POMPTON PLAINS, N.J. – A part of Cedar Crest’s mission is to continually work to assist the greater community outside its own walls. One of the community’s goals is to establish an ongoing charitable partnership with a locally based organization.

Cedar Crest residents and staff joined hands to help an extraordinary organization, one that brings quality medical care to economically disadvantaged children throughout the United States and around the world. Healing the Children is a not-for-profit organization that since 1988 has been bringing volunteer physicians, nurses, support staff, and supplies to children who have no resources or access to even the most basic medical services.

During the month of August, Cedar Crest promoted a drive to collect over-the-counter healthcare supplies for needy children in the St. Martin de Porres Village shelter in Paterson, NJ. Staff and residents donated a variety of medicines and toiletries, for example:

From left to right are Healing the Children Development Coordinator Denise Malsky, Cedar Crest resident Ruth Walker, Dr. Hervey Sicherman and Cedar Crest Director of Philanthropy Bradford Marr.

“I think the drive was wonderful because there are sick children who need our help,” said Cedar Crest resident Ruth Walker. “And this is a concrete way to support them in our own special way.”

Dr. Hervey Sicherman, M.D. is an orthopaedic surgeon from Wayne who has volunteered his services for Healing the Children for more than 25 years. He said, “It is simply giving back and I do so because I’ve been so fortunate over the years.”

“The residents and staff are always looking for different ways to reach out and share their gifts, including caring for others outside of their own community. I’m overwhelmed by the generosity and thoughtfulness of the residents who look to help the children who are in need,” said Cedar Crest Executive Director Cathy Guttman. “I thank everyone for their broad participation and for making this collection drive such a success for Healing the Children.”

“It is both a pleasure and honor to work together with the residents of Cedar Crest Village to help children in need,” said Healing the Children Mid-Atlantic Executive Director Rena Tolsma. “We hope to continue our close working partnership to benefit children well into the future.”

Cedar Crest Director of Philanthropy Brad Marr said, “We are so pleased that Cedar Crest residents and staff are joining hands to support this compassionate cause.  Learning about the work and commitment of these extraordinary volunteers is an inspiration and it's gratifying to see so many of our folks support their efforts.”

Those who prefer to make a monetary contribution may continue to do so through the Cedar Crest Philanthropy Office. Employee cash contributions to Healing the Children will be matched by Erickson Retirement Communities. The contacts are Brad Marr (973-831-3652) and Janelle Morse (973-831-3562).

Healing the Children, founded initially in Spokane, Washington in 1979, has spread across the length and breadth of the United States, with chapters currently active, coast to coast. Healing the Children volunteers have changed the lives of more than 146,000 children. The Mid-Atlantic Chapter of Healing the Children was founded in 1981 by Evelyn Dudziec who served as Executive Director for 26 years. To learn more about the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of HTC, you can visit their website at http://www.htcmidlantic.org/About_Us/overview.htm

More than 1,650 people live at Cedar Crest, an Erickson full-service retirement community that promotes a vibrant lifestyle. Erickson Retirement Communities is one of the leading national developers of full-service retirement communities.  Headquartered near Baltimore, MD, Erickson has built an innovative network of 23 communities that combine a maintenance-free active lifestyle with an ever-expanding host of amenities, social activities, and wellness and medical centers, proven to improve both physical and mental health.   In 2008, Erickson was named by FORTUNE as being one of the Top 100 “Best Companies to Work For,” ® and Cedar Crest was named the 14th “Best Place to Work in New Jersey” by NJBIZ Magazine.

Richard A. D'Amico, M.D., is currently Medical Director of the Plastic Surgery Skin Care Center in Englewood, New Jersey. Aside from operating his own practice in Englewood, New Jersey, he has performed thousands of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures for patients located all over the US, and traveled around the world performing surgery on needy children with Healing the Children. He has taught in the School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, is the Chief of Plastic Surgery at Englewood Hospital, and has been lauded as a Top Doctor by both New York Magazine and New Jersey Monthly.

On October 30, 2007, Dr. D’Amico was elected president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the largest plastic surgery specialty organization in the world, with over 6,000 members. D'Amico, in a statement on the ASPS web site, stated that, "For over 75 years, the primary goal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) has been to advance the quality of care for and safety of plastic surgery patients by demanding the highest standards in our members." His practice is a testimony to that goal.