Our Weekly Meeting

“Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

We meet every Friday from 1:00 to 2:00pm at Wanderers Club, Illovo, Johannesburg. You can also join us on Zoom - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86496040522.

Monday 14 December 2015

Chariots, Sarah Britten...with apologies and Pavarotti in 1978. An interesting Wheelchair Project in Mexico.

This Week
It's an informal meeting in Chariots.
All that really means is that we order off the menu, have a drink and socialise.
There are no bells and no fines, no sergeant and no-one with a chain around their neck or ankle.
Look forward to seeing you there!

Last Week
Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.
Whilst attempting to download the pictures of the Christmas Lunch all I succeeded in doing was deleting the whole lot so you won't be able to see your smiling faces, Eddie in full flow or Sarah Britten extolling the virtues of lipstick.  Instead you will have to put up with one of her pictures.


We also need a bit of Christmas Cheer having had three Ministers of Finance in less than a week!

Here's Pavarotti at the height of his powers in the Cathedral at Montreal.

It only remains for me to echo the words of President Neville.  Have a Wonderful Christmas and everything of the best for 2016!


SPIN DOCTORS

Liliana Martínez and Francisco Hinojosa Martínez repair a wheelchair in ALEM’s Cuernavaca workshop.
Rotary International / Monika Lozinska
From the  of The Rotarian
In Cuernavaca, Mexico, cobblestone streets and sidewalks can wreak havoc on wheels and bearings. For people who get around using a wheelchair, a mechanical breakdown only exacerbates the social isolation they often face. But an enterprising group is training people with disabilities to fix wheelchairs – and even bringing the concept of roadside assistance to wheelchair users in other cities.
Erik Friend, a member of the Rotary Club of Cuernavaca-Juárez, Mexico, had been volunteering with a group called Autonomy, Liberation Through Movement (ALEM) and was intrigued by the simple efficacy of its vision and work. ALEM’s employees design, build, and repair standard and sports wheelchairs, recumbent tricycles, and other custom wheeled devices. They work out of a garage workshop in Cuernavaca and staff mobile units that travel to cities such as Puebla and Veracruz.
Other groups distribute wheelchairs, but ALEM is the only wheelchair repair operation in the state of Morelos. It provides an essential service in a place where new wheelchairs frequently break down within a year – and where people with disabilities are often viewed as unable to work. ALEM’s technicians also offer general welding, upholstery, and painting services.
“ALEM opened new doors for me,” says Gilberto Beltran Montero, who was paralyzed after being shot in a mugging. Fighting depression, he didn’t leave his house for a year. “I thought that because I’m disabled, I would never be able to do anything. But I realized that I could still learn new skills.”
Friend, who has experience as a mechanic, is now the president of ALEM. He says he has seen how learning a skill has made workers like Beltran more confident and self-reliant. He has also seen the impact of their example on the communities where they work. Local auto mechanics, for instance, often bring aluminum-welding projects to ALEM, one of the only places in Cuernavaca equipped to do that type of job. When they see someone like Rosy Roman Sánchez, a young woman who specializes in welding aluminum, Friend says, “it makes them question all the assumptions they have – about not only what a woman can do, but also what someone in a wheelchair can do.
“To see the look on their faces when Rosy starts working, and does a job well, is great,” he says. “That’s how we transform society’s way of thinking.”
In 2013, the Rotary Clubs of Paoli-Malvern-Berwyn, Pa., and Cuernavaca-Juárez used a Rotary Foundation grant to purchase parts and equipment for ALEM’s repair operations. The next year, the two clubs received a Rotary global grant to purchase a trailer and a van for ALEM’s mobile repair service, continue to fund needed parts and supplies, and support training, education, and outreach programs. Rotary clubs in each city visited by the mobile repair unit coordinate permits, electricity, and housing for the technicians.

Monday 7 December 2015

Welcome Lenore! Merle Langenegger, & Sarah Britten. Enjoy our Christmas Lunch!

Welcome to Lenore Terreblanche


Lenore Terreblanche was inducted into our Club last week.  Lenore is a pharmacist so it increases the paramedical team in the club which is very welcome.  We hope you have many happy years with us.  I'm not sure why her eyes are shut...is President Neville soporific?

