Here’s to Opening Opportunities through our World!
Rotary International President, Holger Knaack, Germany District 6330 Governor, David Elliott Club President, Marsha Kalakay (2020-21)
District website: https://rotary6330.org/ HISTORY OF THE ROTARY FOUNDATION At the 1917 convention, outgoing RI President Arch C. Klumph proposed to set up an endowment “for the purpose of doing good in the world.” In 1928, it was renamed The Rotary Foundation, and it became a distinct entity within Rotary International.
GROWTH OF THE FOUNDATION In 1929, the Foundation made its first gift of $500 to the International Society for Crippled Children. The organization, created by Rotarian Edgar F. “Daddy” Allen, later grew into Easter Seals. When Rotary founder Paul Harris died in 1947, contributions began pouring in to Rotary International, and the Paul Harris Memorial Fund was created to build the Foundation. DG David Elliott and wife, Sue
EVOLUTION OF FOUNDATION PROGRAMS 1947: The Foundation established its first program, Fellowships for Advance Study, later known as Ambassadorial Scholarships. 1965-66: Three programs were launched: Group Study Exchange, Awards for Technical Training, and Grants for Activities in Keeping with the Objective of The Rotary Foundation, which was later called Matching Grants. 1978: Rotary introduced the Health, Hunger and Humanity (3-H) Grants. The first 3-H Grant funded a project to immunize 6 million Philippine children against polio. 1985: The PolioPlus program was launched to eradicate polio worldwide. 1987-88: The first peace forums were held, leading to Rotary Peace Fellowships. 2013: New district, global, and packaged grants enable Rotarians around the world to respond to the world’s greatest needs.
Since the first donation of $26.50 in 1917, the Foundation has received contributions totalling more than $1 billion.
November, 2020
Page 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. Brief History of The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Rotary Monthly Themes (Rotary calendar) Coming Events IMPORTANT ROTARY INFORMATION RI President Holger Knaack’s November message History of Rotary’s Four-Way Test Rotary’s Public Policy on Racism Director Dialogue for November Rotary’s Vision Statement UPDATE ON POLIO ERADICATION Polio Survivor Story One Bill & Melinda Gates and Polio Polio Survivor Story Two The Price of Polio – Stories Three and Four Another Survivor Story – District Video GAVI – A Polio Partner Polio and COVID-19 ROTARY ACTION GROUPS UPDATE ON ESRAG – Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group ENVIRONMENT and Good Health CORE VALUES ROTARY’S CORE VALUES
1 3 4 5 5 7 9 10 10 11 12 14 15 18 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 20
CLUB NEWS How to tell friends about the Passport Club Make-ups? Happy Chats Reminder World’s Greatest Meal to End Polio photos World Polio Day Fundraiser Donation to Food Bank of Easter Michigan International Dates to Remember BACK PAGES Object of Rotary and Four-Way Test Rotary’s Code of Conduct Rotary’s Vision Statement EREY – Every Rotarian Every Year D6330 Graphic Support our Sponsors References
28 28 29 30 31 31 32 33 34 35 35 36 37 38
NOVEMBER Rotary Foundation Month
November, 2020
Page 2
The Calendar below shows Rotary’s monthly themes. ROTARY CALENDAR and THEMES Month July August September October November December January February March April May June
Theme Transition month/New beginnings Membership and New Club Development Basic Education and Literacy Economic and Community Development Rotary Foundation Disease Prevention and Treatment Vocational Service Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution Water and Sanitation Maternal and Child Health Youth Service Rotary Fellowships
c
November, 2020
Page 3
THE ROTARY FOUNDATION MONTH Month of November
MONTHLY ONLINE CLUB MEETING November 4 at 7:00 p.m. Click this link.
DISTRICT 6330 NOON ZOOM November 10 at noon Click this link. Passcode: 065377
FIRST DIRECTOR DIALOGUE With RI Director Valarie Wafer November 12
HAPPY CHATS ONLINE – JOIN US! Every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. Every Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Please join us! See the club Calendar on our website for link!
