The Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona’s Northwest Division will hold a fundraising event, You Gotta Have Heart, on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m.
The evening will include a 100th birthday celebration for Irving Olson, the honorary event chair, as well as a live and silent auction of art and goods and services. Dr. Tedd Goldfinger, author and cardiologist, will speak on the benefits of red wine for the heart. Heart-healthy Mediterranean hors d’oeuvres provided by Metropolitan Grill and wine will be served.
Olson, who officially turns 100 on Nov. 26, says he has a three-part formula for reaching such a great age: “Fifty percent is, you must have the right spouse. Forty-five percent, everything in moderation. And the last five percent is very critical — so far, in my whole lifetime, I’ve only seen one person who can achieve that and that’s me: You don’t take any crap from anyone.”
A retired businessman who has been a devotee of photography since the age of 10, Olson has donated one of his water drop photographs for the auction. Other artists who have donated pieces include Gale Baker, Daryl Cohen, Mordecai Colodner, Ray Hecker, Linda Levine, Anne Lowe, Faigee Niebow, Howard Paley and Joyce Susswein.
As for the benefits of red wine, “it’s really quite simple. People who drink red wine live longer and have a significantly lower risk of heart blood vessel disease,” says Goldfinger. “This is something that has been known for many years and was in fact part of some of the original research done through the Framingham heart trial that was reported initially in the 1970s. Unfortunately, the National Institute of Health suppressed a lot of the data, for fear of alcoholism becoming too much of an issue, socially.” For moderate consumption of red wine, he adds, the recommendation is two glasses per day for men and one for women.
The event will be held at the Jewish Federation Northwest, 190 W. Magee Road, Suite 162. The cost of admission is $18. RSVP to Karen Graham at the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona at kgraham@jfsa.org or 577-9393, ext.118, or go to www.jewishtucson.org. To donate to the auction, contact Anne Lowe, Northwest Division director, at alowe@jfsa.org or 577-9393, ext. 130.
