Be Sure to Check the Democrat on the 14th

A writer from the Tallahassee Democrat is currently working on a story about Capital Polio Association. She has already interviewed several members from the organization, and she hopes to have it published Monday, July 14th, the day before our next meeting. Be sure to keep a look out for the article.

Here are some pictures of Mark Ravenscraft posing with an Iron Lung at Tallahassee Community College. These pictures were taken for the upcoming article.

Capital Polio Will Meet Again on June 17th

The speaker for Capital Polio’s next meeting will be the well known Tallahassee author, Patti Wilson Byars. She is a retired educator and active Rotarian who will share a personal connection to the polio experience. Her book, Separate Fountains, deals with segregation in the South during the 40's and 50's. One of the characters in the book is based on her younger brother and his experiences with polio living in an iron lung. The book has received rave reviews for its' insight into a significant period in America's journey through racial conciliation. Click here to learn more about her book.

Patti Wilson Byars is a graduate of the University of Georgia where she was a member of the Dixie Redcoat Band. She has a master's degree in education from the State University of West Georgia. She is a native of Jonesboro, Georgia. She was a teacher with the Fulton County Georgia schools, Georgia Southern University, Florida Atlantic University, The Pennsylvania State University, and Tallahassee Community College. She is currently an adjunct instructor in the College of Education, Florida State University. She is a Presbyterian, a Rotarian, and a member of Phi Delta Kappa, the American Association of University of Women and the Zonta Club. She has two children, Todd and Jennifer Paige Byars.

The theme for the evening is, "Picnic Along Canopy Roads." A $5 box lunch of freshly prepared wraps, chips, veggies, cookies and beverage will be served. We will be meeting from 6-8 pm in the cafeteria of Select Specialty Hospital.

Capital Polio Association is off to a great start!

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the first organizational meeting on the 13th. It was great meeting everyone and hearing everyone’s story about polio. Select Specialty Hospital was gracious enough to host us and serve a dinner of Cornish hen, veggies, and dessert. After dinner, we got down to business. It was a successful organizational meeting. After discussing and reviewing the proposed bylaws and Articles of Incorporation, we elected temporary officers. Mark Ravenscraft is the temporary President, Tom Nicholson was elected Vice President, and Bill Jones now holds the position of Secretary/Treasurer.

After the elections we listened to a terrific speaker--Dr. Don Rapp. He spoke about the importance of maintaining balance and agility. He also delighted us with his juggling skills. Dr. Rapp shared his recently published book, On Balance: Mastery of Physical Balance for Life, with us. To learn more about Dr. Rapp, visit his website at donrapp.com.

We encourage you to spread the word about this group. The newly organized Capital Polio Association welcomes and invites anyone who had polio, or is a relative, friend or co-worker of a polio and/or is interested in helping to support more public education and awareness about the effects of post-polio syndrome.

For those of you who were not able to attend, we hope you can make it out to the next meeting in June (date to be announced).