FOCUS ON DISEASE PREVENTION & TREATMENT Month of December
November, 2020
Page 4
IMPORTANT ROTARY INFORMATION 2020-21 RI PRESIDENTIAL THEME
International President, 2020-21 – Holger Knaack RC of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölin, Germany November message 2020
November, 2020
Page 5
We all know Rotary's tremendous power to transform our communities and ourselves. However, in every community, people have been left out, and we have not made a strong enough effort to reach them. The RI Board of Directors is taking action to make Rotary more welcoming and diverse. We formed a task force to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion to help clubs attract new members regardless of gender, race, religion, age, or other factors. This will help us speed up the change we all want and need. The selection of Jennifer E. Jones as Rotary president for 2022-23 — the first woman to lead our organization — is another step in this direction. At the grassroots level, clubs drive inclusion and diversity. Alia Ali — who serves on the board of directors at the Big West Rotaract Multidistrict Information Organization and is a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards alumna and past president of the Rotaract Club of Surrey-Newton, British Columbia — offers her perspective. I still remember the relief I felt as a RYLA participant four years ago. I had finally found my people: people who cared as much as I did. All over the world, Rotary has the same heart. We serve our communities and take action where others feel paralyzed by the size and scope of a problem. Let's continue that spirit, especially when the conversation is difficult. Racism, prejudice, and discrimination take on different forms but exist in every country, in every city, and in every person. How do we root it out? As a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant, I help organizations create a culture that empowers and attracts everyone using the power of empathy. When we feel with others as if they were ourselves, we cannot hold prejudice in our hearts. When every child reminds you of your own child, when every woman or man reminds you of your mother or brother, you start seeing the world differently. We can apply The Four-Way Test through the lens of empathy. Are we building goodwill and friendship with everyone in our area, including women? Are things fair and beneficial to people of all ages? Who has to make choices that you don't have to make? I made a heartbreaking choice between Rotary and my religion when a Rotary convention was held during Ramadan. I wondered: When we ask if this is fair and beneficial to all concerned, did that not include me as a Muslim? Would the convention ever be held over Easter? Only by asking difficult questions can we begin the work of creating a more inclusive and diverse Rotary. We already connect so many people across the world. Imagine the possibilities when we bring even more people along for the ride. That's the future of Rotary I want to see: one where we e unstoppable in our service, relentless in our kindness, and intentional in the change we want to see. Rotary has a big enough heart. If we open our door wider, we might find a lot of interesting people with new voices and new perspectives. We already have a variety of clubs offering different styles, cultures, and opportunities — and those who do not feel welcome in any particular club might be great candidates for new clubs created on different models. It's important that we make sure every new Rotary member is a good fit for their club. Rotary Opens Opportunities through diversity.
https://my.rotary.org/en/news-media/office-president/presidential-message HOLGER KNAACK President, Rotary International
November, 2020
Page 6
ROTARY HISTORY – THE FOUR-WAY TEST The Four-Way Test was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. One of the world’s most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The Four-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as RI president, 1954-55) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways.
Story of the Four-Way Test by Herbert J. Taylor Back in 1932, the Creditors of the Club Aluminum Company assigned me the task of saving the company from being closed out as a bankrupt organization. The company was a distributor of cookware and other household items. We found that the company owed its creditors over $400,000 more than its total assets. It was bankrupt but still alive. At that time, we borrowed $6,100 from a Chicago bank to give us a little cash on which to operate. While we had a good product, our competitors also had fine cookware with well advertised brand names. Our company also had some fine people working for it, but our competitors also had the same. Our competitors were naturally in much stronger financial condition than we were. With tremendous obstacles and handicaps facing us we felt that we must develop in our organization something which our competitors would not have in equal amount. We decided that it should be the character, dependability and service mindedness of our personnel. We determined, first, to be very careful in the selection of our personnel and, second, to help them become better men and women as they progressed with our company. We believed that “In right there is might” and we determined to do our best to always be right. Our industry, as was true of scores of other industries, had a code of ethics but the code was long, almost impossible to
November, 2020
Page 7
memorize and therefore impractical. We felt that we needed a simple measuring stick of ethics which everyone in the company could quickly memorize. We also believed that the proposed test should not tell our people what they must do, but ask them questions which would make it possible for them to find out whether their proposed plans, policies, statements or actions were right or wrong. Considerable time was spent in developing four short questions which now make up the Four-Way Test. Here are the four questions: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
I placed this little test under the glass top of my desk and determined to try it out for a few days before talking to anyone else in the company about it. I had a very discouraging experience. I almost threw it into the wastepaper basket the first day when I ALL EMPLOYEES WERE ASKED TO checked everything that passed over my desk with the first question, “Is it the truth?” MEMORIZE AND USE THE FOUR-WAY
TEST. I never realized before how far I often was from the truth and how many untruths appeared in our company’s literature, letters, and advertising. After about sixty days of faithful constant effort on my part to live up to the Four-Way Test, I was thoroughly sold on its great worth and at the same time greatly humiliated, and at times discouraged, with my own performance as president of the company. I had, however, made sufficient progress in living up to the FourWay Test to feel qualified to talk to some of my associates about it. I discussed it with my four department heads. You may be interested in knowing the religious faith of these four men. One was a Roman Catholic, the second a Christian Scientist, the third an Orthodox Jew, and the fourth a Presbyterian. I asked each man whether or not there was anything in the Four Way Test which was contrary to the doctrines and ideals of his particular faith. They all four agreed that truth, justice, friendliness, and helpfulness not only coincided with their religious ideals, but that if constantly applied in business they should result in greater success and progress. These four men agreed to use the Four Way Test in checking proposed plans, policies, statements, and advertising of the company. Later, all employees were asked to memorize and use the FourWay Test in their relations with others. The checking of advertising copy against the Four-Way Test resulted in the elimination of statements the truth of which could not be proved. All superlatives such as the words better, best, greatest, and finest disappeared from our advertisements. As a result, the public gradually placed more confidence in what we stated in our advertisements and bought more of our products. The constant use of the Four-Way Test caused us to change our policies covering relations with competitors. We eliminated all adverse or detrimental comments on our competitors’ products from our advertisements and literature. When we found an opportunity to speak well of our competitors we did so. Thus, we gained the confidence and friendship of our competitors.
