Speakers

World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225. It is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922. World Diabetes Day is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries. The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight. 

Kelly Kassien, an RN and Diabetes Educator with Gundersen Health System will be joining us to talk about: 

• how diabetes is diagnosed

• prevention tips

• what a diabetes educator does

• current medications that are being used to treat diabetes

• and an overview of Gundersen’s programs around diabetes

Kelly has been a nurse for about 9 years, and the last 8 years with Gundersen Health System. Kelly joined the diabetes education team last May; prior to that she worked in outpatient care with internal and family medicine.  She’s always been very interested in helping patients manage diabetes and was very excited to join the diabetes education team. She says that "there’s a lot of misinformation about diabetes, so it’s nice to be able to resolve misconceptions. For example, many people think they can never eat anything with a carbohydrate again - and that’s not the case at all!" 

Here are some additional resources: 

International Diabetes Federation

National Diabetes Prevention Program 

Do you know how to prevent diabetes? (Gundersen) 

Diabetes prevention: 5 tips for taking control (Mayo Clinic) 

 

 

The Elmaro Vineyard winery, found northwest of Trempealeau, continues to experience explosive growth, having won several wine competition medeals, indluing the Wisconsin Winery of the Year award. The winery opened in 2011 and makes about 25 kinds of wine. They are sold by the glass and the bottle in the winery tasting room. Bottles also are available at grocery and liquor stores, and some area restaurants serve Elmaro wines.

Through the Chamber's First Friend program, Beth works to strengthen the business community by helping area companies and organizations attract and retain the best talent. She works with individuals and families relocating to Greater La Crosse, matching their wants and needs with our community's assets, allowing them to feel like they can always call our community their home. She provides a personalized experience for each individual/family, helping them integrate into the community. She also provides accompanying partner career services.

This week we'll be providing an overview of the Rotary Club of La Crosse's standing committees and sharing ideas for how you can get more involved! 

Greg serves as the Vice Chancellor for University Advancement and President of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse UWL Foundation. 

After a successful 12-year career in economic development, Greg moved into the higher education arena at his alma mater, Northwest Missouri State University. As part of a small fundraising team, they successfully completed the school's first-ever capital campaign, exceeding $42 million. He was then chosen to lead the advancement efforts at Avila University in Kansas City where they set school records in fundraising in four out of the five years he was there. Greg joined the advancement team at UW-L in 2010 and has helped launch the $15 million Share the La Crosse Experience Scholarship Campaign.

"The Brain Game" is a user-friendly educational guide which explains to parents why and how their child is learning and developing. Additionally, the book includes specific activities, songs, and suggested behaviors that parents can engage in to help foster their child's intellectual and social development. 

The Brain Game was born when the Director of the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families spoke to the Rotary Club of La Crosse, WI. She was excited to spread the word of new, cutting-edge research into early child brain development. More than ever before, scientists discovered that proper stimulation of children in the first three years could play a huge role in growing a healthy brain.

During this meeting we'll learn more about The Brain Game, along with some exciting new developments around it.  

Learn more here: https://thebraingame.org/

 

Cathy Schuman, a clinical psychologist at Gundersen Health System started The Women Beekeepers of the La Crosse Area.

Honeybees are responsible for 80% of pollination overall and 30% of the world’ food. But lately, bees of all types have been dying off.