PATHFINDERS PREVENTION EDUCATION FUND HOSTS FESTIVE OPEN HOUSE FOR NEW OFFICE

Brenetta Howell Barrett, CEO of Pathfinders Prevention Education Fund, hosted an Open House introducing the organization’s new office at 1140 North Lamon Avenue in the Bethel Small Business Center. Dr. Terry Mason, Chief Medical Officer for the Cook County Health & Hospitals System, was the special guest speaker. He delivered a dire warning for those dependent upon the county for medical care. Dr. Mason predicted that if President Obama’s national healthcare act is overturned by the Supreme Court or repealed by Congress, it would doom the Cook County hospitals and clinics because there would not be sufficient money to operate them and provide medical care to the poor and uninsured. Dr. Mason encouraged young people attending the Open House to consider careers in medicine and healthcare despite the cost of college and the problems facing the profession. He also urged them to strive for their dreams and not to let anyone deter them from achieving their goals. Artists Patrick Thompson and Darrell Spicy presented a mini-gallery of fine art in the outer hallway. They were joined by samples from the quilt project of the Lawndale Alliance, headed by Valerie Leonard, who also served as MC for the event. Achievement awards were presented to Dr. Mason, Prentiss Jackson, and Joyce Wade. Brenetta Howell Barrett thanked Pathfinders board members and volunteers for their hard work, including: Linda Kay Goodine, Dr. Patricia R. Bush, Dr. Susan Rogers, Bernard Clay, Darrell Gordon, Sam Houston, Dr. Richard Stephenson, Maeomia Oden, Matthew Jackson, Reginald Mister, and Dorothy Finley. Pathfinders provides HIV, AIDS, and sexually transmitted disease information through lectures, workshops, interactive roundtables, and literature tables for adults and youth. It serves the Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale, West Humboldt Park, Near West Side, West Haven, and west suburban communities. To schedule a presentation and to obtain information, call 773/287-5523.