November, 2020
Page 8
The application of the Four-Way Test to our relations with our own personnel and that of our suppliers and customers helped us to win their friendship and good will. We have learned that the friendship and confidence of those with whom we associate is essential to permanent success in business. Through over 20 years of sincere effort on the part of our personnel, we have been making steady progress toward reaching the ideals expressed in the Four-Way Test. We have been rewarded with a steady increase in sales, profits, and earnings of our personnel. From a bankrupt condition in 1932, our company has paid its debts in full, has paid its stockholders over one million dollars in dividends, and has a present value of over two million dollars. All of these rewards have come from a cash investment of only $6,100, the Four-Way Test, and some good hard-working people who have faith in God and high ideals. Intangible dividends from the use of the Four-Way Test have been even greater than the financial ones. We have enjoyed a constant increase in the good will, friendship and confidence of our customers, our competitors and the public and what is even more valuable, a great improvement in the moral character of our own personnel. We have found that you cannot constantly apply the Four-Way Test to all your relations with others eight hours each day in business without getting into the habit of doing it in your home, social and community life. You thus become a better father, a better friend, and a better citizen.�
Rotary Policy on Racism
November, 2020
Page 9
November, 2020
Page 10
UPDATE ON POLIO ERADICATION
Summary of new viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples): • • • • • • • • • • •
Afghanistan: one WPV1 case, one WPV1positive environmental sample, 14 cVDPV2 cases and 2 cVDPV2 positive environmental samples Pakistan: two WPV1 cases and one WPV1 positive environmental sample Benin: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample Burkina Faso: 21 cVDPV2 cases Côte d’Ivoire: 15 cVDPV2 cases Ethiopia: four cVDPV2 cases Mali: six cVDPV2 case Nigeria: one cVDPV2 case Somalia: five cVDPV2 cases and one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample Sudan: 16 cVDPV2 cases Yemen: two cVDPV1 cases
POLIO PARTNERS
For more information, click here - http://polioeradication.org/polio-today/polio-now/this-week/
Click here to learn the difference between Wild Polio Virus (WPV) and Vaccine-derived Polio Virus. (VDPV)
November, 2020
Page 11
IMPORTANT - A Polio Survival Story - One
The Immigration Story of Ramesh Jonathan David Ferris (Indian immigrant) The Museum reviews and accepts donated personal or family memories and histories into its collection. As a learning institution, the accounts help us understand how individuals recollect, interpret, or construct meaning from lived experiences. The stories are not modified by Museum staff. The point of view expressed is that of the author and not that of the Museum. Ramesh Ferris is now a polio survivor who was born in Coimbatore, India December 9, 1979. His Birth Mother Lakshmi did not have access to the polio vaccine and because of this Ramesh contracted polio at the age of 6 months paralyzing his legs for life. With no means to care for Ramesh, Lakshmi made the selfless act of turning over her only son at the age of one and a half years into the care of a Canadian Founded Orphanage called Families for Children located just outside of Coimbatore, India. Ramesh was approved to be adopted into the family of the Anglican Bishop of Yukon Ron Ferris and wife Jan who were residing in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. However a couple weeks prior to Ramesh's arrival into Canada the Ferris' learned that the Canadian Government's Department of immigration was denying him into the country of Canada as they were exercising section 19 of the Canadian Immigration Act stating that Ramesh was going to cause excessive demand on health and social services due to him living with the effects of polio. Bishop Ferris and Jan did not accept this an answer and with the help of media, Ramesh's adoption story became a national adoption story to the point where the Federal Government
November, 2020
Page 12
overturned its original decision and Ramesh was approved to enter Canada on a Ministerial Permit which was approved by then Federal Immigration Minister at the time Lloyd Axworthy. September 27, 1982, Ramesh Ferris became the First International Adoption in the Yukon Territory. Shortly after his arrival into Canada he under went numerous surgeries at the Vancouver Children's Hospital eventually allowing him to walk with the assistance of braces and a walker for the first time at age 3.5 years and then on to braces and crutches at the age of 4 years. Ramesh Ferris is a Canadian Citizen and he has not let his obstacles in his life hinder his abilities to accomplish his dreams. He graduated High School at Sir James Dunn Collegiate & Vocational School in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario and then he pursued his Diploma in Social Services at Confederation College in Thunder Bay, Ontario. While attending the college he became the first student elected who has a disability as President of the Student Union of Confederation College. In 2001 Ramesh returned to Whitehorse, Yukon, and over the years has worked for the Government of Yukon assisting youth at risk, employment counselling, and program management for First Nations Youth Resiliency Support. In 2002 Ramesh returned to India to meet that same woman who made such a selfless act, to give him up so he could walk. June 2002, Ramesh met his Birthmother Lakshmi for the first time as an adult. It was during this emotional reunion that Ramesh got a glimpse into what his life could of been if he wasn't adopted on this