What’s new?
Contact the Branch’s Membership Chair at
karenleasman@aol.com, to attend the any meeting. Guests are always welcome.
North Fulton Branch Forming Book Club
Our branch is in the process of forming a Book Club. At our first meeting on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 10:00 AM, we’ll meet at a member’s home to set our guidelines. In addition, we’ll decide on a process for choosing the books we’ll read.
The group as a whole will vote on a consistent time and place of future meetings as well as narrowing down a pool of book suggestions made by various members. Maybe we’ll adopt a theme in which we’ll exclusively read books of a given genre or subject matter. Maybe we’ll decide to select books from a best seller’s list or some other list. This is a great time to join our branch so that you can enjoy growing with us.
To attend the book club meeting or future meetings, contact the branch membership chair at Karenleasman@aol.com
Sarah Carson, LCSW, Family Support Programs Manager, Alzheimer’s Assn, Georgia Chapter, is guest speaker at February 11 branch meeting. The Georgia Chapter offers a wide range of services designed to meet the unique needs of Alzheimer’s families and the community, including: helpline information and referral; care consultation; community support groups; Caring Connection, a telephone support group; Caregiver Time Out, a respite reimbursement program; family education; professional education; MedicAlert + Safe Return; resource library and information about clinical trials. Knowledgeable in all aspects of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, as well as the needs of the caregiver, Sarah has her Masters both from New York University’s School of Social Work and from the General Theological Seminary in New York City. She has been with the Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter since 2003.
Upcoming Events: (more details under Calendar Section)
Saturday, January 28, 10 a.m. – 12 noon, January Book Club organizational meeting, contact annamarie.hoffman63@gmail.com for additional information.
Saturday, February 11, Branch meeting, 10 a.m. – 12 noon, Sarah Carson, Alzheimer’s Assn, on latest findings
Saturday, March 10, Branch meeting, 10 a.m. – 12 noon, Book discussion This is our annual book discussion meeting. While we usually have guest speakers, this time we will discuss ” The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot. On the New York Times best seller list for many months, it is now out in paperback. This book is about an African-American woman who, in 1951, was diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer. She was treated at Johns Hopkins University, where a doctor named George Gey snipped cells from her cervix without telling her. Gey discovered that Lacks’ cells could not only be kept alive, but would also grow indefinitely. For the past 60 years Lacks’ cells have been cultured and used in experiments ranging from determining the long-term effects of radiation to testing the live polio vaccine. Her cells were commercialized and have generated millions of dollars in profit for the medical researchers who patented her tissue. Lacks’ family, however, didn’t know the cell cultures existed until more than 20 years after her death. Medical writer Rebecca Skloot examines the legacy of Lacks’ contribution to science — and effect that has had on her family. Skloot is a freelance science writer and a contributing editor at Popular Science. She has written feature stories for The New York Times,Discover Magazine, and RadioLab.
Saturday, April 14, lunch and theater package (play to be selected)
Saturday, May 12, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Pot luck brunch and planning for next year
