Prostate Cancer Foundation Describes Risk Factors

Prostate Cancer Foundation
Image: pcf.org

Served the Christiana Care Health System as its executive director of development, Andrew Pack previously held a similar position with the Variety Club of Philadelphia. During his tenure, Andrew Pack earned the Fiscal Excellence Award given by the Variety Club’s national headquarters.

He supports many community causes, among them the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), whose mission is to enhance research into prostate cancer. The PCF has identified several risk factors associated with the disease.

Prostate cancer is most common among men over 60, with a 1 in 14 chance of occurrence. Men aged 30 to 59 have a 1 in 38 chance of developing the disease.

In addition to age, family history and genetics play a part. Having a brother or father with prostate cancer doubles the likelihood of developing the disease. If a family member was diagnosed before 55, or three family members have had the disease, the risk increases further.

Location also factors in to prostate cancer rates. Men as a whole in the United States have a 17 percent risk, while those living in rural China are at 2 percent. (This figure increases if the latter group moves to a Western nation.) Those living above 40 degrees north longitude have the greatest risk among Americans.

In recent years, scientists have identified two kinds of prostate cancer: low-risk and aggressive. For example, smoking and a lack of vegetables in the diet boost the chances of the aggressive variety, but not the low-risk disease. Being tall and sedentary, and having high levels of calcium also increase the likelihood of aggressive prostate cancer.

Variety Club of Philadelphia Aids Children’s Development

Variety Club of Philadelphia
Image: varietyphila.org

Having served as the executive director of development for Christiana Care Health System, Andrew Pack draws on fundraising skills he gained from a previous position at the Variety Club of Philadelphia. For the Variety Club, Andrew Pack emphasized major gifts programs rather than separate fundraising events.

The club offers activities for children who are disabled. Summer is the peak season, with day and weekend camps and job skills training events. Also available is the extended school year program.

This opportunity assists persons from age 5 to 21 during the break between school years. It helps individuals with developmental disabilities maintain and build on the knowledge they acquired in autumn school sessions. Classes are offered for six- and eight-week periods.

A typical day’s schedule begins with arrival at 9 a.m. and a group gathering in a circle. Therapy and individualized educational plans follow. Lunch is preceded by a reinforcement period. Afternoon activities include group therapy and swimming. The day ends at 3 p.m. with the closing circle. Extended care is available before and after hours.

Children’s Crisis Treatment Center Offers Friends Program

Children’s Crisis Treatment Center
Image: cctckids.org

A former executive director of development for Christiana Care Health System in New Castle, Delaware, Andrew Pack volunteers his time and services with organizations including the local Philadelphia SPCA. In addition, he was the executive director of the Variety Club of Philadelphia from 1998 until 2009. Andrew Pack also supports the Children’s Crisis Treatment Center (CCTC).

CCTC is a Philadelphia-based nonprofit agency that focuses on behavioral health services for more than 2,400 children and their families. Established more than 40 years ago, CCTC addresses the impact of traumatic events, child abuse, neglect, and other areas that affect early childhood development.

The Friends of the CCTC program helps raise funds for the agency. Established in 2004, the group boasts more than 350 members and seeks to strengthen the mission of offering high-quality behavioral health services. Members share ideas with likeminded individuals, partake in hands-on volunteer opportunities, and work closely with the children who use CCTC’s services.

In recognition of their support, Friends members receive discounted tickets to CCTC events, including the annual Round-Up and Cruise for Kids. Membership to the organization costs $40 annually.

AFP: The Association of Fundraising Professionals

For more than a decade, Andrew Pack has held membership in the Association for Fundraising Professionals (AFP). The members of AFP are individuals and organizations that work to generate and collect philanthropic support for a broad array of charitable institutions. Based in Arlington, Virginia, and founded in 1960, AFP recently celebrated 50 years of service. Today, AFP offers valuable resources to more than 30,000 members in over 200 chapters around the world.

AFP works on a variety of fronts in order to encourage ethical and effective fundraising. Through government projects, the organization advocates for effective legislation and regulation to help maintain honest philanthropic involvement. In order to increase donor trust, AFP promotes and popularizes consistent high standards for professional fundraising practices. AFP has collected many of these practices in its Code of Ethical Principles and Standards, which all members are required to comply with. Professional misconduct by members remains subject to review by the AFP Ethics Committee.

