A heartfelt effort to help child in need

In February, the 9-year-old was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a disorder in which the heart muscle is weakened and cannot pump blood efficiently. In her case, a heart transplant was required to save her life.

Immediately the community rallied around Danielle and her family, bringing meals and raising money to help pay medical expenses.

Christine Sassone, Joanne Panarelli, and Lisa Ferguson, whose sons play Pop Warner football with Danielle's brother Tommy, 11, got together to organize a fund-raiser featuring refreshments, music, and a silent auction, scheduled for this past Friday. But the event turned into a celebration as well, when Danielle received a heart transplant at Children's Hospital in Boston. At press time, her five-week hospital stay was going well.

According to transplant specialists, the one-year survival rate for pediatric heart transplant patients is very high.

Panarelli said no one - especially parents - thought twice about helping the Cournoyers.

``The whole thing just puts a pit in your stomach, and you want to do everything you can to help,'' she said.

The group is still collecting donations for the Cournoyers at Commerce Bank in Shrewsbury.

PILGRIMS' PROGRESS - Ah, the modern school curriculum. When we were kids, we made turkeys from our handprints and teachers perpetuated the Thanksgiving-actually-happened-in- November theory. Today, schoolchildren are taught that the original Thanksgiving was probably held in October (better weather, harvest time) and turkey most likely wasn't on the menu.

Third-graders at the Ralph Wheelock School in Medfield are not only told how the original Thanksgiving went, they learn through doing. In the beginning of November for three days running, the third-grade classes take turns dressing as Pilgrims, preparing a harvest-time feast, and playing 17th-century games (such as archery) at Rocky Woods in Medfield, helped by teachers and parent coordinators. The event prepares the youngsters for a trip to Plimoth Plantation later in the month, where they get to see historical interpreters enact the everyday lives of the Colonists.

FAST FOOD - Some people are happy to spend hours making complicated canapes, but if you're the kind who thinks ``hors d'oeuvres'' is French for chips and salsa, perhaps you should pick up a copy of Dover author Tod Dimmick's new book, ``The Complete Idiot's Guide to 5-Minute Appetizers'' (Alpha Books).

Dimmick, a gourmet chef and wine connoisseur, tells readers how to whip up escarole with gorgonzola and walnuts, or crab parmesan dip. He also explains how to take store-bought basics and dress them up to look like something you slaved over. (Hey, it's not called ``The Complete Idiot's Guide'' for nothing.)

The secret, said Dimmick, is in keeping it simple. ``Don't get bogged down with complicated, time-consuming recipes. Pick two or three high-quality ingredients that go well together and let them do the work for you,'' he advises.

Dimmick, who also wrote ``The Complete Idiot's Guide to 20-Minute Meals,'' is editor of tastingtimes.com, a web guide to selecting good wines at good prices.

FAST SERVICE - Amar Desai, 11, of Weston, won the runner-up medal in the junior division of the New England Fall Classic Table Tennis Tournament held at the Waltham Tennis Club last month. Seventy-five participants converged on the Fernald Center in Waltham for the USA Table Tennis-approved event, one of four held quarterly at the club.

According to Rajeev Sharma, top player and club spokesman, table tennis (never ``ping-pong'') is the fastest-growing sport in the nation. When a good player hits a ball, it travels more than 100 miles an hour, he said.

Between 600 and 800 New Englanders are registered with USA Table Tennis, said Sharma, who lives in Worcester. The organization is part of the United States Olympic Committee.

BABSON'S HARVARD CONNECTION - Wellesley resident James I. Cash Jr. recently joined the Babson College board of trustees. Last year, the Wellesley business college awarded Cash an honorary degree for his pioneering work in technology and curriculum innovation.

Cash, now a consultant, recently retired as James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration, senior associate dean, and chairman of Harvard Business School Publishing. At the Harvard Business School, he taught in all the major programs and served as chairman of the MBA program from 1992 to 1995, when he led the reengineering of the Harvard MBA. He also created a one-week program to bring minority college students to Harvard Business School during the summer to encourage them to pursue careers in business.

Cate Coulacos Prato can be reached at prato@globe.com.