“Think Pink for Women’s Wellness”, an Irene Dunne Guild annual event, focuses on health education and awareness for women and their families.  The Irene Dunne Guild, a support group of Saint John’s Health Center Foundation, created Think Pink over 17 years ago as a gathering meant to educate women on important health issues. 2022 brings together mothers, sisters, daughters, and dear friends in a new re-imagined and socially distanced setting with safety at the forefront. We will safely enjoy a series of lectures focusing on women’s health. This year’s event is Wednesday, May 4th, 2022, 8:30am-3:00 pm at the Upper Bel Air Bay Club.  This popular event will ensure open areas and distance to move around safely, masks will be available for those who need one. 

Featuring morning break-out sessions with notable physicians and speakers. Over the years, topics have included healthy brain aging, addiction, urology, dermatology, and breast health. The event culminates with a wonderful luncheon held outside on the lawn of the Upper Bel Air Bay Club overlooking the Pacific Ocean.  Boutique shopping with open areas to prevent crowding is available throughout the event with net proceeds benefiting programs, equipment and services at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. Tickets are $150.00 per person.  Think Pink Co-Chairs are Susie DeWeese and Lorena Craven.

​For more information, contact Esther Espinoza at Esther.Espinoza@stjohns.org or 310.829.8262.The Irene Dunne Guild is celebrating its thirty-fifth year as a major support group of Saint John’s Health Center Foundation in Santa Monica, California. The guild is comprised of over 100 members committed to putting their hearts forward to find innovative ways to fundraise, comfort patients, educate their community and nurture the mission of providing compassionate care. www.irenedunneguild.org

See original post at the Palisades Post

By Sue Pascoe, Circling the News

The Irene Dunne Guild, a support group of Saint John’s Health Center Foundation, created “Think Pink” more than 17 years ago as a way of educating women on important health issues. This year the annual event will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 4, at the Upper Bel Air Bay Club.
The day will feature lectures, breakout sessions with physicians and speakers. Past topics have included healthy brain aging, addiction, urology, dermatology and breast health.
A luncheon will be held on the lawn of the club. There will boutique shopping, with net proceeds benefitting programs, equipment and services at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. Tickets are $150 per person. This year’s co-chairs are Susie DeWeese and Lorena Craven. For more information contact Esther Espinoza at Esther.Espinoza@stjohns.org or (310) 829-8262.
The Irene Dunne Guild is celebrating its thirty-fifth year as a major support group of Saint John’s Health Center Foundation in Santa Monica, California. The guild is comprised of more than 100 members, who are committed to putting their hearts forward to find innovative ways to fundraise, comfort patients, educate their community and nurture the mission of providing compassionate care. www.irenedunneguild.org
See original post in Circling the News

Check out our new Instagram page launched by Guild member Lucy Fisher.  She and fellow member Hannah Redfern have been activating new formats to help publicize the many ways the Irene Dunne Guild supports Saint John's Health Center for our community.

Posted in Circling The News by Sue Pascoe-scroll down for link to original post:

​IRENE DUNNE GUILD SUPPORTS DOCTORS/NURSES DURING COVID-19​​

This year, the Irene Dunne Guild’s yearly patron drive funds going are going to help support doctors and nurses at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The drive is a letter-writing campaign from the more than 120 Guild members to friend, families and associates in the community requesting donations.
From the drive so far, movie trailers were rented for the staff, so they were able to shower and change before leaving the hospital for home. Guild funds have also paid for a laundry service to wash the scrubs for the staff and purchased new scrubs to have on hand when needed.
Additionally, 10 new iPads were bought and distributed between intensive care, emergency room and the progressive coronary care unit. One of the iPads was for labor and delivery so the fathers, who cannot be in the hospital, can see their new babies when they are born.
Each year, the Guild, which has about 51 Palisadian members, typically provides more than $100,000 to St. John’s and has funded a natural birthing center, an ultrasound machine, portable childbirth monitors, an OB/GYN table and a Fast Track system for the emergency room.
As well, the Guild has created numerous programs, including a hospital gift shop, a volunteer effort called Angels of the ER, a library of books, CDs and DVDs for patients and waiting loved ones, toys for children in the hospital, childbirth classes, lactation classes and a clothing closet to aid patients.
Founded in 1987, the Guild has raised more than $17 million for Saint John’s vital programs, equipment and special projects.

