The World Health Organization has designated October 24 as World Polio Day. What a tremendous opportunity to reflect on all that we, as Rotarians, have accomplished in our fight to rid the world of this dreaded disease!
In 1985 Rotarians made a promise to the children of the world: we promised them that we would eradicate polio from the face of the earth. On the day that we made that promise there were 125 countries on 5 continents that were polio endemic. During the year of 1985 more than 350,000 children—nearly 1,000 children every single day--were paralyzed by or died as a result of the polio virus.
We have come so far! Since 1985, Rotarians have raised more than $1.8 billion for this noble cause and, with that money, Rotarians have been able to provide polio vaccine to more than 3 billion children. Rotarians have not only helped purchase the vaccine, we’ve helped distribute the vaccine. The last bastion of polio in the western hemisphere was eradicated in 1994 when 11,000 Rotary volunteers went door to door in the slums of Peru to make sure that every single child had been vaccinated. The last bastion of polio in the western Pacific and Asia was eradicated in 1997 when Rotary volunteers went boat to boat along the Mekong River in Cambodia to make sure that every single child had been vaccinated. The last bastion of polio in India was eradicated in 2012 when 1 million volunteers vaccinated 165 million children in just 5 days. And on August 25, 2020, the World Health Organization declared that Africa is now polio-free.
Polio eradication is within our reach. Two of the three polio virus strains have been eradicated and only two countries remain polio endemic--Pakistan and Afghanistan. The World Health Organization estimates that there are now more than 19 million children who—today--are alive and healthy and running and playing with their friends today but who would have been paralyzed by polio but for Rotary’s polio eradication program. Because of Rotarians, in all but two countries every single parent and every single grandparent will be able to go to sleep tonight and not worry that their children or grandchildren will be paralyzed by polio. Millions of additional children are alive today because of the measles, tetanus, tuberculosis and diphtheria vaccines that are often given in conjunction with the polio vaccine. Millions of additional deaths have been prevented during outbreaks of the ebola virus because of the surveillance and distribution systems that are in place due to Rotary’s polio eradication program.
We are so close to realizing our dream of a polio-free world! But polio eradication is not inevitable and it is not a foregone conclusion. It is only going to happen if we make it happen. To help us reach our goal of a polio-free world the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will continue to match twice every contribution that we make to Rotary’s Polio Eradication Program this year.
Let’s finish the job that we started in 1985 so that some day soon we can celebrate the fact that polio has been eradicated from the face of the earth and so that some day soon we can celebrate the fact the no child will ever again be paralyzed by polio.
A free virtual event made to create vibrant clubs by strengthening Rotarians.
WORLD POLIO DAY,
REASON TO CELEBRATE AND KEEP PUSHING
Greetings District 6250 Rotarians!
Welcome to October – Where we Focus on Economic and Community Development… along with celebrate World Polio Day!
Rotary’s long-term, sustained battle against Polio has defined our organization for decades. We have a right to be proud of all that we have accomplished through the years.
Our progress is real and noteworthy. In 1988, polio was endemic in 125 countries, with more than 350,00 new cases a year worldwide. Since then, Rotary and our Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners have reduced the incidence of polio by more than 99.9%, vaccinated more than 2.5 billion children against the virus, and prevented 18 million cases of paralysis. Over the years, Rotary has helped country after country move into the polio-free column. This includes India, which some considered impossible not long ago. Of the three types of poliovirus, type 2 has been eradicated and type 3 could soon be certified as eradicated. As we celebrated last month, Africa has been declared polio free, we are now down to just one type of wild poliovirus in only one section of the world – Afghanistan and Pakistan.
World Polio Day is a time for Rotarians to come together, recognize the progress we have made In our fight against polio, and plan the action we must take to end polio forever. The key word is action, because we still have important work to do.
Ally is a British teacher and current PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Education Policy Studies. She is a Global Grant scholar who was supported by the Chester Deva Rotary Club (UK) in order to begin this course focusing on non-formal language education for refugees in Europe. She finished her first year with a 4.0 GPA and was granted four more years of funding through assistantships by her academic department to continue her studies.
Sadly, due to COVID-19, her research at a refugee camp in Greece has been postponed until it is safe to travel internationally and conduct face-to-face research. In the meantime, Ally is taking classes in qualitative research methods, community-engaged scholarship, and Arabic remotely from the UK.
Whilst at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Ally also worked with a teacher at a local high school supporting immigrant students with their English language learning, and hopes to continue this work in 2021. She also enjoyed spending time with her hosts, Rotarian Ted Ballweg from the Madison Downtown chapter and his wife Joan Ballweg, who showed amazing hospitality and were knowledgeable about Madison’s farm-to-table movement, themselves being chilli farmers who frequented the city’s many farmers’ markets.
