Taking Reading Outdoors in Talkeetna 

A project of Rotary eClub 5010 International in cooperation with the Friends of Talkeetna Library.

The Talkeetna Public Library/Community Resource Center, a non-profit organization, is located about 2 miles from downtown Talkeetna, and serves three Upper Susitna Valley communities (Chase, Talkeetna and Susitna North), a combined population of about 1500 residents. As in many small communities, the library serves as much more than a site to obtain and read books. It also serves as a hub of the regional community, hosting community and public meetings, educational classes for children and adults, as a social center for residents and much more. 

Joan deeply admires Rotary’s commitment to the children of the world, and emphasizes the necessity of vaccines when speaking with younger people who often get conflicting information about immunizations, using herself as a first-hand example of what they can prevent.

She  is Past President of the Rotary Anns, the Post Polio Society of British Columbia and of the Rotary Club of Victoria.  She is a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow and a Rotary Foundation Benefactor.  Joan has received a President’s Commendation and a District 5020 Award of Excellence.  She has twice been the recipient of The Rotary Foundation District Service Award, and has also been presented with the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award and the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers. Joan is a recognized and sought after speaker on polio and the progress towards eradication.

Information and booklets on Post-Polio Syndrome may be reached via email at joantoone@shaw.ca

eClub meeting: 6-3-17, 8:00am AK time

In June 2015 the Sockeye Fire destroyed more than 26 homes in the area around Willow, Alaska. Several of these properties, including the home of Dee Dee Jonrowe, were owned by mushers who run the Iditarod dog sled race. Thinking back to this event, Dr. Nancy Dodge (Ambassador to ShelterBoxUSA and Rotarian with the District 5010 eClub) came up with the idea for the ShelterBox Iditarod Challenge.

ShelterBox is an international humanitarian disaster relief charity that provides temporary shelter and lifesaving, non-perishable equipment to families immediately after a natural disaster and during a humanitarian crisis. (www.shelterboxusa.org). ShelterBox is a Rotary International Project Partner.

For the past 9 months Dr. Dodge has been talking to Rotary Clubs, businesses, media, Rotary Youth Exchange students, church groups, the Nome JROTC and anyone else in ear-shot to organize this fundraiser and to get the ShelterBox tent to Nome for the end of the Iditarod Race.  Although it took over 120 hours of her volunteer time, it was well worth it. In true Rotarian fashion, she is demonstrating “Service above Self”. To date, $6500 has been raised with hopes that the goal of $10,000 can be met.

Although the original mushers under the leadership of Joe Redington Sr. set up the first Iditarod in 1973 with the idea of saving the Iditarod Trail, Dr. Dodge hopes that they also had the idea of promoting the 1925 “Great Race for Mercy”   which brought diphtheria serum to the sick in Nome. Just as the 20 mushers and 100 dogs brought help to those who suffered from a disaster, so do the volunteers with ShelterBox travel to the 4-corners of our Earth by any means to help those who have lost their homes to floods, cyclones, hurricanes, fires and other catastrophic events.

Six of the 39 District 5010 Rotary Clubs started the ShelterBox Iditarod Challenge; 4 made it into Nome. 

The winners will be announced at the annual District 5010 Rotary Conference in Talkeetna this May.

SPECIAL THANKS:

Pastor Harvey Fiskeaux, Covenant Church, Nome             ShelterBoxUSA staff

Nome Public Schools                                                            Hi-Res Graphics, Eagle River

KICY                                                                                        Rotary Clubs of: Anchorage Hillside, eClub,

KNOM                                                                                      Anchorage South, Nome, Russian Jack and

Adam Lust, Rotary Club of Nome                                         Seward

Jessica with ABC/Fox News, Anchorage                             Rosie Roppel, editor, Rotary District 5010

Emma Haidacher, RYE, Austria                                             Stan Hooley, CEO, Iditarod Committee

Residents Seaside Center, Nome                                         Dallas Seavey (2016 Iditarod champion) and

                                                                                                  daughter Annie

We have started a crowd funding campaign to raise funds for our RYLA, Youth Exchange, Shelter Box, Computers for Kids and Food for Kids program. We set our goal for $16,000.

This crowd funding campaign will only work if each of us get involved. It is important to send out the link for the crowd funding to all of your contacts, share the link on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and any other social media site that you are involved with.

Show your support! Let’s raise the funds that we need to have a successful year next year!

This link will take you to our campaign - http://www.gofundme.com/Kids-Count

Be sure to like our campaign to receive updates!