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“Planned Parenthood is not an organization about abortion, as
some would want you to think. It is the organization that five
million American women turn to for health care every year.
Planned Parenthood is an organization that changes lives for
the better and I’m honored to be here.” —Jane Fonda at
fundraising gala for Planned Parenthood of South Palm Beach &
Broward Counties, Inc.
South Palm Beach & Broward Counties— Celebrating 32 years
serving two counties, Planned Parenthood of South Palm Beach &
Broward Counties, Inc. staged a glamorous yet heartfelt
fundraising gala on January 6 at the Marriott Hotel in Coral
Springs with celebrity guest speaker Jane Fonda and 10
honorees, nine of which are local leaders.
At the 32nd Anniversary Gala & Auction titled “Exceptional
Women and Men of 2006,” some 250 guests listened enraptured to
the powerful speeches of each exceptional honoree praising the
organization for its remarkable work in providing affordable,
comprehensive reproductive health services and for its highly
successful model teen pregnancy prevention and comprehensive
teen health programs. “I am honored to be accepting an award
in the same company of such distinguished fellow honorees and
Jane Fonda,” said Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter, a
longtime supporter of a woman’s right to choose and full
access to reproductive health care. Her sentiment
was echoed by the nine other “Exceptional Women and Men of
2006,” each of whom praised the Planned Parenthood affiliate
for its successful teen pregnancy prevention programs in
operation since 1997. “Prevention, protection and privacy are
the cornerstones of our reproductive health care services for
women and men, teens through senior citizens,” said Mary
Capobianco, CEO/president of the local Planned Parenthood
affiliate. “In following the Carrera Model program of teen
pregnancy prevention, we can report zero teen pregnancies and
no school drop-outs,” she said about their two after school
programs.
Dr. Michael Carrera, Director of Adolescent Sexuality &
Pregnancy Prevention at the Children’s Aid Society, NY, was
honored for his 47 years of work in this field. His
mesmerizing speech was punctuated with examples of how teens
were turned around through the holistic model he developed and
why the abstinence-only programs are failures.
The other award-winners receiving crystal vases wer e:
powerful orator U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, Hon. Chris Smith,
Hon. Anne Gannon, Hon. Eleanor Sobel, Commissioner Diana
Wasserman-Rubin, community leaders Gale Butler and Ellen
Sanders Galkin; and Sam Jordan of the Broward County Boys &
Girls Club.
Jane Fonda listened intently to each speech and said she was
moved by their commitment to the Planned Parenthood mission
and to teen pregnancy prevention in particular. Fonda
established her own foundation in Atlanta, the Georgia
Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (G-CAPP), and
counts Dr. Carrera among her friends and her mentor, she said.
Following dinner and awards, Jane Fonda was introduced and
began her speech with accolades for the work Planned
Parenthood does as “the most trusted, caring health
organization that women and teens turn to for their needs.”
She praised guests for attending and helping to raise funds to
support their local affiliate. “Planned Parenthood is not an
organization about abortion, as some would want you to think,”
she said. “It is the organization that five million American
women turn to for health care every year. Planned Parenthood
changes lives for the better and I’m honored to be here.”
she said.Then Jane Fonda launched into sharing the fascinating
journey of her life in its third act. An
actress/activist/author and humanitarian, Fonda said that 10
years ago, at age 59, she decided that the third and last part
of her life would be about preventing adolescent pregnancy.
Referencing her book My Life So Far, she said that when her
famous father died in 1981 she spent time at his bedside
finally getting to know him and learning about his many life
regrets. Consequently, she said she wasn’t afraid of dying,
but was terrified that she would also die with regr ets, so
has set out to rectify that by “living intentionally”; making
the third act important by “weaving it into a meaningful
tapestry so I will die with as few regrets as possible.”
Fonda won over the audience with her candid self-evaluation
and life wisdom. She discussed the year she spent resear ching
herself, intent on self-discovery, and her surprising
discoveries: “I realized what I would regret, and that was
never having had an intimate relationship. That is when two
people aren’t afraid to bring their whole selves to the
table.” Following her in-depth revelation and other personal
wisdom, she took questions from guests and was honest and
forthcoming with her answers. The audience gave her a
prolonged, standing ovation. “I never really liked her before
tonight,” said guest Philip Kapp, “now I just love her.
Hearing her in person, she won me over!” Planned Parenthood is
the nation's largest, most trusted voluntary reproductive
health organization. We believe everyone has the right to
choose when or whether to have a child and that every child
should be planned, wanted and loved. Planned Parenthood of
South Palm Beach & Broward Counties, Inc., founded in 1975,
operates five quality, affordable health centers for women,
men and teens and two model T.E.E.N. Society programs. It’s
slogan “We’re more than you think!” reflects the multitude of
health services pr ovided. For information, call: 561/394-3540
x 212 or 954/480-9744 and visit "http://www.lovecarefully.org"
www.lovecarefully.org |