The South Atlantic Division hosted Ranjit Kaur, president of Reach to Recovery® International, for 10 days as part of the International fellowship program. During visits to Atlanta and the Washington D.C., area, Ms. Kaur met with local Reach to Recovery volunteers to learn more about the program’s needs from the US perspective. Ms. Bonita Pennino, director of State Government Relations in Maryland, hosted Ms. Kaur for a day that included an overview of state-level advocacy, youth engagement in tobacco control efforts, and participation in a smoke-free rally in Annapolis. Ms. Kaur met with the Theresa Young, executive director of the Patient Resource Center, and was able to listen to calls and responses on the toll-free support line. Diane Ben-Senia, director of Regional Mission Delivery, provided insight about mission delivery programs and a tour of the local Hope Lodge®. At a regional staff Division meeting, Ms. Kaur shared her own experience in Malaysia working with cancer patients and their families while increasing her understanding of community mobilization at the Division. At the South Atlantic office in Atlanta, she met with key staff, including Patricia Hoge, chief mission officer and Linda Edwards, executive vice president of Mission Delivery - as well as South Atlantic Chief Executive Officer Jack Shipkoski and Chief Development Officer Paula Mohan. Ms. Kaur, a breast cancer survivor based in Malaysia and founder of the Malaysian Breast Cancer Council, will apply this knowledge as president of Reach to Recovery International and share best practices during her frequent worldwide speaking engagements.