trip he was witness to polio survivors crawling in dirt like dogs all because they didn't have access to the polio vaccine and all because they didn't have access to corrective surgeries and rehabilitative supports, what Ramesh received when he was in Canada. Charged up wanting to make a difference, Ramesh thought of his Canadian Heroes Terry Fox and Rick Hansen! In 2008 Ramesh Ferris set out on probably one of the biggest ever polio awareness campaigns in modern time that Canada has ever seen from a polio survivor. April 12, 2008, Ramesh left mile zero of the Trans Canada highway in Victoria British Columbia on his 27 speed hand-cycle and it was here with the assistance of Rotary, Community leaders, Proud Yukoners, and other Polio Survivors that Ramesh's dream of Cycle to Walk raising funds and awareness for polio eradication, education, and rehabilitation was launched. Ramesh would spend 174 days hand-cycling across Canada and taking the time to educate everyone, everywhere that polio has not been eradicated and with your help we can save 10 million children from being paralyzed over the next 40 years as it is predicted by (WHO). The Cycle to Walk journey had Ramesh Hand-Cycling 7140 kms all the way to farthest most easterly point in North America and Canada - Cape Spear, Newfoundland & Labrador. His message was heard by thousands of Canadian students, parents, church members, Rotarians and Government Leaders, including our own Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Since his 2008 Cross Canada Cycle to Walk Campaign, Ramesh has continued on his crusade to educate our global community on our global responsibility to finish the job of eradicating polio and to assist in the rehabilitation efforts of polio survivors worldwide. His advocacy has taken him to Kabul, Afghanistan, Karachi Pakistan, India, France, Australia, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Portugal, Denmark, and throughout the United States & Canada.
November, 2020
Page 13
Ramesh has been able to personally share his message with world leaders such as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Secretary General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon, Director General of the World Health Organization Dr. Margaret Chan, The Presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria & The Prime Ministers of Canada, United Kingdom, Australia & Pakistan. Ramesh has even shared the message with Selena Gomez and other fellow polio survivors, Former Prime Minister Paul Martin, and Canadian Music Legend Neil Young! Ramesh has been honoured with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal. He is a recipient of the Commissioner of Yukon's Volunteer Award for Public Service, The Whitehorse Community 2010 Olympic Torch Bearer, and a participant as the last endurance athlete for Rick Hansen's 25th Anniversary Tour in 2012. Source: https://pier21.ca/content/the-immigration-story-of-ramesh-jonathan-david-ferris-indian-immigrant Also, click here to read more.
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. The Gates Foundation's total giving for the fight against polio was approximately $3.7 billion, through the end of 2018. For more information on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, click here.
November, 2020
Page 14
IMPORTANT - A Polio Survival Story – Two
…Denny Wilford visited E-Club of the Caribbean, 7020 on World Polio Day
INTRODUCTION Since 2005 I have traveled to Ethiopia with Rotary International working toward the eradication of polio by vaccinating one child at a time with the polio oral vaccine. Just think - one child at a time saved from a life of paralysis. I was born in south central Nebraska in December of 1945. In August of 1946 when I was 9 months old, I became a victim of polio. For my first 4 years, I walked on the left side of my left ankle. BUT……I was lucky. I was born in America. In 1950, I had a surgery that allowed me to walk on my foot normally with the aid of a metal brace attached to my left shoe. We moved to Olympia, WA in 1955 where my family had a large support group that helped us with the surgeries that allowed me to live a normal life with the opportunities that we all have around us. I had several surgeries at Children’s here in Seattle. After graduation in 1964, I worked as a civilian for the US Navy from 1964 until 2005, most of the time as a nuclear technician, nuclear engineer and health physicist working on nuclear powered ships. I now do specialty work for HomeLand Security on nuclear power plant safety issues. In September 2005, I joined the Rotary Club of Gig Harbor, Mid Day to get involved with the polio eradication effort. I met Ralph Munro, Ezra Teshome, Ben Abe, Dave Weaver, and several other movers and shakers involved with the polio vaccination program. In October 2005, I was in Ethiopia vaccinating babies. I saw many people struggling with mobility due to polio having missed out on the vaccine. There were many whose mobility was crawling on the ground or using homemade crutches, etc. I visited Cheshire Disability Center in Menagesha, Ethiopia, where children suffering from polio are given physical therapy post-surgery. Through the help of many Rotarians and others, we have built a state-of-art hydrotherapy facility that greatly assists with physical therapy at Cheshire. Since its dedication in 2016, it has assisted in the physical rehabilitation of several hundred victims of polio and other maladies. We go to Ethiopia most every year to assist with the polio vaccination/rehabilitation program. We are also assisting the Freidis Disability Center in Lira, Uganda to upgrade their facility and school to better assist with physical disabilities. Denny’s Foundation story is included by clicking here. A few excerpts from the Foundation website are included on the next page. (www.
