Glen Cooke - Investing in Women's Health
Glen Cooke, a small business owner, his wife and several friends, were celebrating at a local winery. “We received the news that my wife’s biopsy was benign, an immense relief for us all.” While they were there, Natividad Medical Foundation (NMF) staff and volunteers from the Zonta Club arrived to set up for a fundraiser to benefit The Onyx Fund for Women. The Onyx Fund for Women supports underinsured and uninsured working poor women by paying for the down payment for medically necessary gynecologic surgery. Funds are raised through donations and sales of Onyx necklaces named for Onix, the woman who inspired the creation of the Fund.
Linda Ford, NMF President and CEO, shared that women who need the surgeries, including Onix, often forego having them for years because they need to care for their families and cannot afford their cost. Through the support of The Onyx Fund, to date, 30 women have been approved for their surgeries and 25 have had them completed.
Glen heard the presentations and was deeply moved by the stories. "I received such good news about my wife and am so thankful. To hear that there are women in the community that need such help, I had to do something." Glen bought not only one Onyx necklace, but four that evening, and included a generous donation for The Onyx Fund for Women. "The economy has hit us just as it has hit everybody. I give because, thankfully, I can. It's the human thing to do."
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