PDG Peter Margolius
We are delighted to hear that Peter Margolius is doing well and on the road to recovery.  Peter, we are thinking of you.

Hamper Collection at Makro, Woodmead
The final figures are R83 420 worth of hampers etc, roughly 30% up on last year.  Congratulations to all involved.

Last Week
Merle Langenegger spoke about her career, initially in midwifery but subsequently as a medical representative specialising in cardiac medicine.
She showed us examples of different artificial heart valves and a pacemaker.  I noticed that the pacemaker had her name engraved on it but I didn't notice a flutter!
Mike Lamb is obviously enjoying the talk.
Many thanks, Merle.  It was extremely interesting and a real pleasure to hear more about the people we sit around a table with every week.
It's people like Merle and Lenore who really strengthen the team for the Baragwanath Project.

This Week









It's that time of year when we have the Christmas Lunch and it is always great.  Eddie de Vos will give a Christmas Address and we also have a guest speaker, Sarah Britten.
Sarah calls herself a Communication Strategist...I'm not quite sure what that is...but I always think of her as a journalist and writer, particularly of children's books.  She is also a "lipstick artist" which means that she uses lipstick instead of paint on paper rather than on herself.
She has had some success with this at the Tokyo International Art Fair and it's her art she will be talking about.

She is married to Kanthan Pillay, the former President of the eClub and Morningside Rotary Club.

Next Week, Friday 18th December
It will be the usual informal meeting that we have at this time of year when those who wish to meet and chat will have lunch in Chariots.

AIDS TRAINING BRINGS LIFE TO LIBERIAN COMMUNITIES

Health care workers in Liberia attend a workshop conducted by Rotary members on new techniques for treating pregnant women with HIV/AIDS.
Rich Casey
The impact of an HIV/AIDS vocational training project in Liberia can be assessed by the ultimate measure: life itself.
“There are children of HIV mothers living today who would not have seen their first birthdays [without the training],” says Elizabeth Mulbah, a member of the Rotary Club of Sinkor, Montserrado County, Monrovia, who delivered a lecture for health care providers about HIV/AIDS during the vocational training team’s five-day workshop in 2012.
The goal of the team -- comprised of individuals from the  in California, USA; the Rotary Club of Sinkor; St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Monrovia; Global Strategies for HIV Prevention, and the Center for HIV Information at the University of California, San Francisco -- was to increase maternal HIV/AIDS services and to improve the quality of care in Liberian clinics.
Nearly 60 health care workers in Montserrado and neighboring Bomi counties learned techniques to prevent mother-child transmission of HIV and to improve their ability to diagnose and treat infected women. They also were taught how to pass along the information to other health care workers.
Now, a Rotary Foundation global grant is facilitating an expansion of the project to other parts of Liberia.
Mulbah says that technology played a crucial role in the outcome of the 2012 training. PowerPoint presentations and a computer lab were used to communicate messages effectively, and participants were given flash drives with the latest information about HIV/AIDS.
“They took this learning back to their clinics and conducted much more effective workshops for pregnant women,” she adds.
Rich Casey, president of the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project, brought computers to Liberia for the training. Even though the group was sleeping in an area protected by guards, robbers broke in one night and stole every computer but one. The workshop went on nonetheless, and proved a success.
Both before and after training, participants were tested on their medical knowledge, and the post-training test scores jumped nearly 20 percent.
And more women are receiving antenatal care, Mulbah says. Husbands now accompany their wives to maternal clinics, and follow-up visits to clinics by people who have AIDS have increased.
The importance of projects like this one will be highlighted once again with the observance of World AIDS Day, on 1 December. According to the United Nations about 2,000 Liberians died of AIDS in 2014 and roughly 33,000 people out of the country’s population of 4.3 million have been infected by the HIV virus; the majority live in urban areas like Monrovia, the country’s capital.
Following the success of the 2012 project, Casey helped procure a $192,500 Rotary Foundation global grant to expand the training to other areas of Liberia. But last year’s Ebola outbreak put the project on hold, and only now is it starting to be implemented.
During the earlier project, Casey had been particularly pleased by the way that the various groups and their members - including Dr. Arthur Ammann, founder of Global Strategies for HIV Prevention and one of the world’s leading pediatric immunologists - came together to plan the workshop a year in advance to achieve the best results.
“It was a good example of Rotary working well with other organizations,” he says.
On the final day of that inaugural workshop, Mulbah handed out certificates of completion to the participants.
“I felt excited and grateful,” she says. “I was very thankful, believing that our mothers and sisters infected by HIV would now receive improved care, and that there was increased hope and opportunity for life without HIV/AIDS for their unborn children.”