November, 2020
Page 15
It is important for me to personally give of myself. It's my time in life to get the message out that this crippling disease still exists today. The children in the world who still suffer from polio along with prevention and rehabilitation are the purpose of my Foundation. The eradication of polio is my passion. Traveling to Africa to improve the life of those affected is my mission.
Denny at age 5, after his first surgery
Denny in the 4th grade doing promotional work for the March of Dimes. Daily Olympian, 1956
POLIO VACCINES As a child, I had polio and I'm often asked how my life was impacted. That is a difficult question for me because I didn't let it have a negative impact on my life. However, the truth of the matter is that it had a minimal impact on my life because I was fortunate enough to be born in the United States. I was given excellent care by family orthopedic surgeons and provided funding for surgeries by donations from organizations such as the March of Dimes and Orthopedic Guilds. My mother was a single mom with limited funds for raising myself and two brothers. It is now time for me to give back.
Denny vaccinating an infant in Ethiopia
This mother is happy that her child will not have polio
The Denny Wilford Foundation is working toward the prevention and elimination of polio worldwide along with the ongoing rehabilitation of polio sufferers. In Ethiopia there are thousands of people still affected by this disabling disease, limited to a life of crawling and begging. During our travels throughout Ethiopia, we saw many people struggling with mobility due to polio, having missed out on the polio vaccine.
November, 2020
Page 16
My logo, Just 2 Drops, depicts the two drops of polio vaccine that it takes to prevent one child from contracting polio. Just 2 Drops, one child at a time and we will eradicate polio from the world. PHYSICAL REHABILITATION At Cheshire Disability Center in Menagesha, Ethiopia, children suffering from polio are given post-surgery physical therapy. Through the help of many Rotarians and others, we have built a state-of-the-art hydrotherapy facility. Since its dedication in 2016, it has greatly assisted in the physical rehabilitation of several hundred victims of polio and other maladies.
UGANDA PROGRAM With the success of the efforts of the Rotary program in Ethiopia, we have extended our efforts into Uganda. Our current focus is the Freidis Disability Center in Lira, Uganda. Lira and the region have survived a lengthy war. In the wake of this 22-year war, the Lira region is in need of basic human resources. The Denny Wilford Foundation has begun a program to assist the Freidis Center with hospital equipment so that the disability center can perform surgeries and birthing deliveries in safe and sanitary conditions, which are badly needed in the region. In August, 2018 our initial container of hospital equipment was delivered to Freidis. The local and national Ugandan officials stated that this effort would greatly improve the medical services in the region. Each year we continue to ship a container of medical equipment, other clinical supplies, community outreach items such as hygiene items like soap and dental products and, of course, soccer uniforms and soccer balls. The Disability Center services are free to patients. Instead, funding is provided by the Freidis Day Care, Elementary School and Teachers' College, and people like you.
Click here to read more.
November, 2020
Page 17
When you go to your Rotary club meeting this week, look around at your fellow members and think about this: In North America, anyone younger than 70 likely doesn’t remember a time before the polio vaccine. Those under 40 were born after polio was no longer endemic in the United States. And among your club’s youngest members, the very word “polio” probably conjures a bygone age when children regularly died of diseases like measles, smallpox, or whooping cough. Now, however, we know that measles is staging a comeback. Tuberculosis, which might bring to mind 19th-century sanitariums, is gaining greater resistance to treatment. Until a disease is really gone, eradicated, extirpated from the planet, it will always be looking for ways to come back, for breaches in our defenses. We’ve come very far in the 64 years since the introduction of Jonas Salk’s vaccine — and especially in the 40 years since Rotary decided to take on polio. Every day it gets easier to forget why it’s so critical that we eradicate this disease. Most of us don’t see polio in our daily lives. Whole generations have never experienced its terrifying power. We let our guard down when we think that polio is a disease that happens only in faraway places, or that almost eradicated is good enough. But if we stop and remember what it was like when polio was everywhere and people felt powerless against it, we know that if we don’t finish the fight, we’ll soon be back where we started. The following is the story of Ann Wade, Rotary Club of New Tampa, Florida I felt like I was entering another world. Beds with paralyzed children lined every wall. I was put into a big room. There were rows and rows of children, probably about 50 children, and three or four nurses to care for us. I was seven when I was transferred to Hope Haven children’s hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where I spent four months learning how to walk again. I missed my mother so much. When she would visit, I’d ask her why she couldn’t come more often. But parents were only allowed to visit on Wednesdays and Sundays. I still don’t know why. I’d cry myself to sleep every night. The nurses used to get so mad at me. They’d say I was too old to cry. I felt like I was entering another world. Beds with paralyzed children lined every wall. I was put into a big room. There were rows and rows of children, probably about 50 children, and three or four nurses to care for us. I was seven when I was transferred to Hope Haven children’s hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where I spent four months learning how to walk again.
