Journeying on for Rotary

Rotary Club District Gov. Abbas Rajabi and immediate past president Bill Downes. Photo by Glory Weisberg

BY GLORY WEISBERG
CONTRIBUTOR

The word polio is still feared by many people around the world, and for good reason. In the developed world, many people were once warned not to use public swimming pools, which were once thought to spread the crippling virus.

Back in the 1950s, as some may recall, the first polio antivirus came in a sugar cube containing the vaccine, brought a pink promise and for millions restored the joy of summer. That safety didn’t entirely saturate the world, as Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan continue struggling with polio.

Rotary International has and is continuing its mission of preventing polio. Down from millions of sufferers, last year only 21 new cases were reported in the entire world.

Last week, Rotary International District 5450 clubs gathered for dinner and an update on the fight to end polio. The Gates Foundation heavily supports the vaccine effort and sent spokeswoman Rachel Lonsdale to give details on the eradication effort. Donations to the End Polio Now campaign that night were matched, two to one, by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Rotary International’s President Ian Riseley’s talk was a winner, focusing on “Rotary Making a Difference,” the organization’s theme for 2017-18.

Log onto rotary.org for details.

There are 35,000 Rotary International clubs with 1.2 million members throughout the world. Each club has its own fundraising options. There are several clubs in the Denver’s south-suburban communities and many more in the metropolitan area.