Rotary Log: January 6, 2010 (Krempels Foundation)

Portsmouth Rotary Club

Weekly Log for January 6, 2011                                                        

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Dave Holden presented our vocational minute and let us know that Walter was keeping track of the time! Dave was the Portsmouth City planner for over 100 years or so. He is now retired…sort of. Dave wants to get into some sort of private land planning for clients interested in property development. Dave was born and raised in New Hampshire and kept his report to 1 minute, 7 seconds, a new rotary land record!

There were a ton of happy dollars, and not just happy dollars, but multiple dollars. Bob gave $50 to the club for President Diane jumping in the ocean in the Polar Bear Plunge and did the same amount for the same reason for Melissa. Stella had a happy dollar because she has finally completed placing two hundred acres of her farm in Stratham into conservation so that it can never be developed. Peg gave a very moving happy $20 because the birth family of her son invited her to visit them after her son passed away. Eric was so pleased with the Christmas tree fence that was the brain child of Lynn Del that he gave a happy buck in her honor. Former President Jamie challenged all past presidents to take the Polar Bear Plunge next year and put $20 where her mouth is. There was a happy dollar because Joe Bove is back in the Club. President Diane let the Club know that Mrs. Butterworth came to the New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge and made a substantial donation to Rotary in memory of former Portsmouth Rotary President Frank Butterworth who died on New Year’s Day four years ago and who was a regular in the Polar Bear Plunge, taking his last plunge at age 82!

President Diane also read a letter of appreciation from Christine Davis who thanked the Rotary Club for the scholarship she received to Leadership Seacoast.

We had a number of announcements today including the fact that the Polar Bear swim netted just over $6000 for the Club, Lynn Del announced that the Rotary Vision weekend is coming up on Saturday, January 22, 2011 from 9am – 1pm in the Levenson Room at the Portsmouth Public Library and that Dave Underhill is welcoming any volunteers for the Interact Committee. In announcing the success of the Polar Bear swim, Melissa wanted to give special thanks to Bill Hurley, Mark Sullivan, Basil, President Diane, former President Shannon, Lisa Mills, Peg and all those who devoted food and, of course, all the swimmers!

THE PROGRAM

This is the 11^th year for the Krempels Foundation, a national model for brain injury recovery, according to Carol Davis, Senior Program Coordinator, who noted that there was a recent article in the Portsmouth Herald about the Krempels Foundation and there will be more to come. David Krempels was a 42 year old building contractor who was on the second day of his honeymoon with his new wife when he was struck from behind by a tractor trailer which killed his wife and left David with a severe brain injury. Despite the injury, David was able to formulate a concept in his head for a better response to brain injury and the result was the Krempels Foundation which provides a variety of areas of care including occupational therapy, psychology, and physical therapy.

A client of the Krempels Foundation, Scott Pelletier, described himself as a brain injury survivor. He had everything going for him: a career as a certified Harley technician, a beautiful girlfriend, a great place to live, lots of friends…and then tragedy struck. Scott was thrown off his motorcycle near the intersections of 101 and 93 in Manchester. Unlike a broken bone which is evidenced by a cast, Scott described the difficulty of a brain injury as something that people can not see. They think you are just “slow”. Scott explained that he did not want to go to the Krempels Foundation when he first heard about it and the day he finally did go, he did not want to leave! Scott describes life there as “a big family” that “changed my life forever and quite possibly, saved my life”.

Lee Harvey suffered a stroke 6 years ago after a successful career as an architect. He, too, did not want to go to the Krempels Foundation. When he finally did go, he, too, did not want to leave. People who have suffered a brain injury still, Lee points out, have a lot to contribute, even if they sound different then the rest of us. Another participant in the Krempels Foundation also did not want to go to be a client, primarily because she had been a Special Needs Assistant in the schools and did not want to admit that she had needs herself. However, after her tragic horse accident, she was finally convinced to go to the Krempels Foundation and the grief counselor there helped her enormously.

An excellent program on a subject most of us know very little about.