Paul Quintavalla’s Presentation on Rotaplast

Paul Quintavalla, District 7450's Governor-elect,

gave an moving presentation to the Club this morning on Rotaplast,

about which most of the members had litte knowledge.

Although Rotaplast began as a project of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, it became a separate non-profit corporation in 1996.

Rotaplast International, Inc. is committed to helping children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities.  Working with local professionals, Rotarians, and other organizations, Rotaplast sends multidisciplinary medical teams to provide free reconstructive surgery, ancillary treatment, and training for the comprehensive care of these children.  Rotaplast supports education and research towards prevention of cleft lip and/or palate. Its aim is to help local professionals build sustainable models for the care of these children, improving their lives and those of their families.

Rotaplast employs the following strategies to reach this goal:

Facilitate medical missions to provide surgical intervention for children who are not able to receive treatment or who are in need of more complicated medical procedures than can be provided by local physicians.

Counsel families about ways of reducing the incidence cleft palate anomalies through diet, vitamin supplementation, and lifestyle changes.

Collaborate with local health professionals on follow-up care and on development of comprehensive cleft palate programs where feasible.

Learn about the incidence and causes of cleft lip and palate anomalies, including both genetic and environmental factors.

Educate local physicians and specialists by urging them to work with our teams to broaden their skills in treating cleft anomalies.

Foster international goodwill and fellowship by working with Rotarians as well as with health officials in host countries.

To date, Rotoplast has treated 19,136 patients in 26 countries!

Although Paul has traveled on many missions including such places as the Philippines and Venezuela, his mission to Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar

Uppatasanti Pagoda

was featured in his slide presentation.  Some of his slides graphically show the difference Rotaplast's volunteer doctors, nurses, Rotarians and other mission participants have had on the populations of some of the world's poorest countries where such medical procedures are often otherwise unavailable … and where children with physical deformaties are often and tragically shunned, abandoned or worse!

A mother with her son who was born with a cleft lip (the white material on the child's face is actually a form of make-up in Myranmar)

A young boy – pre and post operative

An adult before and after surgery

Each child receives a "beannie baby" and quilt before surgery which they often take with them into the operating theater to reduce their anxieties

Paul's presentation had a special significance to two of the Club's members.

Retired Dr. Augie Adrid

had traveled to the Philippines on many occasions to assist with cleft lip and/or palate and other reconstructive surgeries, often working 10-16 hour days.

Unknown to other members of the Club, Fred Edelman

shared his expereince as having been born with a cleft palate that was surgically corrected and how the results of that treatment both enhnaced his physical appearance and had an incredibly positive impact on his pyschological and emotional health as well as in developing his life-long commitment to help people in need where ever they live.

At the end of today's meeting, one member was so moved that he presented Paul with a check for Rotaplast and another has since sent him a donation check to support its incrediblly worthlwhile endevour. 

Anyone interested in learning more about Rotaplast or making a donation can log onto http://rotaplast.org/.

 

Another Saturday Supporting the Salvation Army’s Kettle Drive

For the fourth consecutive weekend Club Rotarians donated their time to help the Salvation Army with its 2018 Kettle Drive outside Macy's and the Oxford Valley Mall.  Taking the first shift, Arthur Finkle and Mark Nath were joined by volunteer trupmpeteer Topny Primola.

(l to r) Arthur, Tony and Mark

Around noon, there were relieved by Irv and Wendy Perlstein.

These volunteers wish to thank the many shoppers who have been so generous during the past month to help the Salvation Army help people in need.

 

Welcoming Fran Zeitler to the Club, Announcing Jeff Revak as President-Elect and District Governor Dawn deFuria’s Visit

Today the Club welcomed its newest member, Fran Zeitler of Princeton …

Club President, Ira Sherman (l) presenting Fran with her certificate of membership

Ira also announced that Jeff Revak has accepted the positions as this year's President-Elect.

Jeff Revak

At the same time, the Club was honored to have current District Governor, Dawn deFuria, Assistant District Governor, Chris Potter, a District Governor-Elect, Paul Quintavalla, join us for our breakfast meeting.

