Leslie Mogul - Marketer, Philanthropist and Fundraiser

It's always interesting to have one of our members be our speaker, giving their "craft talk".

Today we learned a lot about Leslie Mogul, who was raised in Baltimore, has spent several years in Miami, New York, Philadelphia (where she and her husband raised two sons), and San Diego, now happily settled in Laguna (and close to the Irvine Rotary Club!).
Growing up in a family of jewelers and having a mother as an accountant, Leslie learned her sales and marketing skills early. Earning a Marketing degree in Miami, she spent several years in Philadelphia, working for the Penn Central Railroad, creating fun promotions for trips between Washington DC and New York (including fashion shows and historic storytelling).

When the Pennsylvanian railroads merged, she had the fun task of gathering all the old signage and memorabilia and actioning it off - dining car silverware and all. Having to tell the residents of the small towns that their train service was being discontinued was not such fun, however, since most of the towns in the East were built along the railroad tracks.

Back to university for a degree in Communications and Journalism, Leslie became a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and a writer for Ladies Home Journal, followed by several years working in advertising and PR for home furnishings, flooring, and Jeeps, traveling all over the country promoting the products. She then started her own PR agency during "the days of international and national clients and million dollar budgets" which, for Leslie, included Ed McMahon and Juliet Prowse.

After marrying Bill in Philadelphia, they owned a stained glass studio and production factory that provided glass to Atlantic City casinos and churches. They also renovated a 150 year old apartment building on Philly's famous South Street, and owned a historic home once famous for slave running.

Moving across country to San Diego, Leslie created a marketing and PR agency for Scripps Health, representing 15 hospitals and clinics and 2,600 doctors. She then created her own agency, doing PR, Marketing, and now Fundraising for other major healthcare organizations (and earned an MBA in Finance). Bill focused his artistic abilities on hot glass, owning a blown glass gallery and studio in Escondido.

In total, Leslie has helped to raise over $50 million for various non-profit organizations, with her proudest achievement being the $2 million she helped raise to rebuild the Escondido animal shelter after it burned down.

Always wanting to live by the beach, Leslie and Bill now live in Laguna Woods, where they enjoy golf, horseback riding, tennis and walking. Bill makes sculptural jewelry and Leslie is in charge of fundraising at the Laguna Playhouse (and several of us have enjoyed a number of plays there!).

Leslie and Bill also own a plot of land in Mexico so perhaps a new adventure awaits them there - and in the meantime her fundraising talent can help us raise funds for the dental clinics and school projects we participate in every year!

Life After Polio – JoAnne Brooks

What is polio and why is Rotary so focused on eradicating it from the face of the earth? This is a question we "Baby Boomers" are often asked by younger people who have never been exposed to the devastating effects of this crippling disease.

JoAnne Brooks from Laredo, Texas, gave us a startling reminder of how being infected with the polio virus can change your life for ever. Contracting the virus at the age of four, JoAnne instantly became paralyzed in both arms and her right hand, and this has remained unchanged over the past 48 years.

However, those who know her well, have difficulty labeling JoAnne as disabled. There is little she cannot and does not do. "Can't" is not a word she uses very frequently. She has raised two children (her daughter Brittany is a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, and her son Austin is studying political science and Spanish at North Texas University). Her husband Greg has remained supportive and helped her and the children through many changes in their lives.

JoAnne hopes to serve as an inspiration for others facing challenges in their lives. She also hopes to teach by showing through her actions and life that “Disability” is just a word and a label. We each determine our own boundaries and choose what challenges we will overcome.

Having been a probation officer for many years, JoAnne now spends much of her time working with the Salk Institute to promote awareness about polio, the importance of being vaccinated against it, and the increasing incidence of "post-polio syndrome". Often misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis, post-polio syndrome is actually the "wearing out" of muscle and nerves that have compensated for those damaged by polio. This results in breathing, swallowing, and other problems - often in people who did not know they had been infected by the polio virus.

So, polio is very much both "past and present" in the US and as Rotarians, we should be very proud that Rotary (with help from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) is helping to put it in the "past" for all nations of the world!

To learn more about polio, JoAnne's life (and her incredible skill as an artist, making jewelry with her feet), please watch the video below, and visit www.poliotoday.org.

Ensenada Dental Clinic next Saturday, November 13

Our semi-annual Ensenada Dental Clinic is this coming Saturday.

The school is Maestros de Baja California, located in Colinas de San Angel, a very poor suburb of Ensenada and home to primarily immigrants from other parts of Mexico.

Following the clinic, we are invited to the Club Rotario Ensenada Calafia's XII Christmas Expo, the club's annual fundraiser.

It will be held in the Salon Casino of the Riviera de Ensenada Building on the main boulevard. There will be food, beverages, music and lots of things to buy.

If you are staying overnight at the Hotel Coral, please make your reservations soon.

South County Outreach - Norah Dopudja

Norah Dopudja is the new Director of Homeless Prevention and Mentored Learning for South County Outreach. She holds a BS from California State University Fullerton in Human Services.

Norah has enjoyed working with and learning from the homeless and at-risk population for the last decade. She brings with her extensive experience and passion for service to her community.

As Director of Operations for Birth Choice Pregnancy Center, Norah opened and oversaw four non-profit community care clinics in Orange County. Norah was also responsible for the day-to-day operations of the clinics as well as developing training programs for hundreds of staff, client advocates and volunteers.

Serving in multiple roles at Toby’s House Maternity Home, Norah worked as case manager for the residential facility and volunteer coordinator. There Norah was responsible for completing a comprehensive assessment plan for each new resident and addressing clients’ needs and goals in the areas of housing, education, health, psychological well-being, childcare, and career.

While working as volunteer coordinator, Norah enjoyed training and working with hundreds of mentors, interns, contractors and volunteer personnel dealing with client needs.

Exchanging banners

During last week's meeting our President, Mody Gorsky, exchanged banners with President-Elect Prakash A. Bhulani from the Rotary club of Calicut Midtown, District 3202, Kerala, India. This is a small town on the southwest coast of India. Calicut is one of the main commercial cities of Kerala. The ship on the banner represents the city's history of being one of the main ports on the "Spice Route."

Living the Feng Shui way

by Gillian Bradshaw

I am sure that after today's presentation, we all went back to our homes and determined whether our floor plans fit into the Feng Shui "Bagua", or octagonal shape that represents the energy of the earth and how this is used to create balance in our lives.

Jessie Kim, a Feng Shui professional from Korea, gave us an excellent overview of Feng Shui and how this ancient Chinese science and art can be used to assure good health, wealth, careers, relationships, etc.

We learned how, in China and other Asian nations, houses are built to allow the earth's natural energy to flow through it, and how, for example, people avoid living on cul-de-sacs where the air cannot "flow". Also, that the front door can never be opposite the back door (like in my house!), and how no part of a room should be "behind a door" (so the computer I am working on right now isn't technically in the room!).

However, Jessie explained that houses (and work spaces, etc) can be adapted to the Feng Shui style by appropriate placement of items that represent the elements (metal, water, earth, wood, and fire), as well as sounds, shapes, and colors.

We Rotarians clearly fit well within the Feng Shui Bagua, with our balance of Helpful people, Health, Water, Knowledge, etc - all centered around the Earth - no wonder the cogs of the Rotary wheel keep on turning so well.