November, 2020
Page 18
I missed my mother so much. When she would visit, I’d ask her why she couldn’t come more often. But parents were only allowed to visit on Wednesdays and Sundays. I still don’t know why. I’d cry myself to sleep every night. The nurses used to get so mad at me. They’d say I was too old to cry. I spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my birthday in that hospital. At first, I was bedridden. Polio had affected my legs, and I couldn’t walk. When I got the virus, I had extreme pain all over my body and a high fever. I couldn’t stand up. That was very scary. My parents took me to the doctor on a Saturday morning; he examined me and immediately sent me to an isolation ward. I had my own room there, but only the nurses could be with me. There was a balcony that extended around the building, and each room had a window. There were two chairs on the balcony outside every room, and that’s where parents would sit and talk to their child, through the window. No one was allowed into my room, and I was not allowed out. Once my fever broke and I wasn’t contagious anymore, I was moved to Hope Haven to learn to walk again. The therapies were painful. They would put hot, wet wool towels on my legs and then exercise the muscles. The nurses would also massage my legs with oil. Sometimes they’d use these electrical shock-type things to shock the muscles into use. They would take all of us to therapy once or twice per day. In between, teachers came in and we had school. They’d roll my bed to a huge room, and the teachers would be in there teaching. It was the beginning of second grade for me. Once I started walking, I was released from the hospital, but I didn’t return to my old school until third grade. After I left the hospital, I tried to put it out of my mind. Then the vaccine was released, and everyone went to get it. It was being given at a school on a Sunday afternoon. They called it Sabin Sunday, after Albert Sabin, who invented the oral vaccine, and I remember standing in a really long line, thinking, “Do I really need to do this? I’ve already had polio.” But my mother was adamant that my brother and I get vaccinated. Since then, I’ve done most everything I wanted to do in life. I became a teacher. I married a wonderful guy 53 years ago who is also in Rotary. I have three children and 10 grandchildren. Not many people know I had polio, except that one of my legs is smaller than the other and I have a slight limp. About 12 years ago, I fell and broke the hip in my bad leg. After surgery, I was able to learn to walk again, so now I can say I’ve learned to walk three times. This year, I’m president of my Rotary club. I’m eager to make eradicating polio a priority and to raise money for End Polio Now. Until now, I haven’t told many people my story, but if it can help the eradication effort, it seems like a good time to start.
This story above originally appeared in the November 2019 issue of The Rotarian magazine.
November, 2020
Page 19
The following is the story of John Nanni, Rotary Club of Middletown-Odessa, Delaware When I was 10 months old, I was paralyzed from the neck down by polio. I had been in the hospital for about a week when my great-aunt came to visit. She was a nun and had spent most of her adult life working as a nurse in a polio ward. She looked at my chart and saw that the doctors weren’t doing what they needed to do to prevent my muscles from atrophying. My great-aunt believed in a method developed by an Australian nurse named Sister Kenny. It was a physical therapy program for polio patients that manipulated and stretched the paralyzed muscles. But at the hospital, they were putting kids in casts. It was the worst thing to do, but they didn’t know. Not moving the paralyzed limb caused the muscles to shrink and weaken, and those children had to have many painful corrective surgeries. After my great-aunt visited, my mom decided to bring me home and perform the Sister Kenny method herself. She said I would wail in pain every time she exercised my limbs, and she had to do it every other hour, all day and all night, for six months. She was pregnant at the time and also had my three-year-old brother to care for. Without her strong will and determination, I never would have walked. I’m blessed that she had the fortitude to do that. A year later, I took my first step. As I grew up, most people never knew I had had polio. My mom did such a good job, very few of my muscles atrophied. I played baseball, basketball, and football. I worked in restaurants, which is very physically demanding. I started a business. At one time, if you went to a Burger King anywhere between Maine and South Carolina, your receipt was printed on paper from my paper and ribbon supply company. But when I turned 40, I started to have weakness, pain, and extreme fatigue. It got so bad that I had to retire. I went to 10 different doctors over two years before a doctor identified it as post-polio syndrome. Hearing “polio” hit me like a ton of bricks. I thought it had come back. But the virus hadn’t come back; the muscles that had compensated for my damaged muscles were starting to fail from overuse. Now I’m in a wheelchair for all but about 200 to 300 steps per day. I’m in the chair to protect my ability to walk. I have to avoid overusing my muscles. I can’t lift weights or do resistance exercises. About 70 percent of polio survivors have post-polio syndrome, yet it’s still widely misunderstood and often misdiagnosed. About four years ago, I attached a sign to my wheelchair that says, “This is what polio looks like when a child is not vaccinated.” I did it because I want to bring attention to the need to eradicate polio — and to the importance of vaccinations. A lady came up to me at Yankee Stadium recently to ask if she could take a picture of my sign. I said, “Sure, but why?” She said her daughter-in-law refuses to vaccinate her children, and the woman wanted to show her this picture. Here in Delaware, the combined vaccination rate is 77 percent, which is well below herd immunity rates for many diseases. As I’ve gotten more and more involved with PolioPlus through Rotary, I’ve become concerned with the declining level of vaccination rates in the United States.
