Actress opportunity

On April 7, actress, producer, activist and new mom Salma Hayek will be in Chicago to kick off the North American campaign of the Pampers diapers "One Pack = One Vaccine" program, an initiative partnering with UNICEF that aims to eliminate the condition of maternal and neonatal tetanus in developing nations.

Hayek, 41, who got her big break starring opposite Antonio Banderas in the now cult classic "Desperado" in 1995, not only believes in giving back, she's also a great sport, even when comics like Kathy Griffin poke fun at her for earnest efforts, such as helping to answer phones during a celebrity telethon, despite her trademark heavy accent.

The location for the Hayek event and exact times have yet to be nailed down.

For a limited time beginning April 1, for every specially marked pack of Pampers product bought in the United States and Canada, Pampers will provide UNICEF with funding for one life-saving tetanus vaccine for a mother in need.

The goal of the North American program is to provide at least 27 million vaccines, bringing the total global donations to more than 50 million vaccines. Initially launched in 2006 in the UK, the program expanded to other countries in Western Europe in 2007 and now includes the United States and Canada.

The 2008 campaign is part of a global, multiyear, multimillion dollar commitment to UNICEF, supported by Pampers moms and dads, one pack at a time.

As for this serious health crisis, tetanus rages through newborns within days of their exposure to the Clostridium Tetani bacteria and almost always leads to a swift and painful death. Tetanus has a fatality rate as high as 70 to 100 percent in some countries.

In developing countries where women give birth at home in often unsanitary conditions, they and their newborn babies are at risk of contracting tetanus through spores that pass through the umbilical cord when cut with unsanitary instruments.

More details about Hayek's visit will be forthcoming.

Belle book event

The Sunday cover story I wrote about LaPorte's nefarious murderess Belle Gunness has attracted plenty of reader attention.

All the more reason to spread the word that Syliva Shepherd, author of the book about Gunness titled "The Mistress of Murder Hill," will autograph copies of her book on Saturday, April 12, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the La Porte County Historical Society Museum. Copies of the book also will be for sale at the museum.

The back cover of the book reads: "This is the story of one of the most horrifying she-devils in the history of the world. Her crimes are as terrible today as they were in 1908, when the morbid curiosity of the world was focused on an Indiana farm town where a woman named Belle Gunness had planted bodies like rosebushes. This is also the story of how the actual murders, gruesome as they were, became secondary to a deeper mystery that haunted all who came near it for decades ... "

For more information contact, Bruce R. Johnson, chairman of the Gunness 100th Anniversary Committee at (219) 362-3749 or the La Porte County Historical Society, 2405 Indiana Ave., in LaPorte at (219) 324-6767 or visit www.laportecountyhistory.org.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com at 219.852.4327.

celebBirthdays

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is 78. Actor Leonard Nimoy is 77. Actor Alan Arkin is 74. Actor James Caan is 68. Investigative reporter Bob Woodward is 65. Singer Diana Ross is 64. Actor Johnny Crawford ("The Rifleman") is 62. Singer Steven Tyler of Aerosmith is 60. Singer-actress Vicki Lawrence and actor Ernest Thomas ("What's Happening") are 59. Singer Teddy Pendergrass and actor Martin Short and country singer Ronnie McDowell are 58. Drummer Monte Yoho of The Outlaws is 56. Founder of The Guardian Angels Curtis Sliwa is 54. Country singer Dean Dillon is 53. Country singer Charly McClain is 52. Talk show host Leeza Gibbons is 51. Actress Jennifer Grey is 48. Actor Michael Imperioli ("The Sopranos") is 42. Guitarist James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins) and country singer Kenny Chesney are 40. Actor T.R.

Knight ("Grey's Anatomy") is 35. Rapper Juvenile is 33. Actress Amy Smart ("Road Trip," "Felicity") is 32. Actress Keira Knightley ("Pride and Prejudice," "Pirates of the Caribbean") is 23. Rapper J-Kwon is 22. Jessica McClure (baby trapped in Texas well) is 22.