AREA CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM LOCAL DOCTORS' DAY

Area children recently benefited from the national celebration of Doctors' Day.

Local doctors could have received red carnations or could have been treated to an elegant dinner; instead, the Cape Girardeau Area Medical Society Alliance helped local children feel good about themselves.

"We were looking for something that we could do for our children," said Carol Sparkman, president of the Cape Girardeau Area Medical Society Alliance.

The organization's members recently celebrated Doctors' Day by presenting self-esteem programs to area school children. "We could have spent money on the doctors instead, but we felt this was an important project," said Sparkman. She said both Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center dedicated Doctors' Day funds to promoting the programs. The Alliance donated the program materials.

Working with Project Charlie, a drug prevention program, Sparkman and a group of Alliance volunteers gave over 1,000 second-grade students in 20 area schools "I Can Choose" coloring books during a 20-minute presentation. The coloring books, published by the American Medical Association, promote self esteem, a major theme in Project Charlie.

"The goal was to reach every second-grade classroom in the area serviced by our organization," said Sparkman. "We wanted to give a free public-service program to tell the students they have behavioral choices on how they treat others."

Nona Nan Chapman, Doctors' Day project chairwoman, said the project theme projects the national AMA Alliance theme of "Stop America's Violence Now."

"We want the students to know doctors care about not only their physical health but also their emotional and mental status as well," said Chapman.

She said the students were receptive to what the volunteers had to say. "At one school I was directed to the wrong classroom: a fourth-grade class. I thought I was going to speak to second-grade students," she said. "But I ended up giving those students the program and the coloring books. They liked the program and the coloring books."

The women said the program was so successful that the Alliance voted to do it again next year using another coloring book and another theme. "The children have been very receptive and the teachers have been great. We have a direction and are looking forward to next year."

The Cape Girardeau County Area Medical Society Alliance was organized in 1924. Its purpose is to be educational and charitable. Members are made of spouses of Cape Girardeau County physicians.