WIPING OUT POLIO: One of the Rotary Club's chief causes is wiping out polio worldwide. To this end the service club sends out teams to administer polio vaccine in several underdeveloped countries. Their latest effort was in Ghana, formerly the Gold Coast. Los Gatan Kailas Chidambaram was part of the 68-member group of Rotarians who went to Africa last fall to administer this program.
Kailas and Jim Walker of the Cupertino Rotary spoke at a recent Rotary meeting and presented a slide show of the trip. They were two of the 80,000 volunteers who inoculate more than 3 million children in a country-wide, two-day effort.
Two drops at a time were administered to all children between 1 and 5 years old in 18,000 different locations throughout the country. Ghana was chosen because it is English-speaking, having been under British rule for about 100 years before gaining independence, the first African country to do so.
In addition, the country is welcoming and small enough--the size of Oregon--to be adequately covered in two inoculation days.
"Everywhere we went we were enthusiastically welcomed. Of course we stood out because of our skin color," said Walker.
"Speak for yourself," quipped Kailas, who is of Indian descent and grew up in Singapore and Malaysia. He served in both the British and Malaysian armies and met his wife Sandra when she was assigned to Malaysia in the Peace Corps.
The two were active in Rotary International when they lived there. The local Rotary chapter gave more than $3,000 to the polio project. The district, which has 1,000 members, raised $156,000--a sum that was matched by Rotary International. Some 154 countries worldwide are now considered safe from polio. T-shirts which said "Goodbye Polio," on one side and "Thanks Rotary" on the other, were given out to the children. The World Health Organization sponsored the project and contributed the vaccine.
Other agencies involved were the Ghana Ministry of Health and the Japanese government. The group was welcomed with singing and dancing on its arrival wherever it went. Members also visited Elmina Castle, where millions of Africans were enslaved and shipped to the Americas over a 300-year period. The castle is now a World Heritage monument.
ANNIVERSARY: The Los Gatos Kiwanis celebrates its 75th birthday this year with a dinner dance at Rinconada Country Club March 6 beginning at 5:30 p.m. Anyone who has ever been a Kiwanian is urged to attend. Ernie Patterson is the one to call at 354-6558.
The club will be erecting benches along the creek trail, one of which will be a memorial to past president Ben Nerenberg, an optometrist active in Kiwanis for 36 years. In other Kiwanis news, the Rolling Reader Program is underway at Blossom Hill School.
In this program, volunteers read to a designated class for one hour a week through the semester. Readers are Catherine Barrier, Ellen Graff, Bob Jones, Rich Lang, Fred Mollerus, Bart Raynaud, John Rountree and Mary Tomasi DuBois.
NOMINEES: Joanne Crum and Steve Wozniak were nominated for Library Volunteer of the Year. Neither candidate won the national library award, but both were in good company.
ENGLISH IMPORT: Lynn Seymour is the sister of Bruce Springbett, Los Gatos dentist and famed runner. Seymour was imported from England to serve as a consultant for the San Francisco Ballet this season because it is presenting Kenneth MacMillan's "The Invitation," and Seymour was the one who originated the dance.
It's a shocking and controversial piece because it depicts a rape. Seymour was considered the most electrifying ballerina of her day because of her dramatic intensity. The part of Juliet should have gone to her [rather than Margot Fonteyn], according to Los Gatos dance guru Betty McClendon.
Bruce Springbett is justly famed as a runner in these parts. And, according to McClendon, he moves with the grace of his sister, the world-class ballerina. "Must be in the genes," she mutters.
WW II WOMEN: We and Our Neighbors meets at 1 p.m. Feb. 20, with dessert and a 1940s theme. Visitors are welcome, and everyone is urged to wear styles from the '40s, and to bring artifacts and remembrances. Especially honored will be servicewomen or those who contributed significantly to the war.
The historic clubhouse can be rented by calling 377-1463. W&ON is the oldest club in the county, marking its 107th birthday Feb. 20. President is Ramiza Dahlin at 267-0397.
LEAGUE: Affordable housing is the topic at the meeting of the League of Women Voters Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Campbell Community Center. Speakers include Carl Guardino, Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group and Beth Wyman, county homeless coordinator.
A PLETHORA OF HELENS: There are so many Helens living at the Meadows--13--that they even formed a Helen Club that meets monthly for dinner. A name powerful enough to launch a thousand ships ought to easily get a few gravy boats going.
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
