Cincinnati, Ohio [April 27, 2007] – Dianne Dunkelman, founder and CEO of Speaking of Women’s Health, will be honored by the March of Dimes for her longtime support and contributions to the issue of mother and child healthcare.  The recognition will take place at the organization’s 2007 French Master Chefs Gala on Saturday, October 27.

The annual event brings world famous French Master Chefs to Cincinnati for a special evening featuring some of the finest gourmet food in the world. 

Dunkelman has been a driving force for bringing information to women so they understand and recognize their health care choices.  She founded Speaking of Women’s Health in 1995 as a one-day women’s health event.   Her leadership has been the inspiration for the expansion to a national foundation with 50 conferences in 40 cities nationwide, including Universal Sisters conferences for African-American woman and Hablando de la Salud de la Mujer conferences for Hispanic women.  Her work has drawn national attention and earned numerous awards, including the National Conference for Community and Justice Citation Award (2004) and the YWCA Career of Achievement Award (2001).

Donna Wymore of Wymore & Associates serves as chair of this year’s event.  Wymore is a member of the board of directors for the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky division of the March of Dimes, and previously chaired the first chefs event in 2000 as well as subsequent gourmet galas in 2001 and 2005.  Additional details regarding the 2007 French Master Chefs Gala will be announced in the months ahead.  All proceeds from the event will benefit March of Dimes’ research, education and advocacy to prevent premature birth, birth defects, and infant mortality.

For more information about the event, contact John Vonder Haar, development director of the March of Dimes, at (513) 769-3588 or jvonderhaar@marchofdimes.com.

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature births and infant mortality.  Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com or its Spanish Web site at www.nacersano.org.