New Sharsheret Chicago Campus Leadershop Training Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Elana Silber, Director of Operations
               Telephone: (866) 474-2774
               E-Mail: [email protected]

Teaneck, New Jersey (April 19, 2012) – Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting young women and their families, of all Jewish backgrounds, facing breast cancer, has been awarded a generous grant from the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago to launch Sharsheret Chicago Campus Leadership Training.  This leadership-training and education initiative will arm young Jewish women on Chicago college campuses with leadership skills and opportunities to participate meaningfully in what is increasingly viewed as a Jewish cause – breast cancer and ovarian cancer in our community. The training will teach young Jewish women how to bring their Jewish experience to a national health care platform, and use peer education techniques to develop health care events, assume control of their own health, and raise awareness among their family members and community about the unique importance of family medical history among Jews.

“We are grateful for the generous support of The Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago for the opportunity to train young leaders to become health care advocates in the Jewish community,” said Director of Operations Elana Silber. “The ability for these women to take action, share information, and support others will promote systematic change in empowering young Jews to get involved in social action and health care from a Jewish lens. ” For more information about Sharsheret Chicago Campus Leadership Training, please contact Sharsheret’s Campus Liaison, Ellen Kleinhaus at [email protected].

Since its founding in 2001, Sharsheret has responded to more than 25,000 breast cancer inquiries, involved more than 1,500 peer supporters, and presented over 250 educational programs nationwide. Sharsheret now offers a continuum of care for the Jewish community – addressing the needs of those who are concerned about the risk of breast cancer in their family, those who have been diagnosed with the disease and are undergoing treatment, and those who face issues of survivorship or recurrence. Over the past 11 years, Sharsheret has developed 11 national programs, including the Peer Support Network, connecting women newly diagnosed or at high risk of developing breast cancer one-on-one with others who share similar diagnoses and experiences; Embrace, supporting women living with advanced breast cancer; Genetics for Life, addressing hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, and the Ovarian Cancer Program, providing tailored resources and support for young Jewish women and families facing ovarian cancer. For more information about Sharsheret’s programs, visit www.sharsheret.org or call (866) 474-2774.