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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Fire levels large shop north of Eagle Point ... Absconder lands in prison after ramming Grants Pass patrol car ... New, thinner fishing regs now available ... Fire levels large shop north of Eagle Point ... Absconder lands in prison after ramming Grants Pass patrol car ... New, thinner fishing regs now available ... Local Dining for Women chapters aim to change the world, one dinner at a time One woman, one girl, one dinner at a time Comment By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Social News Lucille Ball once said: “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it. The more things you do, the more you can do.” Lynn Kellogg might amend that to: Ask a busy woman. Kellogg, a longtime Gold Hill resident, meets once a month with a dozen or more like-minded women who are passionate about improving the standard of living for women in Third World countries. During potluck dinners, they break bread and talk about breaking down barriers to healthcare, education, economic self-sufficiency and gender equality. Some of the busiest women in the north Rogue Valley, they are part of Dining for Women — a global network that funds grassroots programs in education, healthcare, economic and environmental sustainability, safety and security, leadership and agriculture. Similar women’s groups meet in Medford and Talent. The South Carolina-based Dining for Women is the brainchild of Marsha Wallace, a former nurse and mother of four who was inspired by an article about a group of friends who met for potluck dinners and collected donations for needy families using the money they would have otherwise spent eating out. Diners contribute on average about $35 each month — the tab for a dinner out for two or a couple of pizzas for a family of four — to programs in some of the most remote places on Earth. Donations of any size make a huge difference in areas where families often subsist on $1.25 a day, and in some regions less than a dollar. There are 35 women on Kellogg’s mailing list, but generally 12 to 14 attend dinners held in an old catfish café turned community center up Sardine Creek in Gold Hill. The group she started with Alice Cushman comprises community organizers, a city councilor and active retirees. “You know what they say about busy people,” Kellogg says. “These are women with a lot of irons in the fire.” Yet for nearly two years, the women have gathered on the first Thursday of the month to learn more about the plight of women in Peru, Rwanda, Myanmar, Jordan, India and Haiti. Jeannie Matthews founded the Medford chapter after watching a three-minute television segment on Dining for Women more than four years ago. She and 15 friends — nurses, educators and therapists — gather around the dinner table on the third Monday of every month. A former mental health specialist and world traveler forced to give up her private practice and shelve her passport because of an autoimmune neuromuscular disease, Matthews is able to continue both her vocation and avocation through DFW projects addressing women’s issues around the world. Monthly DFW programs include videos, an introduction to the culture and traditions of the featured country and lively discussions of ongoing humanitarian efforts. The topic for November: Hope for Health in Togo. Togo has a high incidence of maternal and child morbidity and mortality. A grant to Hope for Health will recruit community health workers and improve access to quality healthcare for pregnant women and children under 5 in the West African nation. In December, DFW will view the Little Sisters Fund’s endeavor to combat child sex trafficking, child labor, child marriage and lack of education for economically disadvantaged girls in Nepal. Matthews, who mentored Kellogg, is pleased with DFW’s commitment to community-based outreach and education. DFW’s program selection committee vets scores of organizations every six months before choosing the next 12 candidates to receive grants of up to $50,000. Since 2003, the national organization has raised more than $4 million at dinners much like those hosted in the Rogue Valley. A year ago, Kellogg had an opportunity to witness firsthand a DFW-sponsored program in Ucayali, Peru. Committed to supporting health education and improving access to health care for women and their babies, INMED, in partnership with DFW, operates “waiting houses,” or clinics, where expectant mothers receive prenatal and postnatal care in even the most remote jungle communities along the Amazon. The Gold Hill DFW chapter had collected baby clothes and armloads of items you’d find at a baby shower here in the United States. And, while throwing a baby shower for an expectant mother is “a concept not in their culture,” Kellogg says, "the news of gifts” opened doors. “It was heartwarming and touching to meet with these women who are quite isolated,” she says. “It was a great opportunity to share vital information and educate parents-to-be. We were able to pull them into the clinics where they might not have come otherwise.” Peru has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Latin America (roughly 20 times higher than in the United States). Emergency obstetrical procedures are often eight to 10 hours away, Kellogg says, and that’s “eight to 10 hours traveling over muddy roads through the jungle or by boat down the Amazon." The waiting houses provide access to midwives and medical facilities and allow the mothers to stay near family. The women are also introduced to sanitary practices to safeguard their health and that of their infants. “It’s amazing what a little bit of education can do to solve problems,” Kellogg says. “Meeting with friends, talking and addressing world problems” has been eye-opening, she says. The more they do, they learn they can do more. Those interested in starting a Dining for Women chapter can contact Kellogg at nrv.dws [email protected] or Matthews at 541-779-1334. Additional information is also on the website at www.diningforwomen.org . Reach freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected]. By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tammy Asnicar for the Mail Tribune Posted Nov. 29, 2015 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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