DIGITAL EDITION No. 325 July 24, 2019  EDITOR: Layne Bowen PHOTOGRAPHER: Diane Moresi PUBLISHER: Richard Lazovick

Our Program For Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Dianne will be discussing the dire importance of understanding how seniors need to take control of their financial lives by putting a lifetime financial security into focus and what it means to our future.

USEFUL LINKS

Visit our district at: http://www.rotary5130.org
Check out Rotary International at: http://www.rotary.org
Come see us at: http://rotarymeansbusiness

Opening Ceremonies

Pledge: Ginny Cannon
Reflection: Chip Rawson passed on some wise thoughts about patience.

Visiting Rotarians 

Past DG Bob Rogers and his bride.

Guests

Attorney/CPA Larry Kropp and speaker Laura Vizzetti

Sunshine

All is sunny, according to Ginny!

WOBBY’S WAFFLE

Robby Fouts announced there is $630 in the pot and 10 marbles. 9 yellow and 1 blue. Blaine Goodwin drew a yellow marble. Better luck next time! The pot grows wild in Sonoma County!!!!!

Cathy’s a Clown (but only when she isn’t president!)

Kris Anderson took over joke duties today. She is at least as funny as Cathy ????

Announcements

*Karen Ball has the dues invoices for pickup after the meeting.
*Rio Ray needs volunteers to help back to school shop for kids.

Paul Harris Awards for Fire Survivors

Past DG Bob Rogers awarded new Paul Harris Awards for those who lost their PH awards to the fires of 2017.

Tim and LeeAnn Delaney
Robby & Linda Fouts
Judy Glenn
Mary Graves
Jeff Kolin
Fred & Jeanne Levin
Kim Murphy
Cathy Vicini

Program

Polio survivor Laura Vizzetti spoke of her experience with polio and later with post polio syndrome. She told of her experience helping disabled WWII veterans and winning a ping pong doubles tournament.

Laura, raised on the east coast, was athletic. She was a talented ice skater and gymnast. She tried out for the Ice Capades. At 17, she was talented, but a year too young to join. She was a good student and also handled her family’s finances. She had a job working in a law office.

As a very young woman of 17,  Laura didn’t feel well. She went to bed and woke up throwing up and with a severe headache. But the end of the day, she was totally paralyzed.

Treatments were given in a warm pool, where her limbs were stretched. She was older than most polio patients. At night, she started telling bedtime stories to the younger children. Eventually, she was able to sit up and sit in a wheel chair. Soon, Laura was able to use her hands enough to type. She recognized a name of a patient who was in an iron lung and was wheeled in to visit the young man. She read him the newspaper and helped him pass the time while he was in the iron lung.

Laura shared the many ways polio isolated and negatively affected her family during a 15 day quarantine. After being released from the hospital, Laura jokingly described her body braces as the “erector set”. She returned to school, but many students wouldn’t sit near her for fear of catching polio.

Laura described various experiences as a polio patient which included much impatience by nurses and hostility born of fear from others. Finally, she was able to walk on her own and ditch her erector set. She was surprised to find that even after her recovery, people were still very fearful and stand offish. Finally, her father had had enough. He hated his job and the open disapproval his family had taken from the local community. He moved the family to another community 40 miles away, to a place where no one knew of Laura’s polio, where the family made new friends.  

Laura’s story was interesting and timely. Imagine having a child stricken with a debilitating disease and having the community be openly hostile to your family rather than supportive during that time of need. Thank you for sharing your story, Laura!

Governor, District 5130

Barb Spangler, Valley of the Moon Rotary Club

Attendance Secretary

Debi Zaft P.O. Box 505 Santa Rosa, CA 95402

Board of Directors

Club Service I, Membership, Ryan Thomas
Club Service II, Club Meetings, Jeff Kolin
Club Service III, Fundraising, Steve Baime
Club Service IV, Member Activities, Anne Gospe
Club Service V, Information Technology and Records, Brandon Urich
Community Service I, Member Involvement, Andrea Geary
Community Service II, Youth, Laura Held
Vocational Service, Carolyn Fassi
International Service, Peter Holewinski