POCHA of Will County

POCHA of Will County is not a professional or medical organization. It is a group of parents sharing information and supporting each other. The discussions, meeting minutes, handouts, speakers, agendas, and other products of this group do not constitute medical and/or legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Always discuss individual health/medical concerns with a qualified personal physician.

Associated Allergists &
Specialists, Ltd

Pediatric Health
Associates, Ltd.

Meetings & Events

Affiliated with Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, IL, Associated Allergists and Asthma Specialists, Ltd. serving several locations in Illinois, and Pediatric Health Associates, Ltd. serving Naperville, Plainfield, and West Chicago.

Medical Advisors: Michael Flais, M.D., Associated Allergists and Asthma Specialists, Ltd. and Shelly Flais, M.D., F.A.A.P., Pediatric Health Associates, Ltd.

Meeting schedule

6:30pm-8pm:
Monday, May 9, 2011
Monday, August 8, 2011-Cancelled
Monday, November 14, 2011

*Please see below for
Meeting Agenda*

Where are the meetings?

Silver Cross Hospital
1200 Maple Road
Joliet, IL 60432

Meeting Room:

The Rialto Room on the Lower Level in the Cafeteria, located off of Maple Street Entrance.

Entrance:

Park in the open parking lots on Maple Street and enter through that Entrance. The concierge can direct you to the Rialto Room.

Directions from I-80:

I-80 to the Briggs Exit
North on Briggs Street to Maple Street (you'll be on Briggs for about 2 miles)
Turn left on Maple Street about 1/2 mile

Silver Cross Hospital will be on your left side.

Meeting Agenda for Monday, May 9, 2011:

Our guest speaker for the evening was Dr. Shelly Flais (please read her bio on our Home page). She spoke about "Navigating the Psychosocial Aspects of Our Kids' Food Allergies at Home, School, and in Restaurants." We thoroughly enjoyed learning from her many years of expertise and experience.

Meeting Agenda for Monday, August 8, 2011:

**Cancelled**

Meeting Agenda for Monday, November 14, 2011:

To be determined...
If you have any questions regarding this meeting, please contact us through our Contact Us page.

***Everything from this point down is archives***

Where are the meetings?
Bimonthly meetings are held at the:
Silver Cross Hospital click here for map
1200 Maple Road
Joliet, IL 60432
Meeting Room: Rialto Room, Lower Level by Cafeteria located off of Maple Street Entrance.

Meeting Room Location change effective February 2008
Meeting Room: Rialto Room, Lower Level by Cafeteria located off of Maple Street Entrance.
Entrance: Park in open parking lots on Maple Street and enter through that Entrance. The concierge will direct you to the Rialto Room.

Directions from I-80:
I-80 to the Briggs Exit
North on Briggs Street to Maple Street (you'll be on Briggs for about 2 miles)
Turn left on Maple Street about 1/2 mile

Silver Cross will be on your left side

Monday, August 10, 2009
1st Half: Dr. Michael Maniacci - Bullying among our food-allergic children
(This meeting is open to all IL Support Groups AND all of our children, ages 5+ only please)

Dr. Maniacci is a clinical psychologist, professor, author, and speaker. He has a private practice in Chicago and has taught at the Adler School of Professional Psychology. Dr. Maniacci is also published in the fields of counseling and psychotherapy. He has spoken many times on "bullying" amongst children, and I highly recommend attending this meeting. This meeting is open to all of our children over age 5, so please bring your children.
2nd Half: Q&A

Summer Safe Baseball - July 8, 2009
Kane County Cougars is one of the most popular minor league baseball teams in the country. Contact Erin Wiencek, at (630) 232-8811, Assistant Director of Ticket Operations with Kane County Cougars to get tickets for Peanut Free Night at the ballpark, scheduled for Wednesday, July 8th at 6:30pm against Burlington Bees, that includes a post-game fireworks show and the opportunity for fans to run the bases after the game.

Walk for Food Allergy 2009 - Chicago, Illinois
Saturday September 26, 2009
The Chicago Walk for Food Allergy is underway for 2009. We are looking for committee members for Logistics, Sponsorship, Publicity, and Walker Recruitment, and we are looking for Volunteers on Walk Day. Please email Eleanor Garrow-Majka through our Contact Us page and let her know of your interest. It’s also a fun way to connect with other families in your community who are living with food allergies.

The event is a 3 mile walk through the Lincoln Park Community along Lake Michigan in order to raise money for education, research, advocacy, and to increase awareness. FAAN has raised more than $2 million from walk events! By increasing the number of locations to 35 this year, FAAN hopes to raise another $2 million in 2009.

Our goal for 2009 is to raise over $185K with $20K being in Sponsorships. Please email Eleanor Garrow-Majka through our Contact Us page if you have any contacts that may be interested in participating in a Sponsorship. Last year, we had over 1,200 walkers come to support food allergies and FAAN's Mission, and we raised over $176K. On the National Level, Chicago was ranked 3rd for donations out of 28 walk sites.

2009 Honorary Walk Chairs: To be announced.
2009 Walk Chair: Berenice Lagrimas, Food Allergy Mother and Advocate.
2009 Emcee: Paul Konrad, WGN News - Chicago

FOOD ALLERGY INITIATIVE CHICAGO - October 24, 2009
We’re thrilled to announce that the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) Chicago will hold its 2nd Annual Benefit on Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the River East Art Center in Chicago. The cocktail party will feature drinks, heavy appetizers, live & silent auctions and a raffle with tons of amazing prizes! Honorees are to be announced.