Monday 30 November 2015

Jack Donaldson RIP, the DG's Visit, Hampers at Makro, Merle Langenegger, Attendance & Bicycles

Jack Donaldson RIP
We were all saddened to hear of the sudden death of Jack Donaldson immediately after his 80th Birthday.
We all join President Neville in our condolences to Pam and her family.
Jack was an exceptionally nice man.  We will all miss him and our thoughts and prayers are with you, Pam.

DONALDSON JACK (JOHN FREDERICK) 21/11/1935~ 24/11/2015 
The Funeral service for Jack Donaldson will be held on Thursday 3rd December 2016 At 11 am , St Michael's Anglican Church, Bryanston Drive , Johannesburg. In lieu of flowers donations to The SA Guide Dog Association. THOM KIGHT & CO 011 837 553

PDG Peter Margolius (Honorary Member)
Peter is gravely ill in hospital so keep him and Elaine in your thoughts and prayers.

Last Week
It was the District Governor's visit.  DG David Grant and DGA Margie were introduced by DGR Steve Margo.  David spoke primarily about the Rotary Foundation as it is Foundation Month.  We also hosted some of the eClub for lunch as you can see.

The Makro Teams
Hamper sales have exceeded all expectations.  I must admit that I was cynical about it with the price of a hamper going up from R99 to R160.  It's wonderful to be proved wrong.  All the hampers are bound for Phutadichaba in  Alexandra.  Congratulations to Mark Franklin for organising this.

Quarterly Dinner
I decided to cancel this as it was scheduled for the evening before Jack Donaldson's funeral and it would have been inappropriate to do otherwise.  Many thanks to those who emailed their approval.

Attendance
There used to be the provision of becoming "Senior Active" and this meant that if you missed attendance then it was not recorded in the club's statistics.  This has changed and if you have an aggregate of your age plus the length of Rotary membership equal to 85 or more then your attendance is again not recorded in the club's statistics.  In other words, if you are 60 and have been a member for 25 years then you qualify......if you are 85 you qualify even if you are not a member!
Please consider this if your aggregate qualifies and you find it difficult to attend meetings as it will make a big difference to our returns.  Just get in touch with me.

This Week
Merle Langenegger will be talking about herself.  It used to be called a "My Job" talk.  We are looking forward to Merle revealing all!

CYCLISTS RAISE NEARLY $3 MILLION IN MILES TO END POLIO RIDE

Riders set off on the 2015 El Tour de Tucson in Arizona, USA.
James S. Wood Photography
The fight to eradicate polio got a major financial boost from the annual  bike ride that took place 21 November in Arizona, USA. Rotary General Secretary John Hewko and a team of eight RI staff members helped raise $2.9 million. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match the funds 2-to-1, bringing the total contribution to PolioPlus to nearly $9 million.
This is the fourth year in a row that Hewko has biked in the 104-mile (167 km) El Tour de Tucson ride, one of the country’s top cycling events. More than 100 Rotary members from Arizona and around the world hit the pavement with the Evanston team.
The RI staff riders have been training together since September. “In the beginning, riding 104 miles seemed impossible,” says Jean Stanula, Rotary’s Global Events supervisor. “But we came together early Saturday mornings and rode 20, 40, 60, and 80 miles. After a while, it felt like we could do anything.”
Contributions of District Designated Funds (DDFs) were a big part in this year's fundraising effort, with more than $1.4 million collected. Districts can continue to donate DDFs to support the fundraiser through 30 November. President-elect John Germ will visit the district that donates the most DDFs, and the top five contributing districts will be recognized onstage at the 2016 Rotary Convention in Seoul.
Rotary members have taken part in the ride since 2009, when the End Polio Now campaign was designated an official beneficiary of the race, allowing Rotary cyclists to gather pledges for the campaign. In the first year, 27 cyclists raised $35,000. The number has grown exponentially ever since.