(l to r) Paul Quintavalla, Chris Potter and Dawn deFruia flanking a banner promoting and encouraging Dawn's theme for her tenure, "Get On Baord with Rotary  –  2017-18"

During her presentation,

Dawn outlined her family legacy in Rotary, her dad and husband both being former Club presidents and District Governors; her personal experiences of Rotarians reaching out to fellow Rotarians when they were sick; an acknowledgement of some of the issues which occasionally frustrate members of Rotary and the positive ways she hopes to address them; her visions of how Rotary International and District 7450 supports its local clubs as well as national and international efforts to improve health, education, access to clean drinking water, and fight diseases, specifically Rotary's incredibly successful "End Polio Now" campaign and also recognized the amazing work our Club has accomplished and continues to support.

 

 

Collecting for Needy Veterans at Colonial Farms Market in Washington Crossing

Thanks to the invitation of Nicholas Angelakis, owner of Colonial Farms Market in Washington Crossing, members of the Club collected monies to provide holiday meals for needy veterans.  A tremendous debt of gratitude is owed to the dozens of the market's customers who made donations to this worthy cause. 

Irv Perlstein, Nick Angelakis and Alan Agree

Dick Newbert

As has been the case during similar fundraising drives, Irv, Alan and Dick had the opportunity to chat with many of the folks to made contributions.  Among today's most memorable donors were ..

A lady who told us about a young man who enlisted in the Marines at 17 just after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  After completing his training at Paris Island, GA, he was shipped off the the Pacific Theater where he fought at Guam, Truk and finally at Iwo Jima.  After the war, she met him, they married and shared a sixty-plus year marrige and passed away only a few weeks ago.

The son of another World War II veteran who stormed the Normandy beaches on D-Day and fought at St. Lo where he was wounded.  He subsequently spent a year in a German Prisoner of War camp.

A doctor serving at the VA hospital in Philadelphia where wounded soldiers from Vietnam were transported…  first to McGuire Air Force Base and then driven in busses with their windows painted over to prevent people form seeing the injured to Philadelphia.  Many of those men arrived less than 36 hours after being wounded .  Amazing!

In just four hours these wonderful and generous people donated just over $400!

 

The Community Helping Our Club Provide Holiday Meals for Needy Veterans

While most of  our area's citizens celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday with lavish turkey or ham dinners, unfortunately there are still too many Bucks County veterans who served our nation and yet ccontinue to face challenging economic times for themselves and their families.  In response to this crisis, the Club is continuing its efforts to provide Holiday-period meals for these needy veterans. 

However, its ability to do so would not be possible without the active enggement or many area merchants and caring individuals …. to which a great deal of THANKS and APPRECIATION is owed!  Among these latest "heroes":

Gabrielle's Pizza II in Washington Crossing

Chris Mascio

Colonial Farms in Washington Crossing

Nick Angelakis (owner)

Member of both the American Lefion Post 317 and the Guardians of the National Cemetery

Skip Munday

Shady Brook Farm, Yardley

Market at Styers Orchard, Langhorne

 

The Guardians of the National Cemetery and Bucks County Vets Center Helping Reach Veterans in Need

The Rotary Club of Shady Brook was proud to be able to donate gift certificates for complete Thanksgiving Dinners for needy veterans and their families with the assistance of.

Guardians of the National Cemetery in Washington Crossing

(l to r) Irv Perlstein, President of the Guardians of the National Cemetery Bob Craven and Dick Newbert

Bucks County Vet Center in Bristol

(l to r) Vet Center Team Leader Jeffrey Hoerger and Dick Newbert

These holiday meals were made possible by the incredible generosity of an amazing group of people out  doing their grocery shopping at Shop Rite in Yardley on  recent Thursday and stopped by the Club’s table outside the market.    They included a woman whose husband at nineteen stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day losing a leg to enemy fire; a young Marine just back from what he called the "sand box" as he termed Iraq; an female Army officer stationed at Fort Dix; a mom whose son was presently serving in Afghanistan; to name just a few.

Larry Snyder

Team Toyota Helping the Club Reach Needy Veterans

The Club presented two Thanksgiving Dinner Gift Certificates to  which will be donated to needy veterans and their families.

(l to r)  Irv Perlstein, Team Toyota's Program Manager Tom Mellon and Dick Newbert

It is worth mentioning that Tom hosts a weekly radio show on WBCB (AM 1490) dedicated to honoring our country's Veterans, our regional Police and FIre men and women and other Emergency Responders.

Team Toyota has also been a supporter of the Club's annual Charity Golf Outing for manny years.