November, 2020
Page 20
I’m in this chair because there wasn’t a vaccine for polio when I got the virus in 1953. But no matter how dedicated Rotary members are to eradicating polio, many of them know very little about the disease. So I’m trying to do my part to educate people about my experience. There is a lot of suffering for polio survivors. That’s why we have to keep fighting this disease. So many positives are occurring in the eradication campaign right now. We are very close to a polio-free world. The money is not going down the drain. We have to keep fighting. We have to keep the promise that we made to the kids of the world back in 1985. This story above originally appeared in the November 2019 issue of The Rotarian magazine.
IMPORTANT - Another Polio Survival Story Click here to view the District 6330 Video Polio Story
District 6330 Governor David Elliott joins clubs to mark World Polio Day and welcomes guests who help underscore the need to continue the work to END POLIO NOW. Mike O'Shea and Gerry Jergens, polio survivors, and Katherine Hahn, District 6330 Polio Chair, give personal accounts of why the continuing effort to END POLIO is so important. Even though World Polio Day has passed for 2020, eradicating polio remains Rotary’s signature program.
November, 2020
Page 21
GAVI – Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (A Polio Partner)
Source: gavi.org
November, 2020
Page 22
Have you read? • • •
About the Gavi Alliance The Gavi COVAX AMC Explained Types of Gavi support
POLIO AND COVID-19 Thanks to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance – an important partner in Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio – hundreds of millions of children have been vaccinated and over 10 million lives saved around the world since 2000. Even though World Vaccination Awareness week was held in April – and is held every year in April – it is important for us all to help to promote the benefits of vaccines. We all anxiously await the arrival of a new vaccine for the novel Coronavirus to help us conquer COVID-19. Click here to watch an inspiring story here about a young man who is learning about viruses and vaccines.
More about COVID-19. Click here for a short update
Source: https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork
November, 2020
Page 23
WHAT ARE ROTARY ACTION GROUPS? Rotary Action Groups are independent, international, Rotary-affiliated groups whose members have expertise and experience in a particular area of specialization. Aligned with Rotary’s priority to increase humanitarian impact, they use their knowledge and passion to help clubs and districts plan and carry out impactful service projects. Each group oversees its own governance, membership, and activities in accordance with RI policies. Membership is open to any individual. Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Peace Fellows can serve in leadership roles. By joining a Rotary Action Group, you can use your professional skills to advise on meaningful service activities outside your own club, district, or country. Rotary Action Groups provide networking opportunities with likeminded individuals from around the world. Here’s a listing:
Source: rotary_action_groups_flier_en.pdf
November, 2020
Page 24
November, 2020
Page 25
THE ENVIRONMENT AND GOOD HEALTH – HAND IN HAND
BY ROB GOSS PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALESSANDRO GANDOLFI, PARALLELOZERO
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 12, 2020
I N T H E V I L L A G E of Ogimi, located in the rural north of Okinawa’s main island, there’s a small stone marker with a few sentences written in Japanese. Roughly translated, they read: “At 80, you are merely a youth. At 90, if your ancestors invite you into heaven, ask them to wait until you are 100—then, you might consider it.” That’s not bluster.
One hundred and seventy-one are in their 90s. Even in Japan, which currently has more than 70,000 people aged 100 or over, that’s a remarkable statistic. (Source: National Geographic Magazine)
Click here to read more.
November, 2020
Page 26
ROTARY’S CORE VALUES
November, 2020
Page 27
Passport Clubs differ from e-clubs in that members live within a defined geographical region- in this case, District 6330. If you think this new style of Rotary club might be a good fit for you- reach out!
When someone asks you What is a Passport Club? The District 6330 Passport Club is a new format of Rotary Club; one where the structure better suits the lives of those who maybe can’t meet on a weekly basis or make significant financial contributions but who still have a passion for what Rotary does best; doing good. To facilitate this, the 6330 Passport Club conducts business electronically and offers several in-person opportunities per year. In lieu of weekly meetings, members are encouraged to engage in humanitarian service, however that works best for them! The founding principle is simple: Make Rotary fit your life! The Rotary District 6330 Passport Club members are full Rotary members, with the same privileges and rights as Rotarians who are members of traditional clubs.