Tuesday 24 November 2015

The DG's Visit, Christmas Lunch, Club Assembly & Equipping Leaders to build Peace.


DG David Grant
This Week
It's the District Governor's visit and we will be also be hosting the eClub for lunch.
The eClub receives their Charter.









DG David Grant we know but the presence of the eClub is a mystery.  Will their presence and any lunch they may require be purely virtual?   Are we able to communicate with them verbally or will we need to text?

When it comes to the dress code it was decided that we should wear our Rosebank Shirts.  Just make sure that Pam Donaldson knows if there will be extra people attending.

Dinner, 2nd December, Yamato Japanese Restaurant, Illovo
7,15 for 7,30, R200 per head including the service charge.  It must be one of the few Japanese Restaurants that is owned and run by a Japanese person though Cristina was actually born in South America!

Christmas Lunch, Friday 11th December

This will be at Wanderers and will probably be in the region of R120 per head though we don't have a firm price yet.  It was suggested that we bring our own champagne and pay corkage.  Wanderers may not allow that and if they do you must just make sure that you don't bring something on their wine list because they are then quite justified in not accepting it.
Please book with Mark Franklin. Spouses, consorts and guests are welcome.  I say "consorts" because Eleanor Bron prefers the word as it sounds more fun than "partner".....I like the idea, consorting is much more fun than partnering.  Eleanor Bron was in the Beatle's film 'Help!'
You can see her HERE....and the Beatles as well, of course.

Club Assembly, Friday 4th December
This will take place immediately after our normal lunchtime meeting and will probably take about an hour.  Please do your best to attend.  President Neville is back this week and no doubt Lyn Collocott will send out the agenda as soon as he has drawn it up.

CHULALONGKORN CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF EQUIPPING LEADERS TO BUILD PEACE

Rotary Peace Fellows at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok discuss peacebuilding strategies during a field study.
Photo by Stephanie van Pelt
Bobby Anderson was helping former freedom fighters in Aceh, Indonesia, adjust to life after combat when he heard about the Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
Anderson, who became part of the 2010 class of Rotary Peace Fellows, says the program allowed him to reflect upon the work he had already done and gain a larger perspective beyond day to day practicalities. 
“To be able to meet other people that had done similar work in other places and to be exposed [during field study] to the disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration situation in Nepal was fascinating and helped me change how I think about the way I manage my own programs,” Anderson says.
Through its , Rotary is developing leaders to become catalysts for peace in their communities and around the globe. The Chulalongkorn program offers a professional development certificate to individuals already working in fields related to peace.
Unlike the 15- to 24-month master’s degree program, the Chulalongkorn course lasts just three months. Because of the shorter time commitment and emphasis on relevant experience, the program attracts a broader pool of applicants. Chulalongkorn, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has graduated 355 peace fellows from 69 countries.
Its curriculum emphasizes equal parts instruction and learning from peers.
“There are two main aspects of the program,” says Jenn Weidman, deputy director of the center. “One is the academic skills, what you actually learn, the steps of mediation, theory of analysis, etc. The other is the transformation.”
“We take professional people and remove them from their role, place them in the same space with diverse people for three months, and then challenge everything they’ve ever believed or held dear,” she says. “You get reflection, and we walk alongside and guide that, asking a lot of questions and creating a safe space for discussion. Some come and leave totally different people.”
Professors, from both Thailand and outside the country, are chosen each year for a curriculum that is constantly evolving. Fellows also complete two field studies, one in Thailand and one in a postconflict setting outside Thailand where they put their training into action.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for me as an instructor in the program to be able to interact with people working on the frontlines in Afghanistan, or Kenya or South Sudan, but then also the U.S.,” says Craig Zelizer, associate director of conflict resolution at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and founder of the Peace and Collaborative Development Network. “The diversity of participants and the change they are already affecting and what they’ll do as a result of this program are incredible.”
Jennifer Jacobson, a police constable in Canada, attended the center in 2012. She says the group exercises and interactions with classmates altered her views of her work.
“A lot of it is bonding with other people, because you are together all day long, pretty much seven days a week,” she says. “I’ve taken something from every little piece of the program.”
Since completing the program in 2007, Meas Savath, of Cambodia, founded the Cambodian Center for Mediation, which provides training and social dialogue, building conciliation between former Khmer Rouge and non-Khmer Rouge factions. Although the country’s brutal civil war ended more than 35 years ago, Savath says, there is still a lot of mistrust between the two sides.
“In my program, all parties are invited to share their experience and understanding, as well as their perceptions of the two groups, and afterward they have a relationship that didn’t exist before,” he says.
The 10th anniversary celebration culminates with the  conference at the end of this month. Program staff are also collecting short video testimonials from alumni that are being compiled. You can see the videos on the , and following #rotarychula10 on social media to get updates of the celebration.
Read stories from peace fellows on the Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University 
Find out how to apply for a 

