PASCACK VALLEY—Jennifer Charnow is a coordinator of Hills Valley Coalition For Resilient Youth and the Pascack Hills High School PFA Parent Academy, and is Woodcliff Lake’s Stigma Free representative.
A mom of two—Jacob is 19; Madeline is 15—Charnow dedicates a large wallop of her life to educating our community, including through more than 35 programs through the Parent Academy program she created, and through her work as a coordinator (sharing the role with Jennifer Zimmerman) of the Hills Valley Coalition.
Charnow told us on Oct. 10, “This March I was diagnosed with breast cancer. When I discussed whether I was going to share the information publicly it was Madeline who said, Mom, you dedicate your life to educating the community and helping people. You have to help bring awareness and understanding to how important getting their mammograms is.”
She said, “Out of the mouths of babes, right? So, seeing that it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month I am doing a Parent Academy program on Oct.18 to do just that.”
PHHS PFA Parent Academy Presents: Breast Cancer Awareness: An Evening Dedicated to Breast Cancer Risk Reduction and Early Detection runs Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. at the PHHS Media Center. RSVP here.
Charnow said she has “two wonderful speakers” in Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky and Rachel Sugalski:
Teplinsky is a board-certified medical oncologist specializing in breast and gynecologic oncology. She is the head of Breast Medical Oncology at Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care in Paramus and a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
Sugalski, MS, is a licensed certified genetic counselor at Valley-Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care in Paramus.
And, Chernow said, “I am also working with PHHS TAC, Teens Against Cancer, and there will be a full school pink out that day. I have purchased pink awareness bracelets for students to give out, and they will be doing a 1 in 8 walk to help support the cause as well.”
She said, “One in eight women is too many and if I can educate even one woman on the importance of getting her mammogram then I will consider the evening a success.”
Hills Valley Coalition
The non-profit Hills Valley Coalition’s mission is to educate and inform the community at large about how to promote a healthy, safe, substance and stigma-free environment that encourages the development of a positive lifestyle for our youth and reduces at-risk teen behavior.
The organization was established 17 years ago with the school district’s partnership with law enforcement, municipal leaders and residents to unify our prevention efforts and community resources in Hillsdale, River Vale, Montvale, and Woodcliff Lake.
Committed HVC members from each town include parents/residents, students, community business members, law enforcement, school officials, municipal leaders, and health providers.
It says its objective is “the reduction of chronic underage drinking, substance abuse, and high-risk teen behavior; unified networking between municipal leaders, law enforcement, school officials and community members; support for at-risk teens and their families; parent and teen networking; and promoting safe homes and safe community environments.
On Oct. 3 HVC hosted Dr. Christopher Cutter, a top behavioral healthcare researcher and clinician in the fields of psychotherapy development, behavioral medicine, and addiction medicine in urban and rural environments.
He presented on The Teenage Rollercoaster: Navigating the ups and downs utilizing data-driven methods.”
Pink Hat Campaign
Separately, October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the best time to show your support for the cause, and help raise money toward research and a cure, by buying your custom pink ballcap.
Retired Park Ridge Police Lt. Nick Errico’s Pink Hat Campaign sees dozens of departments of the Pascack Valley’s and Northern Valley’s (and Passaic County’s) bravest and finest taking tax-deductible donation for caps.
Errico, of Harrington Park, launched the campaign in 2012 for October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month to spread the word about and and support breast cancer awareness and research, betting personalized pink hats for police officers and firemen to wear on duty would turn heads and help get the job done.
Errico tells Pascack Press the effort “has since expanded to many locals within the community supporting this great cause. All proceeds are donated to OctoberWoman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research based in Park Ridge. This foundation generously matches the amount raised, and the money is then donated to the Columbia University Medical Center.”
Errico says the project has the enthusiastic involvement of police chiefs, fire chiefs, police unions, and businesses. It is not unusual at town council meetings for mayors and councilpeople promoting hat sales.
“Chiefs in the surrounding towns all wanted to get involved. And people wanted to help,” he said.
The Erricos say they hope that money raised from selling the hats, which are $25 each, will help find a cure for the disease.
Since 2012 Errico’s effort has raised more than $270,000 for research and a patient wellness program. And there’s special passion driving Errico: his wife, Carla, has long been in treatment — from six years before the campaign’s launch — and now he has battled cancer as well. (Though he’s quick to say what he had is not as daunting as what his wife has been tireless in fighting.)
The hat campaign took a hiatus in recent years with all else that Covid-19 disrupted, and Errico says momentum is building back up.
He gives special thanks to The OctoberWoman Foundation for Breast Cancer Research for its generous contributions to the Pink Hat Campaign. The foundation was created in 1994 by the DiBella family to raise money and awareness in the field of breast cancer after losing loved ones to the disease.
“Since that time, the founders have worked to expand their supporter base and broaden their outreach. They have instituted a new name — one that will call to mind all the women who struggle every day with breast cancer. They now call themselves OctoberWoman — for the month dedicated worldwide as a special one in the fight against the disease. This new name broadened the foundation’s outreach, but did not change the foundation’s basics.”