knew it
was going to happen.
Now that her day had
finally come, Jackson said,
"I'm ecstatic, excited, the
dream comes to fruition - God
is good!"
Treatment
frlfl pay, AS
monly prescribed non-nuke
that works well to treat HIV;
however, this same medica
tion can cause birth defects,
so it may not be suitable for a
sexually-active, pre
menopausal woman.
The drug companies have
done a good job of simplify
ing the cocktails. Many HIV
treatments are actually com
binations of medicines pack
aged together in the same
pill. The most popular of
these is Atripla because it
contains all three components
of the cocktail in a Single
pill! Other products contain
only two of the cocktail com
ponents, so they must be
combined with either a non
nuke or a PI to complete the
cocktail.
Lastly, clinicians have
discovered a way to make the
Pis work better. For example
an older PI called Norvir has
a helpful drug interaction
with many of the other Pis,
By adding a low dose of
Norvir to the mix, often just
one pill per day, the other PI
will work better. Clinicians
often call this "boosting." In
some instances, the boosted
PI doesn't work at all unless
it combined with Norvir. This
is important to remember
because if someone stopped
taking the Norvir, the boosted
PI would stop working as
welj.
What keeps the HIV doctor
up at night?
In one word, it is "resis
tance." Unfortunately, HIV is
smart enough to build a
defense against the medi
cines. When this resistance
happens, the medicines won't
work anymore, and it cannot
be reversed. Luckily, there is
a test that can find out
whether the virus is resistant
to medications. In most
cases, when resistance
occurs, the HIV medicines
must be changed immediately
to ones that are still effective
against the virus. Sometimes,
resistance to one medicine
can affect other HIV medi
cines the patient hasn't even
taken before. As someone
becomes resistant to more
and more medications, the
treatment options become
fewer. The options that are
left often require many pills,
and sometimes the side
effects are worse. So. it is
very important to try to pre
vent the development of any
resistance.
C
What can the patient do to
try to prevent resistance?
The greatest risk of resist
ance occurs when a patient
doesn t take their medicines
correctly. Resistance is more
likely to happen when the
patient misses a dose, goes on
and off their medicines
repeatedly, takes only half
the dose of their medicines,
stops taking the Norvir part
of a boosted PI, or stops tak
ing one or more parts of the
cocktail. In order to make
sure there are many available
treatment options and a long
lasting effective therapy for
HIV, it is important to take
the medicines exactly as they
are prescribed and to take
1007< of all doses. This being
said, it is important to
remember that doctors want
the best for their patients. If
there are problems with the
medicines, even something
like difficulty swallowing the
pills, patients should talk
with their doctors. Often,
simple medication changes
can improve a patient s qual
ity of life, and if they are
more comfortable with their
medicines they are more like
ly to take them as prescribed
which can help prevent
resistance.
The future uf treating HIV
infection
Most research is working
on discovering new ways of
treating HIV, which has led to
the development of new fam
ilies of HIV medicines. Such
families include integrase
inhibitors and co-receptor
antagonists. Since these med
icines work by targeting dif
ferent parts of the HIV. they
usually are effective against
HIV that is resistant to tradi
tional therapies. Isentress. for
example, is the first FDA
approved integrase inhibitor,
and it has proven to be very
effective in the setting of
resistance. However, just like
all the other medication fam
ilies, the virus can become
resistant to these medicines if
they are not taken properly.
In addition, there are new
members of the traditional
medication families that have
special properties and may be
effective against HIV that has
become resistant to other
members of the same family.
Only a resistance test can
determine whether these
medications are good
options.
As more and more
research is done, the medical
community will have a
greater understanding of
where these new medicines
fit into HIV care. Indeed, it is
an exciting time for clinicians
because of the discovery of
many new therapies. The
"cocktail" that has been the
standard for many years may
be different in the future. Of
course, only time will tell. In
the meantime, patients are
encouraged to participate in
their care as active members
of the health care team.
Patients should talk with their
doctors, ask questions about
their medicines, and be sure
to follow through with their
doctor's recommendations.
This will ensure long-term
medication effectiveness and
improved patient quality of
life.
- Contributed by John C .
Williamson, PharmD
Do you need further
information on this topic or
resources in your area or
have question f or comments
about this article ? Please
call toll-free 1-877-530
1824. Or, for more informa
tion about the Maya Angelou
Center for Health Equity,
please visit our website:
http ://www.wfubmc .edulm i no
rityhealth.
Ashley
from page AJ
they do things in Mexico."
The children sang songs
in Spanish, decorated the
classroom in festive paper
chains made in the colors of
the Mexican flag; performed
the Mexican Hat Dance; and
sampled traditional Mexican
food during the celebration.
"They love it; it's an
opportunity for them to
learn (something new),"
Cain commented. "I feel
like if they have that live
experience, they won't for
get it."
The predominantly
African American class
embraced the opportunity to
learn a new way of doing
things, Cain noted.
lhey nave
been excited all
week," she said.
"They have really
enjoyed the par
ents coming in and
teaching them."
The project
correlated well
with the school's
overall focus, she
added.
"We are an International
Baccalaureate school ... we
learn globally, so it fits in
perfect with that (theme),"
Stepney
she said.
Grandmother Pat
<Itpnni*v rnn
ceived of the idea
as a way to pro
mote solidarity
and mutual under
standing ampng
the students. It is
a trait Stepney
hopes they will
carry with them
far beyond
Friday's festivi
ties.
"I feel like people tear
that which they don't know;
once we learn about (other
Photos hy Layla Farmer
The kids perform "Feliz Navidad."
people's) history and cul
ture, (we learn) we're all the
same," said Stepney, a for
mer children's librarian and
grandmother of seven year
old Daija, a student in the
class, "That's what it's all
about; children having fun
and learning about each
other's cultures."
Janet Bash was among
the guests who came out to
see what the children had
learned.
"I thought it was really
cool ... to see (Christmas)
celebrated from another cul
ture's (perspective)," said
Bash, whose granddaughter,
Nakya Sherrill, is a student
in the class. "I thought it
was really special and the
children was really great.
They knew all the words (to
the songs).
That was excellent."
Joel Cruz Cartegena led
the children in a lively ren
dition of "Feliz Navidad."
Cartegena, who is of
Puerto Rican descent, was
among the Hispanic volun
teers who coordinated the
program.
"I believe that the kids
really got something out of
Student Naidelyn Cruz with her mother, Gladys Cruz
Pastrana, and father, Emiliano Carmona.
it," Cartegena said. "They
have gotten the chance to
really experience something
new in their life, something
that they probably have not
even seen in the US."
Cartegena's niece,
Naidelyn Cruz, taught her
classmates the Mexican Hat
Dance.
"Her self esteem right
now ... I think is real high
because she feels proud of
her parents," he remarked.
"It's been a good experi
ence, it's been a really beau
tiful one."