"In 1985 Rotarians made a promise to the children of the world."
Saturday, October 24th is World Polio Day. Looking for a fun and inspiring way to make an impact on the push to End Polio Now and wipe this disease from the face of the planet?! Check out this campaign idea that your club can use in October - or any time of the year - to help you achieve your club Polio giving goal.
"Since 1985 Rotarians have raised over 1.8 billion dollars for this noble cause."
Check out these videos which are both inspirational and informative presentations. One features our own Randy Sproule where he shares his passion and talks about why we need to finish the job of eradicating polio. The other is presented by Carrie Ronnander, Director of the Chippewa Valley Museum and she discusses the many aspects of living in a pandemic and the correlations between the times of Polio and COVID-19.
Josh Mansee
La Crosse Rotary - After Hours, President-Elect 2020-2021
Member Growth Success 7/2019 - 6/2020: Deforest +3,Mayville +4, Sun Prairie +3, Beaver Dam + 3,La Crosse After Hours +3
BE A VISITING ROTARIAN A personal story on my Rotary journey.
I received a Rotary scholarship when I was in high school, without knowing much about its significance. Many of us are familiar with this scene, hearing the inspiring stories of high school students who are going on to their futures. I wouldn’t remember that experience until many years later when I walked into the Eau Claire Morning club as a non-profit speaker for the day. I was there to tell Rotarians how they could give back, of their time and money to a worthy cause. It seems so ironic now, as I know just how ingrained in human anatomy those concepts are for Rotarians.
I LEARNED SO MUCH. That day when I walked into the Rotary meeting thinking they would learn so much from me, I was forever changed. I LEARNED SO MUCH. This statement is one of the reasons I believe so much in Rotary. I am continuously learning new things, new ways to be, and new ways to connect. In that meeting I met people that reflect my community, who I aspire to be, and as I continue to grow in Rotary I meet people who share the stories and experiences they’ve had in life.
Each one of us contributes to making Rotary Diverse, Equitable and Inclusive. It is our responsibility, as Rotarians we already know and practice these traits, but we can all use a reminder.
...and sign up for the Public Image breakout session (Expanding Your Reach)
This session will have two main objectives 1) Identify new groups in your community to work with and 2) Develop strategies for communicating and engaging with new groups and audiences
Youth programs look different this year. Uncertainty, video calls instead of in person meetings, virtual fundraisers instead of large groups, and assumed less impact in our communities. Instead of worrying about what we can’t do this year, let’s focus on the opportunities that are still available to us. With October’s focus of Economic and Community Development and World Polio Day on the 24th there are plenty of opportunities for engagement with our Rotaract and Interact Clubs.
You don’t have to think up a totally new idea. Have you partnered with a Rotaract or Interact club in the past on a project that helps your community grow? Take time to reflect on that project and see if there are new opportunities to continue that partnership.
Maybe you’ve never worked with one of the Interact or Rotaract clubs in your area, or maybe there aren’t any. There’s never a bad time to connect with youth, and find young adults that are interested in making a difference in their communities. Clubs are formed when like-minded individuals start talking.
Are you looking for ideas but aren’t sure where to start? Rotary.org has a section dedicated to providing examples of previous projects and shares ideas for opportunities that might fit well in your area.
There are opportunities to host a virtual World Polio Day event – visit endpolio.org to get ideas, find information to share and show off the great work that is done by Rotarians at all ages. Promotion of the work that is done by Rotary, even if it’s not your direct club is still done by Rotary as a whole and we are all part of that larger family.
Even though the ‘norm’ is no longer normal, stay open to making adjustments, brainstorming new ideas and forming new collaborations.
Thanks to the Dental Care in the Isolated Municipalities program organized and implemented as a Global Grant by Districts 2470 (Southern Greece) and 6250 (Wisconsin, USA) of Rotary International, several thousand citizens in isolated areas of the Southeastern Aegean Sea in Greece can now enjoy dental care. So, instead of going to other larger islands and wasting time, especially in times of difficult climatic conditions, they now have the possibility to have dental care in their place. Specifically...
Ally is a British teacher and current PhD student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying Education Policy Studies. She is a Global Grant scholar who was supported by the Chester Deva Rotary Club (UK) in order to begin this course focusing on non-formal language education for refugees in Europe. She finished her first year with a 4.0 GPA and was granted four more years of funding through assistantships by her academic department to continue her studies.