​To view the original post, Visit Circling The News

We are pleased to announce that beginning at 6 p.m. tonight, caregivers will have access to showers so they may wash before heading home after their shift.  These showers are available for all shifts and are located in the valet lot (between hospital and Sunshine Café).  Look for the Star Wagons [parked at the Health Center].  The showers are equipped with body wash, shampoo, wash cloths and towels.  A big shout out to our operations team, Saint John’s Health Center Foundation and the Irene Dunne Guild who have been working on this project for over a week.  We appreciate you!
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The Irene Dunne Guild has been allocating funds from our Patron Drive to support caregivers at this crucial time of need during the Covid-19 pandemic.  To help us provide even more support to our caregivers, please click the links on this site to donate to our Patron Drive fund.  Thank you for your support! 

Janis Gallo has been elected president of the Irene Dunne Guild 11 years after joining the organization. The IDG is a volunteer group of community members that supports the health center under the umbrella of the Saint John’s Health Center Foundation. Gallo was an invited guest at the IDG annual signature event, the Think Pink luncheon and boutique, in 2009 and was immediately impressed with the group and its mission. “When I first went to a Think Pink luncheon, I realized this is a group I felt an affinity to,” she says. “I felt they were devoted, intelligent and interested in doing something and in giving.”

Gallo, who gave birth to her three children at Saint John’s, has worked tirelessly for the guild since then. As president, she wants to raise awareness about the group’s role. The 102-member guild raises money to support special programs or equipment for the hospital. Recently, the IDG donated funds to purchase portable fetal monitors for the labor and delivery unit and for a special bed for stroke patients. The guild also sponsors the Beauty Bus, which creates pop-up salons where Saint John’s patients and caregivers receive a variety of complimentary beauty and grooming services. The IDG also recently raised and donated funds to support a broad array of needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Donations from members have increased this year due to the pandemic, Gallo says. That is in keeping with the spirit of the IDG members. “We step up to do things that weren’t in the hospital budget. This is our community hospital.” 

See original article in Fall 2020 Saint John's Magazine

The ​Beauty Bus Gives the Gift of Pampering to Patients, Caregivers

​TODAY spotlights the inspiring efforts of the Beauty Bus, a nonprofit that gives loving care to hospital patients and their caregivers. The foundation, which is marking its 10th year, began as a passion project for one woman who turned the loss of her sister into something beautiful for others.

​Click here for link to original article and video on Today

[Irene Dunne Guild member] Mary and Jay Flaherty have donated $5 million to Saint John’s Health Center Foundation in support of the exceptional health care and research of Providence Saint John’s Health Center, John Wayne Cancer Institute and Pacific Neuroscience Institute.
“We’re so thankful to Mary and Jay for their generous gift,” said foundation president and CEO Bob Klein.  “This gift not only supports ground breaking, bench to bedside research and health care, it signals to the larger community that this campus is worthy of major support. This type of philanthropy is absolutely critical to bringing state-of-the-art medical care to more people.”
The $5 million gift will be shared equally among John Wayne Cancer Institute, Pacific Neuroscience Institute and Providence Saint John’s Health Center, the anchor of the three affiliates. “The compassionate and personalized care that Saint John’s is known for, coupled with the cutting-edge research of John Wayne Cancer Institute and Pacific Neuroscience Institute, is a unique model in health care and a partnership destined for great success in the field of medicine, which is why we wanted to provide our support,” said Mary Flaherty.
Mary Flaherty is a grateful patient of Saint John’s and she currently serves as Chair of Saint John’s Health Center Foundation Board of Trustees. “My connection to Saint John’s is a family tradition that goes back more than forty years. Saint John’s and its affiliates have been there for me and my family as the cornerstone of our health care and we want to ensure its success as a world-class health center for years to come,” said Mary and her husband, Jay.
The gift will support new developments in breast cancer treatment and research, advancements in the field of neurosciences and cardiology, as well as technology updates to ensure Saint John’s, John Wayne Cancer Institute and the newly formed Pacific Neuroscience Institute, build upon their reputation as pioneers in medicine.
“The Flaherty’s are pillars of our community and their gift will allow us to make enhancements to programs and services so we can offer the latest in medical treatments to those in need. This empowers our caregivers, doctors and nurses to do what they do best, treating each patient with compassion and dignity,” said Marcel Loh, chief executive of Providence Saint John’s Health Center and John Wayne Cancer Institute.

​The Irene Dunne Guild generously funds Beauty Bus services at Saint John’s. The Beauty Bus gives compassion, hope to California hospital patients.  Thanks to the IDG, Beauty Bus is at Saint John's Health Center every Tuesday going room to room performing free hair, nail and facial services for patients and their caregivers to bring dignity and compassion to families.  In addition, IDG funding allows Beauty Bus to do a Pop-Up Salon every year for staff caregivers throughout the Health Center to be pampered.