Tuesday 17 November 2015

Business, Gary Jackson again? Swedes, Scamjam, Champs & Polio Plus

This Week
It's a Business Meeting;  the last one of the year.

Last Week
Gary Jackson's talk on Healthy & Ethical Food was so entertaining that everyone wanted him to come back and talk more about it.  Surprising, because it sounds such an earnest subject!  I think it was his unusual upbringing...speaking Japanese before he spoke English....and his life at McDonald's and the affect it had on him that made people think.
At the end of January/beginning of February we will have a dinner at Jackson's Real Food Market.  We will sort out the meal between us.  I'll keep you informed.

Swedish Friendship Exchange
Here are some more photos from Mike Lamb to add to last week's collection.  They are taken on the trip to Baragwanath to see our Palliative Care Project in partnership with Clubs in the UK and to Soweto.  The obvious non Swedes are Dr Charmaine Blanchard and her colleagues who are involved in the Palliative Care Project.  I haven't a clue what the drums were for!
Jean & I attended the dinner in Boksburg where the Swedes made a presentation on Sweden and it was a most enjoyable evening.
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No, this is not a Political Meeting!
Melodene Stonestreet looks on whilst Lori Bramwell-Jones canvases for votes?  No, it's the Scamjam!

Lori and Melodene presented to a group at Harveston Methodist Church on the 12th November.  The whole purpose of the Scamjam Project is to point out to elderly people the dangers of financial and internet scams and how to recognise them for what they are.

This is proving to be a very valuable and much appreciated project and it was certainly well received at the Methodist Church.


Dinner on the 26th
I have been finding it very difficult to get anything out of the restaurant so far as they seem unable to realise that the amount of food that they want to give us is far too much per head which makes it too expensive.  I have decided to postpone the dinner to Wednesday 2nd December.

Champs Golf Day
Lori Bramwell-Jones and Pam Donaldson assisted at Champs Golf Day last Thursday.  The Club sponsors prostheses for Brandon, one of the little children.  Over to Pam:

On Friday Lori and I assisted Dr. Brooke Puttergill at her annual golf day fundraiser at Wanderers Golf Club.  Unfortunately she had 4 Fourballs cancel at the last minute so only had 8 Fourballs playing.  With raffles etc she was still hoping to clear R40,000 which would provide a prosthesis for two toddlers. She is the most amazing young woman and incidentally has just written her final exams, with the highest pass in SA, to qualify her as a specialist physician.  
She invited SADGA  (The SA Disabled Golf Association) to attend and their CEO Eugene Vorster, who has lost an arm, was there as well as their Gauteng coach, Andrew Corthing who is a Pro Golfer and two of his young golf pro assistants.  All amazing young men.  Brooke had 6 of her "boys" there- three 3 yr olds who have all had a leg amputated (2 born with no muscle in the leg like Oscar and the other with no bone in the leg) including Brandon whose prosthesis we sponsored last year and 3 teenagers who have all lost a leg through train or car accidents.
SADGA do a huge amount of work in rural areas and townships with the disabled to encourage them to play golf.  Andrew took the teenagers and put them through various tests to show them the importance of vision, balance etc to play the game whilst the other two young men let the toddlers have a lot of fun playing with little plastic clubs.