Dedicated to training individuals in the nuances of effective, ethical fundraising, AFP offers a variety of educational programs, including a yearly International Conference on Fundraising, which stands as the single-largest gathering of professional fundraisers in the world. Other conferences, like the Hemispheric Congress on Fundraising-Latin America, address location-specific issues. In addition, AFP offers a variety of educational courses for interested members and professionals.

Scotland, by Andrew Pack

I was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and came to the U.S. as a child. I never forgot my roots, and to this day regard Scotland as one of the most beautiful places on earth. Glasgow is in West Central Scotland, and enjoys one of the most temperate climates in the nation. Winters are typically cold and damp, but springs and summers in Glasgow are generally mild, with an average high of 68 degrees in July. The city centre is based on a grid system of streets on the north bank of the River Clyde. George Square, where many of Glasgow’s public statues and the Victorian Glasgow City Chambers can be found, is the heart of the city.

A district that’s appealing for tourists is the West End, home to Glasgow’s district of tea rooms, bars, boutiques, hotels, clubs, and restaurants. In addition, the University of Glasgow and the Glasgow Botanic Gardens are situated there. Residential areas in this chic district include Hillhead, Dowanhill, Kelvingrove, Kelvinside, and Hyndland. Other popular tourist attractions in the West End include the Museum of Transport, the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, and the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena. Each June, Glasgow hosts The West End Festival, one of the largest events the city puts on.

Other annual festivals include the Glasgow International Jazz Festival, the World Pipe Band Championship, the Glasgow Fair, and the Glasgow Film Festival. The city offers many cultural venues in additions to its other charms: the King’s Theatre, the Tron Theatre, and Cineworld Cinemas, the world’s tallest movie theatre, call Glasgow home. In addition, Glasgow boasts four institutions of higher education: The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, The University of Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian University, and Glasgow School of Art.

By Andrew Pack

SouthEast Philadelphia Collaborative (SEPC)

by Andrew Pack

From 2005 to 2009, I served with the SouthEast Philadelphia Collaborative (SEPC) in the various capacities of Vice Chair, Chairperson of the Sustainability Committee, and Executive Committee Member. Founded in 1999, SEPC organizes after-school programs in Southeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pooling the resources of nine youth-oriented organizations. Member agencies affiliated with SEPC include Variety, The Children’s Charity of Greater Philadelphia; Pennsylvania’s Migrant Education Program; and the Fleisher Art Memorial. SEPC provides the Southeast Philadelphia community a distinct benefit through its Teen Lounges, which are drop-in centers offering youth a safe and educational place to spend time after school. Free of cost and commitment, the Teen Lounges provide tutoring and SAT prep on regular weekdays. They also offer break dancing classes and open arts projects. Unlike many organizations, SEPC involves teen members directly in program planning, implementation, and evaluation through the Youth Leadership Council (YLC). The council partners with Teens for Good as part of its commitment to environmental justice, operating a community garden that donates food to local stores, residents, and restaurants. The YLC also maintains its own orchard trees in cooperation with the Philadelphia Orchard Project, and teams with the Philadelphia Urban Food & Fitness Alliance to improve students’ access to nutritious school food and safe exercise equipment. The teen YLC staff and the adult SEPC staff meet once a week to coordinate activities. I support SEPC’s community activities, notably at Mifflin Park in Southeast Philadelphia, where the organization helps refurbish one of the city’s most neglected parks. SEPC has joined other community members on weekends for more than a year, picking up trash, recycling, and repainting park benches. Another successful SEPC event was its 2010 Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative After School Idol Talent Show. Drawing a crowd of 350 spectators, SEPC youth gave energetic performances for the community members who turned out to support them. I recommend visiting the Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative on the Web at www.SEPhillyYouth.com, and discovering ways of getting involved with this vibrant organization.

About Andrew Pack

A native of Glasgow, Scotland, he moved to the United States in 1976, graduated from La Salle University in 1995 and shortly afterwards earned a Certificate in Principals of Fundraising from Villanova University.