By Laurel Busby
Staff Writer
Think Pink, an annual celebration focusing on the health care of women and their families, was the brainchild of Pacific Palisades realtor Fran Flanagan and the Irene Dunne Guild.
Guild members, who raise money and act as ambassadors for St. John’s Health Center, work hard each year to create this fun and inspiring health education event. Think Pink, which this year was held May 17 at the Upper Bel-Air Bay Club, always occurs around Mother’s Day, and the timing is not accidental.
“I wanted to celebrate and honor our mothers, because who teaches you to take care of yourself? Your mothers,” said Flanagan, who came up with the idea for Think Pink when she was Guild president in 2005. “It’s a day of learning about what we need to know to take care of ourselves, our husbands, our sisters, our mothers—all of that stuff we do all the time. It’s giving us the tools to do that.”
This year’s event, which also commemorated the Irene Dunne Guild’s 30th anniversary, featured author and filmmaker Sharon Weil as the keynote luncheon speaker, who shared insights about the choices and challenges inherent in embracing life’s inevitable changes. Her books include “ChangeAbility” and Donny and “Ursula Save the World.”

Past Irene Dunne Guild presidents are (left to right sitting) Cammie Hall, Jill Robertson, Kate Prudente, Su-Z Schneider and (standing) Fran Flanagan, Mary Flaherty, Brenda McDonald (current president) and Chris Geller.The informative celebration, which was chaired by Sandy Line and Loraine Sinskey, also held a boutique and health-related breakout sections, including emergency room Dr. Victor Candioty providing advice on handling unexpected health events, dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban discussing what skin indicates about our overall health, internist Dr. Ora K. Gordon exploring the mind-body connection, and nutritionist Leona West examining how food connects to health.
Over the years, Think Pink sessions have focused on a variety of topics, including “arthritis, diabetes, mental health, depression, anxiety, drug abuse, palliative care, end-of-life care and what dangers can lurk in your medical cabinet,” said Flanagan, who noted that sometimes the information has even been lifesaving for attendees. “There’s a lot of information out there, but there’s also a lot of incorrect information out there. This helps you sort through it.”
Health care was particularly important to Flanagan’s late mother, a registered nurse, who would have been 100 on May 14. “She was an advocate of health information, educating the client, explaining things,” Flanagan said. “She believed that knowledge is comfort. This is my way of saying, ‘I honor you, mom.’”
For the members of the Irene Dunne Guild, whose current president is Brenda McDonald, the event has been a special cause. Melinda Casey came on in subsequent years as the boutique chairman and the eventual event co-chair, while Palisadians Dolly Niemann, Susie deWeese, Patty Black (owner of Black Ink) and Debi Bishton have also worked hard to make it a success.
But it is only one part of the Guild’s health care mission. The 123 members, who range in age from their 20s to 80s, have provided millions of dollars in assistance to St. John’s Hospital over the years. A letter-writing campaign has raised more than $850,000, while the Caritas Gala, an annual black-tie dinner the Guild co-hosts, has raised more than $11 million through the decades.
Each year, the Guild, which has 51 Pali- sadians as members, typically provides more than $100,000 to St. John’s and has funded a natural birthing center, an ultra-sound machine, portable childbirth monitors, an OB/GYN table and a Fast Track system for the emergency room.
As well, the Guild has created numerous programs, including a hospital gift shop, a volunteer effort called Angels of the ER, a library of books, CDs and DVDs for patients and waiting loved ones, toys for children in the hospital, childbirth classes, lactation classes and a clothing closet to aid patients.
“If some particular doctor or program needs support, they often bring that to the Guild, and we decide whether we can help support them,” Flanagan said.
Flanagan, a Coldwell Banker realtor, became involved with the organization when her friend and colleague, Su-Z Schneider, invited her to join in 2003. Flanagan and her husband, Terry, had moved to the Palisades in 1970 and raised three children here, including Erin, 52, who works for the National Park Service, and two current Palisadians, Tolley, 51, a casting director, and Elizabeth, 44, a digital marketing executive.
The Irene Dunne Guild and its support of St. John’s always resonated with Flanagan. The Guild is named after the well-respected actress, who was one of the first members and also a longtime hospital philanthropist, but it was actually begun by Sister Marie Madeline, a nun who was an active advocate for St. John’s.
“She [Sister Marie] was the absolute backbone of that hospital,” Flanagan said. And the annual Think Pink event, which has grown from 50 attendees to 275 this year, has become the backbone and “the mother lode of the Irene Dunne Guild. It’s the way we put ourselves there.”
Click here to link to original article in Palisades News