VISALIA TIMES-DELTA

Good Deeds; Good News: Rotary Club Thankful for Donations

February 13, 2006

People and businesses who have made Tulare County a safer place were honored this month by the Visalia Breakfast Rotary club.

All helped the Visalia club raise the $144,000 it needed to place 15 automated external defibrillators throughout the county in schools, churches and workplaces.

The devices analyze a person’s heart rhythm and use voice and visual prompts to tell users exactly what to do if someone’s heart stops beating.

On Feb. 2, the club presented the 15 defibrillators it was able to purchase to recipients as part of the Heart Safe Community Program and honored those who helped sponsor their purchase.

Sponsors included, the Mangano Company, California Dairies, McMillian Homes, Sam Sciacca/Steve Luisi, the Allen Group, Quad Knopf Inc., Visalia Breakfast Rotary, Valley Business Bank, the California Endowment, U.S. Tower Corp and Del Lago Development.

The defibrillators will be placed at Hurley Elementary School, La Joya and Divisidero middle schools, El Diamante, Redwood and Woodlake high schools, Sierra Village Retirement Community, Sons of Italy Hall, City Hall East, the Visalia Convention

Center, the city’s corporation yard, Anthony Community Center, City of Visalia Recreation Center, Woodlake Police Department and at a Tulare school site.

Also honored during the meeting as a Paul Harris Fellow was Dr. Ron Marconi, medical director of Kaweah Delta’s rehabilitation hospital.

In all, the club has helped with the placement of 52 defibrillator units throughout Visalia.