Do you need a make-up? Here is a list of online clubs where you can earn a make-up along with learning a whole lot more about Rotary! Why not visit them all? Rotary E-Club One – Always just a click away Rotary E-Club of Canada One – Rotary On Demand, Where you want, When you want Rotary Club of One World Rotary E-Club of World Peace
November, 2020
Page 28
Don’t forget the Happy Chats – get to know our club members! Join the Happy Chats – get to know our club members! Happy Chats are online every Saturday and Wednesday. Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Join your Rotary friends for an informal 30 minute get together. Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Join our Zoom Meetings https://us04web.zoom.us/j/953915984
November, 2020
Page 29
PHOTOS FROM THE WORLD’S GREATEST MEAL TO END POLIO Below are some photos from the World's Greatest Meal fundraiser hosted by Diane Ives (our AG) and Jim Ives in their beautiful home on the St Clair River. This event was supported by President-Elect Joyce NolinCapman and others – Jim Sillers (Global Passport Club) and
November, 2020
Page 30
Our own 6330 Passport member Mary Ruston as usual went above and beyond to hold a fundraiser for World Polio Day. Mary cooked 88 servings of soup for her friends!! Wow! Kudos! Thank-you Mary for all your hard work. Rotary thanks you too!
On Wednesday, October 15, President-Elect Joyce Nolin-Capman presented the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan with a check for the monies collected on the Canadian side from our Club. There will be more to come as we have applied for a District Grant to further assist this wonderful cause of providing food to those in need due to Covid-19. Dear Rotarians: During this crucial season of social distancing and uncertainty, your generosity enables the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to continue to provide nutritious food and essential services to families who are facing dire circumstances. Thank you for your gift of $7,095! Your awesome online campaign generated enough donations to provide food for over 42,570 meals! Your acts of compassion towards those who are threatened by hunger and lack of access to food are appreciated as more people than ever in our history are out of work. Through your generosity and the work of our Hunger Relief Partners, we are striving to meet the rapidly changing needs of the people we serve
November, 2020
Page 31
throughout our 22 eastern Michigan counties in our service area. Generous donors, like all of you, help to further the Food Bank’s effort to provide more fresh and healthy food selections to children’s programs, the senior box program, mobile distributions, pantries, shelters and soup kitchens. Almost half of the 29 million pounds of food we deliver each year are fresh vegetables, dairy and meat. Every dollar has a powerful impact on the fight against hunger. 98% of your contribution goes to food and feeding programs as $1 provides enough food for 6 meals! In addition, your financial support helps the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan’s response to the increasing needs of our neighbors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information on how your gift is making a positive difference, please feel free to contact us at (810) 239-4441 or visit our website at www.fbem.org. Thank you for helping the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan feed the hungry. With sincere gratitude, Kara Ross, President and CEO
Thank you to all who participated in this excellent activity!
U.N. INTERNATIONAL DATES TO REMEMBER November 14 World Diabetes Day November 20 World Children’s Day November 25 International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
November, 2020
Page 32
November, 2020
Page 33
In a world where you can be anything, be KIND!
November, 2020
Page 34
See our Passport Club Facebook page for more up-to-the-minute Passport news!
https://www.facebook.com/rotary6330passport/
THE ROTARY FOUNDATION - EREY
The Every Rotarian, Every Year (EREY) initiative encourages all Rotary club members to contribute at least $100 USD every year to help us reach our goal to support the Rotary Foundation financially each year. One who contributes $100 USD every year is a Sustaining Member.
November, 2020
Page 35
A VISUAL OF ROTARY DISTRICT 6330
November, 2020
Page 36
SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!
Today is yet another day to do better!
November, 2020
Page 37
********* REFERENCES
Adams, Randal. Speaking of Rotary. E.J. Press, U.S.A. 2007. Chapman, Mary. Growing Rotary. A Personal Collection of Ideas That Worked. Dochterman, Cliff. The ABCs of Rotary. Evanston, Illinois: Rotary International. (363-EN) Forward, David C. A Century of Service. The Story of Rotary International. (912-EN) Rotary History Fellowship - http://www.rotaryhistoryfellowship.org Rotary International. Honoring Our Past: The Words and Wisdom of Paul Harris. Evanston, Illinois: 1996. (925-EN) Rotary International. Rotary Basics. Evanston, Illinois. (595-EN) Rotary International News. Online. Rotary Gallery of Past Presidents <https://www.rotary.org/en/aboutus/history/galleryofpastpresidents/pages/timelineofpresidents.aspx>
Submissions from Club members Please send Club News and photos (with appropriate IDs) to Kitty at ladykitt@gmail.com
November, 2020
Page 38