On August 25, the WHO African region is expected to be officially certified free of wild poliovirus. This certification will come four years after Nigeria – the last polio-endemic country in Africa – recorded its final case of wild polio.
This milestone will be an incredible public health achievement for Rotary members, the African region, millions of health workers, and our Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners, and a huge step forward on the road to global polio eradication.
Rotary members have played an invaluable role in the effort to rid the African region of wild polio. We should be proud of all the hard work that we’ve done to eliminate the wild poliovirus in nearly every country in the world.
By raising funds for polio eradication, advocating with world governments and national and local leaders, holding events and fundraisers for World Polio Day, and raising awareness, Rotarians in the African region and around the world have made an indelible impact in the fight to eradicate polio.
There are Rotary clubs in all 47 countries in the African region, and the region is home to almost 32,000 Rotary members in nearly 1400 Rotary clubs.
Rotary and its members have contributed nearly US$890 million to eliminate polio in the African region.
The success of African countries, Rotary members, and partners in eliminating the wild poliovirus throughout the region is proof that polio eradication is possible.
Our expected victory over wild poliovirus in the African region represents incredible progress, but as long as polio exists anywhere, it remains a threat everywhere.
To overcome the remaining hurdles to eradication, it is critical that Rotary members remain committed to polio eradication and continue raising $50 million a year so we can keep children protected in Africa and eliminate the wild poliovirus in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
With continued support from Rotary, donors, country governments and GPEI partners we are confident that we can beat polio for good.
Historical moment in Rotary
Greetings District 6250 Rotarians!
Welcome to September, where we Rotarians turn our attention to the good works surrounding Basic Education and Literacy. We also look forward to our district’s upcoming Vibrant Club Workshop, our Interact Clubs firing up in schools across the district, and an unusual opportunity for all to become involved in our Rotary Zone activities at the Rotary Zone Institute from September 8-13.
More on that in a few moments… but I first want to return to the groundbreaking, earth shaking news of August 6th.
On May 4, 1987, the US Supreme Court ruled that Rotary Clubs could no longer exclude women from membership on the basis of gender. At the first gathering of the Rotary Council of Legislation following the decision, Rotary moved to admit women into Rotary Clubs worldwide. This remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary.
The response to the decision was overwhelming: By June 1990, the number had skyrocketed to over 20,000. By July 2016, the number of women worldwide had surpassed 250,000. Women immediately embraced the leadership opportunities provided by their clubs and have been making an impact in communities around the world.
District 6250 embraced the moment as well. Sharon K. Imes of La Crosse became our first female District Governor in 1997-1998. Mary Beth Growney-Selene of Madison followed soon after as District Governor in 2000-2001, and was then selected to join the Rotary International Board of Directors from 2013-2015, and then a Rotary Foundation Trustee in 2016-2017. We have been ably led by 6 female District Governors, and Karen Hebert will become our 7th in 2021-2022. Women now represent over 36% of our membership in District 6250.
Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, has been nominated to become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a groundbreaking selection that will make her the first woman to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.
Jones will officially become president-nominee on 1 October if no other candidates challenge her. Jones says she sees Rotary’s Action Plan as a catalyst for increasing Rotary’s impact.
“As we reflect upon our new strategic priorities, we could have never envisioned that our ability to adapt would become our North Star during what is inarguably the most profound time in recent history,” Jones said in her vision statement. “Silver linings rise out of the most challenging circumstances. Using metric-driven goals, I will harness this historic landscape to innovate, educate, and communicate opportunities that reflect today’s reality.”
As the first woman to be nominated to be president, Jones understands how important it is to follow through on Rotary’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Statement. “I believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion … begins at the top and for us to realize growth in female membership and members under the age of forty — these demographics need to see their own reflection in leadership,” Jones said. “I will champion double-digit growth in both categories while never losing sight of our entire family.”
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever to recognize the power of vaccines and immunizations, which save millions of lives each year. The Canadian government has announced a four-year financial commitment to support the endgame strategy of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).
Rotary clubs throughout Canada welcomed the new pledge as a continuation of the country’s leadership and partnership to support polio eradication. Canadian Rotary clubs have worked closely with the Canadian government since 1986, when the country became a donor in the fight to end polio. Since then, Canadian Rotarians have contributed more than US$41.3 million to PolioPlus. Learn more.
The “plus” in PolioPlus
With decades of experience stopping polio outbreaks, Rotary and our partners have a critical role to play in protecting communities from the COVID-19 pandemic, just as the we did with Ebola, yellow fever, and avian flu. From Pakistan to Nigeria, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is supporting governments in their COVID-19 response efforts. This truly represents the “plus” in PolioPlus. Learn more about the foundations of the polio infrastructure.
