A tribute to Rena
EDITOR: Sadly, I recently learned of the passing of Rena Harold.
I met Rena over 20 years ago through Graduation Celebration/Project Graduation. Rena worked tirelessly every school year coordinating parent volunteers, teachers, local businesses, service organizations, community leaders, police and fire departments to provide an all night safe and fun event for all of Healdsburg High School’s graduating seniors. Her committees transformed the Villa Chanticleer into an incredible place for graduated seniors to attend and safely celebrate their accomplishments. Each year parents of these seniors were no doubt relieved and grateful to Rena for providing a wonderful, fun and safe place for these graduates to go. Longtime friendships were made amongst volunteers through working together on such an important cause.
I think I speak for every parent of a HHS graduate when I say, “Thank you Rena, we are eternally grateful.”
Cindy Bond
Healdsburg
Praise for ‘Plaza’s four corners’
EDITOR: I really liked the story, in the Dec. 9 edition of the Healdsburg Tribune, entitled ” The Healdsburg Plaza’s four lucky corners,” about the Latin men looking for work. This story gave us a much better idea of the struggles many face in just trying to gain enough employment to make ends meet. It was of particular interest in reading how the systems in place don’t always work for those in need and the work-arounds needed to find work. Whether citizens or not, it was a valuable insight into the noble laborers who help keep the wheels of business turning behind the scenes. I hope our local labor force gets more exposure so that we all have an appreciation of all segments of our society and not just the upper crust.
Dale Martinetti
Healdsburg
Testing everyone for COVID
The following was read at a recent Healdsburg City Council meeting and was submitted to SoCoNews as a letter to the editor.
EDITOR: My name is Denise Van Gerpen, and my letter is being read by someone else, because I am not allowed to enter the building because I am unvaccinated, so I am standing outside. My Healdsburg background: I have been a Healdsburg resident in the same home for 41 years. I have raised all nine of my children into adulthood in this community, and we are a mixed racial, genetic, cultural, and different opinionated family as well. While raising my children here they have been exposed and survived through the other infectious diseases (Whooping Cough, Measles, Chickenpox, and Meningitis, to name a few), which went through our community during the last 41 years. I would also like to share that my three oldest children suffered adverse medical reactions to their DPT immunizations, and it was under the medical advice of my family doctor (whose name I will not disclose, because his family still lives here), that I should stop giving my children vaccinations, which I did. Consequently, the rest of my children were unvaccinated and healthy, even when they became infected with Chickenpox, their infection response to that disease was minimal.
Facts: Vaccinations are not 100% effective and can be dangerous and even fatal to some people. Point in fact, my father passed away on April 5, this year, after receiving his COVID-19 vaccination.
Facts from the CDC.gov website:
“A vaccine breakthrough infection happens when a fully vaccinated person gets infected with COVID-19. People with vaccine breakthrough infections may spread COVID-19 to others, and be contagious.“
“Vaccine breakthrough infections are expected. COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing most infections. However, like other vaccines, they are not 100% effective.”
“CDC recommends community use of masks, specifically non-valved, multi-layer cloth masks, to prevent transmission of COVID-19.”
“COVID-19 tests are available that can test for current infection or past infection. A viral test tells you if you have a current infection.”
Recently, my sister who is fully vaccinated for COVID-19, came home from her workplace and after dinner started feeling unwell. She went to bed and in the middle of the night awoke with a high fever, which was worse by morning. She went to her doctor and it was confirmed that she had COVID-19. Having had dinner the day before with her fully vaccinated COVID-19 adult children, she had now unknowingly exposed them to COVID-19. They as well became sick with COVID-19 and including my brother-in-law. In conclusion, a COVID-19 fully vaccinated person can be carrying the infection and spreading it to others, just like an unvaccinated person can do as well. And a COVID-19 fully vaccinated person, can also die from it, just like my father.
According to the CDC, “a viral test is the only true answer to knowing if you are presently caring or have had COVID-19 in the past.” Clearly then, medical research shows that everyone should be tested for COVID-19, the vaccinated and the unvaccinated, in order to show that you are infection free.
Denise Van Gerpen
Healdsburg