In addition to raising an incredible amount of money in 2008, the Benefit succeeded in bringing much needed attention to the issue of food allergies with 500 in attendance. Through the heartfelt presentations by Denise and Dave Bunning, our Benefit honorees, Domninque Tounge, our Chef Honoree and Sara Shannon, allergy activist, many in attendance unfamiliar with the struggles we face as parents of allergic children, experienced our fears and urgency for a cure. Denise and Dave Bunning were especially instrumental in educating many on the issues and initiatives that are underway.

We look to make this year’s Benefit a greater success! If you are interested in volunteering for 2009's Benefit, please email faichicago@faiusa.org

Also, please check out the new FAI website at www.faiusa.org It has been completely redesigned with revised and new resources for anyone impacted by food allergies.

Children's Memorial Food Allergy Study - May 2009
We are in need of 500 more families to participate in the CMH Food Allergy Study! Families with and without allergies are invited to participate in a study aimed to understand the role of environmental and genetic influences in the development of food allergies. Participants will receive gift cards as compensation for their time. For more information, go to www.childrensmrc.org/allergy This is a great chance for us all to possibly find out why our children are developing food allergies and why this has become such an epidemic. Please JOIN this very important study! Contact Ms. Deanna Caruso (312) 573-7755.

Dear Illinois Food Allergic Families:
Is YOUR Allergic Child Worth 2 Hours of Your Family's Time? Of course you answered YES! Help us help your child! Here’s how:

TOP TEN REASONS TO SIGN UP FOR THE CHILDREN’S MEMORIAL FOOD ALLERGY STUDY:

Goal: This study is in response to the rapid rise in childhood food allergy and the lack of effective prevention and treatment. It is designed to find answers to some fundamental questions: What are the causes of food allergy? How can food allergy be predicted and prevented? Are there alternative or better treatments for food allergy?

Who is eligible?: This is a family-based study. An eligible family includes both biological parents and at least 1 food allergy affected child (0-21 years). Both parents and affected child must be willing to participate.

For more information: Call 1-888-573-1833. If there’s no answer, leave your name, phone number and the best time to reach you to schedule your appointment OR e-mail allergystudy@childrensmemorial.org; or for additional information go to www.childrensmrc.org/allergy.

Sponsors: National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Chicago Community Trust, the Food Allergy Initiative and generous donors.

PASS THIS INFORMATION ON TO OTHERS! THANK YOU! ! ! ! !

National Eosinophilic Awareness Week is May 19 - May 23, 2009
Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EE) is a gastrointestinal condition that is usually caused by food allergies. Since it is a relatively uncommon but growing condition, if EE affects you or someone you know, this week is a great time to raise awareness and share your story. Please visit www.apfed.org for more information.

Food Allergy Awareness Week is May 10 - May 16, 2009
This year help those with food allergies “Take Action, Prevent Reactions.”

Mark the week by increasing awareness at schools, talking to your elected representatives, or planning a fundraiser. You can hand out fliers, put up posters, or display educational materials. Download materials to get involved!

FAAN's goal for 2009 is to receive proclamations from all 50 states. We already have proclamations from: Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Food Allergy Project and Food Allergy Initiative Merge to Find a Cure - February 2009
We are proud to announce the merger of The Food Allergy Project and the Food Allergy Initiative. By combining forces, the new organization, which will use the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) name, will represent the largest private source of funding for food allergy research and will serve as a voice for millions of families to call on the federal government and private sources to collaborate in search of a cure. The combined entity has already contributed more than $60 million to basic scientific research and educational efforts.

"For a number of years, FAI and The Food Allergy Project have worked toward a common goal of finding a cure for life-threatening food allergies," said Todd Slotkin, FAI's chairman and president. "After partnering on many important research and advocacy initiatives, our two organizations have now formally joined together with a renewed commitment to bring families affected by food allergies the treatments that we are all so eager to find."

Following the merger, David Bunning, co-founder of The Food Allergy Project, joined FAI's board of directors. He and his wife, Denise, are the parents of two severely food- allergic sons. The Bunnings founded The Food Allergy Project after privately funding research for a number of years and leading local family support groups in their Chicago-area hometown. Since 2006, The Food Allergy Project has championed increased federal funding for food allergy research, resulting in commitments from leading federal agencies for the disease. In addition, the organization and its founders have supported vital research initiatives at leading scientific institutions such as Duke University, Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital, Northwestern University, Harvard Medical School and Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

"This merger represents the joining together of like-minded parents, advocates and researchers who are committed to finding a cure for life-threatening food allergies," said David Bunning. "Our children deserve the right to reach their full potential, and Denise and I are thrilled to merge our organization with FAI to bring hope for a cure to millions of children."

Hugh A. Sampson, MD, professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI), noted that the two organizations have played a key role in advancing food allergy research over the past decade. "Food allergy research was very limited until concerned families founded these organizations," he said. "This merger couldn't have come at a more critical moment. In this challenging economy, competition for federal research grants will be more intense than ever. If we want to attract more investigators to the field, they need to know that they have a powerful voice in Washington -- and that substantial funds are available from a sound, trusted private source as well."

The new organization is poised to meet this challenge and to accelerate the progress of food allergy researchers, who are making exciting discoveries. The merger will enable us to expand our efforts to increase public awareness, empower advocates and family support groups, and encourage the nation's leaders to increase funding to eradicate this potentially deadly disease.

USDA's New Food Guide Pyramid
There is an incredible amount of information on www.mypyramid.gov, which focuses on meeting nutrient needs from a variety of food sources. It promotes healthy living while emphasizing the importance of physical activity, and attempts to moderate and limit dietary components that usually are consumed in excess.

New Books.....MUST HAVE
Let's Eat Out by Kim Koeller, Founder and President of AllergyFree Passport. You can contact Kim at kkoeller@allergyfreepassport.com or www.allergyfreepassport.com. If you go to www.passporter.com you can order some great Walt Disney World books for special needs. There is a great section on food allergies.