Last week, River Forest Medical Campus (RFMC) and West Suburban Medical Center (WSMC) received 100 beautiful, hand-made masks, lovingly sewn by more than 120 Polish-American women across 61 towns in the Chicagoland area. The group calls themselves “Make A Mask Illinois,” and since the initiative was started five weeks ago, they have “cut, sewed, washed, ironed, packaged and delivered 2,368 face masks to 38 different places,” according to their Go Fund Me page. They currently have requests for more than 2,000+ masks waiting to be fulfilled.
The sewing group learned of RFMC/WSMC’s need for masks through A Silver Lining Foundation (ASLF). ASLF funds cost-free breast health testing for those who are uninsured, underinsured and/or ineligible for other breast health testing programs. ASLF doesn’t exclude anyone based on age, residency, or socioeconomics. The only requirement is need. Through Buy A Mom A Mammogram (BAMAM), nearly 18,000 women have received cost-free screening mammograms and diagnostic testing, which includes diagnostic mammogram, breast ultrasound, MRI and biopsy. Men also get breast cancer; BAMAM will fund testing for any man in need.
Dr. Sandy Goldberg, co-founder of A Silver Lining Foundation, recommended that the sewing group donate masks to RFMC and WSMC because we are close partners of theirs. Since our partnership began in 2015, ASLF has covered the costs of hundreds of mammograms and breast procedures at RFMC and WSMC. ASLF is a treasured partner or ours and we are grateful to both Make a Mask Illinois and ASLF for their support.
“I want to reach out with a sincere THANK YOU on behalf of West Suburban Medical Center and the River Forest Medical Campus. The pictures here show only a handful of staff who received the masks donated by Make a Mask Illinois,” stated Justyna M. Koscielniak, Manager, Outpatient Services at River Forest Medical Campus. “The staff is truly thankful and we want you to know how many departments have benefited from this generous donation”:
- The River Forest Pain Center
- The River Forest Breast Care Center
- The River Forest Advanced Imaging Center
- Occupational Health at River Forest
- The Center for Cancer Care
- The West Suburban Bariatric Center
- Respiratory Therapy at West Suburban
- Direct Access Scheduling Department
- Inpatient Physical and Occupational Therapy
- River Forest Rehab & Sports Medicine Center
If you would like to donate to A Silver Lining Foundation, visit https://www.asilverliningfoundation.org/aslf-receives-a-25000-matching-grant/.
Through June 1, 2020, donations to A Silver Lining Foundation from private individuals and from foundations, donor-advised funds and trusts controlled by individuals will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000 thanks to a generous grant from The Coleman Foundation.
If you would like to donate to the Make a Mask Illinois Go Fund Me page, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/make-a-mask-illinois.