Josh Mansee
La Crosse Rotary - After Hours, President-Elect 2020-2021
Member Growth Success 7/2019 - 6/2020: Mayville +3, La Crosse +2, Madison After Hours +2, Sun Prairie +2
Last Rotary year, the New Member Grants were awarded to LaCrosse After Hours, Madison Downtown, Madison After Hours, Madison Breakfast, LaCrosse, Mayville, Marshfield Sunrise, Waunakee. All of these clubs recruited 4 new members who remained Rotarians for at least 4 months. The new members will have $1000 to spend on a service project which will help them experience the power and impact of Rotary. https://rotary6250.org/page/member-grant-program
Marshfield Sunrise began with an assessment of local organizational needs. As they reached out, Marshfield United Way stood out as having the most needs under the time of Covid. The organization has been an excellent community resource for years and their pandemic response was already well underway providing food and necessities to anyone in need.
Hungry for Public Image help in your club? Here's 2 ideas to get you going.
1. Attend the upcoming Vibrant Club Workshop
...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
As we know, the inbound and outbound exchange programs for 2020-2021 have been cancelled. Our district normally welcomes twenty plus exchange students and sends our own students to experience the world. While we are sad that those experiences will have to come at a later time, we still have many opportunities to grow the foundation of our youth programs.
As school starts back up in the district, virtually or in person, our Interact students can and will still make a difference. If your club sponsors an Interact club, make sure to keep in communication about how to be flexible with the current situation. Help suggest new ways to recruit members, hold virtual or safe in person fundraisers and help them to always keep their minds open for the opportunities to make a difference in their communities and schools.
If your club isn’t hosting a student this year as planned, it might be a good time to start building a succession plan, or do some early recruiting for future host families. Keep in touch with your past students by inviting them to your meetings now that there is a virtual component!
We are continuing to plan for next year, and Central States is already having discussions about the upcoming year. Before you know it, you’ll be at the airport anxious to say goodbye to your outbound or say hello to your newest club member.
Senior services director Rotary Club of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
I am the director of support services and activities at the Colonial Club, a nonprofit that provides services to senior adults. Before the coronavirus hit, I scheduled all the programming. We had 20 to 25 programs going on here on any one day. We also delivered hot meals five days a week, and we had 30 to 35 people who came to eat in the building every weekday.
With this report we would like to update you with the current status of the Social Kitchen project. Thanks to your financial support this project could kicked off in 2019.
RC Olsztyn Varmia worked hard together with Food Bank in Olsztyn to renovate the venue and buy the gastronomy equipment to open Social Kitchen. As reported last time, just after the opening in September 2019, fire destroyed 2/3 of the building, where Social K itchen is placed. The losses were estimated at about €1 million. With great support from local, regional and countrywide communities and also insurance coverage (80% of the losses) the venue has been restored again. It was ready to re open in March 2020. Then, COVID 19 stroke in Poland and Olsztyn, which paused the launch of the face to face trainings.
Finally in May 2020 the first gastronomy vocational trainings were initiated. Together in May and June, 6 trainings took place, which engaged 80 participants and lasted 48 hours.
Yours in Rotary Service,
Edwin Bos
The U.S. Rotary Clubs and Districts Liability Insurance Program ("Program") provides all U.S. Rotary clubs and districts and Rotaract clubs with general liability (GL) and directors' and officers'/employment practices liability (D&O/EPL) insurance.
The Program’s insurance policies have been renewed for the policy term 1 July 2020-2021. The 2020-21 Certificate of Insurance is posted on the broker website, Gallagher Insight. Rotary July Club Invoice includes insurance assessments (for general liability and D&O/EPL), which pay for this Program.
General liability insurance coverage remains the same, with exception of the changes noted in this letter and on the Gallagher Insight broker website. There are no changes to D&O/EPL insurance coverage.
Additionally, there is important information regarding the communicable disease exclusion on the general liability policy, and reminders regarding accessing the Gallagher Insurance Website, crime insurance, and copyright infringement issues in a growing digital age.
On August 10th, widespread, destructive, straight-line winds blew across central Iowa. The most extreme winds, estimated to be at 110-140 miles-per-hour, destroyed or damaged numerous outbuildings, barns, grain bins, homes, mobile homes, apartment buildings, trees and power poles in parts of Benton, Linn, Jones, Cedar and Clinton Counties. The Cedar Rapids area was particularly hard hit. As #PeopleOfAction, we would like to do what we can to help our neighbors to the west & south.
The Rotary Club of Linn County has set up a donation site for monetary contributions to donate to help Cedar Rapids area disaster relief efforts. If you personally or your club collectively would like to donate, please visit https://rotarylc.square.site/. There is a 2020 Derecho Relief section.
The Rotary Club of Linn County is also collecting several items that are needed in the community, everything from toiletries to chain saw oil. For a delivery address, please contact Michelle Bell, at (319) 431-2755. Needed items are:
There is a specific interest in roofers and tree removal experts that are willing to travel to the area. There is both volunteer and paid work available. Currently, tree removal companies are quoting 90-120 days for removals. If you have connections to any roofing companies or tree removal companies, your help would be greatly needed!
Any help is appreciated. Our Rotary family in Iowa needs support.
