Treasure Hunting with the Provisional Committee

By Cynthia Munoz, Provisional Committee Member

As the old adage kind of goes, one woman's trash is another woman's treasure. Well believe me, there certainly was no trash to be found at the Provisional Fashion Swap Social on January 31, 2013. Thanks to the coordination of Social Chair Summer Tokash, we had a reason to purge our closets and an opportunity to find some new treasures.

A small but very excited group of Provisionals and committee members gathered in the living room of the Gatehouse, where we had the chance to peruse through some great jewelry, pairs of barely worn shoes and a rack of great clothing. It was some consolation to learn that I am not the only one guilty of buying things that end up never even being de-tagged.

"Try it on! Try it on!" 

We decided the fair way to do the swap would be to take turns to pick something out, with the caveat that the item had to be tried on and modeled for the group. No pressure. I head straight for the Prada shoes, figuring people staring at my feet would be less daunting than having them stare at other parts of my body. This group of great ladies, however, proved to be nothing short of supportive, fun and relaxed as each us went through round after round of picking things out to try. 

We all coveted the beautiful Black Halo dress that Summer brought in and fit Provisional Sophia Chesnokova like a glove and I was dismayed that a pair of cocktail pants I brought in looked way better on Provisional Kathleen Nolan than they ever did on me. A special bonus was having committee member Kim Burnham give each of us some styling tips during our modeling stints and made us love our new fashion finds even more! Everyone found at least one new treasure, if not more and whatever wasn't claimed at the end of the evening was brought to The Shop. 

The real treasure of the evening, however, was not really about the clothes, the shoes or the jewelry. It was about having the chance to get to know these great women a little better and reinforce one of the reasons that we all love being a part of the League. We not only take pride in the work we do in the community, but we relish the time we have to make new friends, connect with old ones and feel like a part of something special. 

Sophia and Summer 

Kim

Summer

SPAC Celebrates New Laws

By Bena Vohra, Sr. SPAC Delegate

Each legislative session, California SPAC delegates review and analyze bills related to health, education, violence prevention, and family support issues. During the 2012 legislative session, delegates focused their advocacy efforts in support of 35 bills, one ballot initiative, and one sponsored bill.  The legislative session ran from January 1 to August 31 this year.  At the close of the session, 19 SPAC supported bills were chaptered into law!  Most laws took effect on January 1, 2013, unless otherwise specified in the bill’s language.

Bill Highlight - SB 1538: Comprehensive Breast Tissue Screening

Local State Senator Joe Simitian (Palo Alto) championed legislation to improve breast cancer detection in women with dense breast tissue, an issue near and dear to members of our League.

Under federal law, a radiologist performing a mammogram must send a report to the referring physician that includes information about the patient’s breast density.  In addition, federal law requires that the radiologist write the patient to inform her of the results of her mammogram.  Women with dense breast tissue are at a four to six times greater risk of developing breast cancer when compared to women of the same age and health.

Signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown in September, SB 1538 requires that following a mammogram, women with dense breast tissue be informed of the following:

• That they have dense breast tissue;

• That dense breast tissue can make it harder to evaluate the results of a mammogram;

• That it is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer;

• That information about breast density is given to discuss with their doctor; and

• That a range of screening options are available.

An estimated 40 percent of women who have mammograms have dense breast tissue. Because dense breast tissue appears white on a mammogram, and cancer also appears white, it can be difficult to see the cancer.

Senator Simitian commented, “This bill is about a patient’s right to know. Patients with dense breast tissue need to know that it can hide a cancer, and that additional screening options are available. Early detection is the key.”

The bill makes California just the fifth state with a breast density notification law (following Connecticut, Texas, Virginia and New York.) SB 1538 will take effect April 1, 2013.

For more information about dense breast tissue, visit http://www.areyoudense.org

To see a full list of SPAC supported bills which passed, see the Junior Leagues of California SPAC website.  http://californiaspac.org/

2012-2013 California SPAC Delegation