IFRAHL Newsletter Volume 1 January 2005

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Recognizing our volunteers and contributors

Now that our video, Hope for Hearing Loss, is completed and the mailing campaign is underway, we want to recognize some of the major contributors to this effort:

The Rotary Club of Clover Park, Lakewood, WA invested $24,000 in the project.

Several District 5020 Rotary Clubs, their members and family members made considerable contributions and nearly all are noted on the video acknowledgements.

Don & Peg Doman, PNW Video Productions did a great job on the video. Unfortunately, we went over budget. Don and Peg generously deducted 22% off their final billing (which was already discounted from normal fees) to give us some welcome relief. Don is a member of the Rotary Club of Tacoma # 8.

Rick Oldenburg, a member of Rotary Club of Tacoma #8, did the professional voiceover for the video at no cost to us.

Gary Gray, Chairman Gene Pankey’s son-in-law, did the design and graphics work for the video case and insert.

David May, Clover Park Rotarians and owner of Minuteman Press in Lakewood, did all of the printing at a discounted price and then gave us extra copies at no additional cost.

The Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research staff and scientists provided many hours for planning, meetings and interviews.

Your IFRAHL officers and directors spent considerable time on the project.

We offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to everyone who made this project possible. And if we missed anyone, please accept our sincere apology and we would appreciate hearing from you so we can make the record complete.

Video Mailing Campaign begins

Our first mailings are underway and will continue into the future. We have targeted investigative television programs, public television stations, foundations, major news media organizations and our own Rotary leaders. We expect to mail about 300 DVDs.

We will also distribute 1,000 to 1,500 DVDs at the Chicago Centennial Convention.

Funds are getting low so we hope new contributors, as well as our current supporters, will consider helping keep this project moving forward. If you know of an organization that should receive the video, please let us know.

IFRAHL Web site is remodeled

Thanks to Rotarian Don Bonner of the Nanaimo (BC) Daybreak Rotary Club the IFRAHL web site has been completely redesigned.

Dr. Edwin Rubel, lead scientist at Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center had one word to describe the change: “Great!”

Don is District 5020 Web Master. He does this kind of work for a living with his company NISA Custom Internet Solutions and has spent a lot of time (without charge) on our new site. He has agreed to remain as our Web Master and we are truly indebted to him for his creativity, generosity and “service above self”.

We also want to thank Pat Firestone, a former Clover Park Rotary member for getting us started on the internet. We appreciate Pat’s early service and her many hours of contributions to IFRAHL and managing the web site for the first year.


Oberkotter Foundation Challenge

We wrote about the Oberkotter Challenge Grant in our last newsletter. This is an exciting opportunity for individuals and organizations who are concerned about hearing loss to join in funding this great research project. Please spread the word. For additional information, review our previous newsletter or send an e-mail to: IFRAHL@msn.com.

New Board Member

Dr. Erin Wright, AuD who we wrote about in our last newsletter has joined the IFRAHL board of directors. Dr. Wright, a member of the Victoria Harbourside Rotary club has been busy presenting our program to District 5020 clubs in British Columbia.

With her first-hand professional experience in dealing with hearing loss at Island Hearing Services in Victoria she is a great addition to the IFRAHL board.

We’re also happy to be able to report she and her husband are expecting their first child this year.

Franchising IFRAHL

Well not exactly, but franchising comes to mind when we announce our plans to organize Rotary clubs and Rotarians around the world to duplicate our own efforts in District 5020.

Our requirements are very simple:
(1) You must be a member of IFRAHL and a Rotarian.
(2) You agree to support the IFRAHL goals. (See: http://www.ifrahl.org).
(3) You agree to do presentations in your district to promote IFRAHL. We will supply information and materials.

If you or your club has an interest in working with IFRAHL and wishes more information, contact us at IFRAHL@msn.com.

How you can help IFRAHL and advance the project

It is very easy to join IFRAHL. You can do it all on our web site at http://www.ifrahl.org 
You can download an application, pay (only $10 US) by Visa or MasterCard on the site and also make a donation if you choose. For a $25 donation you will receive your own copy of “Hope for Hearing Loss” either in VHS tape or DVD in a specially designed case.

By joining IFRAHL you help by expanding membership and helping fund administrative costs. With your donation toward the video and showing it to others you expand the message. The Hearing Regeneration Initiative is an important part of IFRAHL’s work.

If you know of someone you believe will be sympathetic to the cause, and is capable of making an important contribution to this Initiative, please let us know so we can contact that person.

Hearing loss needs to be fixed, hopefully by Rotarians, but others can help.

Club visits continue in district 5020

IFRAHL officers continue traveling District 5020 presenting “Hope for Hearing Loss” and speaking to clubs who extend an invitation. Dr. Erin Wright handles the requests in B.C.

At each club we visit we have found there is a greater interest in hearing loss than we even expected because it affects so many families and their friends. We hope those reading the newsletter will encourage requests for a presentation of the program to Rotary Clubs and any other group with an interest.

We are more than willing to respond to any request within a 100 mile radius of Lakewood. We will send information and materials to Rotarians anywhere in the US who can do a club presentation for a $25 donation ($35US donation for other countries).

You can handle this all on the web site at http://www.ifrahl.org