Dress Code for the DG's Lunch on the 27th
We all received a circular from the region stating the Dress Code for Lunch with the DG and the eClub.
I have been asked a number of questions about this though I hesitate to discuss the requirements for ladies.

It's important because we only had one male member present last week who conformed to the dress code and would have been allowed into the DG's Lunch.  I asked him if this was a dummy run and would he be present but unfortunately he will be away.
Now the questions:
a)  Tie:  This is an almost extinct article of male apparel consisting of a, sometimes, multi-coloured strip of material, beautifully tailored, that is worn around the neck under a shirt collar which is done up.  Its purpose is to hide the collar button.  In the past the collar was attached with a back and a front stud so it was a necessity.  Young men tend never to wear them and will often wear a suit with an open-necked shirt.  If in doubt ask some-one older than yourself especially if you have forgotten how to tie a Windsor or Half Windsor.  It is quite acceptable to wear one without a shirt now-a-days.
b)  Jacket: I know it's hot but we have been told that we would be given permission, almost immediately, to take them off.  The next question was why wear one if we will be given permission to take them off?  I don't know.
c)  T-Shirts:  These are not acceptable because sometimes the slogans can be offensive to some.  I saw one the other day that resonated with me... "Rotary is not an Adult Toy". Of course it isn't a toy, it's much too serious for that.
d) Ladies' Apparel:  I am not going to attempt to discuss this merely to say that if in doubt think of your school uniform.  A skirt or gymslip that allows for growth is acceptable but one that you have outgrown is not.


CELEBRITIES, HEALTH OFFICIALS COME TOGETHER TO HAIL PROGRESS TOWARD POLIO’S END

Jeffrey Kluger, Time magazine editor at large (left), talks with Dr. John Vertefeuille, polio incident manager for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as part of Rotary's World Polio Day event on 23 October in New York City.
Photo Credit: Rotary International/Alyce Henson
After an historic year during which transmission of the wild poliovirus vanished from Nigeria and the continent of Africa, the crippling disease is closer than ever to being eradicated worldwide, said top health experts at Rotary’s third annual World Polio Day event on 23 October in New York City.
More than 150 people attended the special  co-sponsored by UNICEF, and thousands more around the world watched online. , Time magazine’s editor at large, moderated the event.
Anthony Lake, executive director of UNICEF, lauded the ’s efforts. After nearly 30 years, the GPEI, which includes Rotary, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is on the cusp of ending polio. It would be only the second human disease ever to be eradicated. 
Lake urged the partners not to lose their momentum: “At a time when the world is torn by conflicts, when the bonds among people seem weaker and more frayed than ever before, ending polio will be not only one of humanity’s greatest achievements, but a singular and striking example of what can be achieved when diverse partners are driven by a common goal -- when  we act as one,” he said.
The event highlighted recent milestones in polio eradication: In July, Nigeria marked one year without a case, and in August, the entire African continent celebrated one year without an outbreak. That leaves just two countries where the virus is regularly spreading: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In a question-and-answer session with Kluger, Dr. John Vertefeuille, polio incident manager for the CDC, discussed the reasons for Nigeria’s success, including strong political commitment at all levels and the support and engagement of religious and community leaders.
“The foundation to Nigeria’s success has been the incredible dedication of tens of thousands of health workers who have worked, often in difficult circumstances, to ensure that all children are reached with the polio vaccine,” said Vertefeuille.
Innovative changes, including strategies for reaching children who were often missed in the past, better mechanisms for ensuring the accountability of health workers, and the engagement of doctors, journalists, and polio survivors, also aided Nigeria in reaching its goal.
Polio eradication is progressing in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Afghanistan, cases dropped from 28 in 2014 to 13 so far this year. In Pakistan, transmission of the disease dropped dramatically, from 306 cases to 38.
Kluger and Vertefeuille agreed that eradicating polio is a wise financial investment. Vertefeuille said financial savings of $50 billion are projected over the next 20 years.
Failure to eradicate polio, he noted, could result in a global resurgence of the disease, with 200,000 new cases every single year within 10 years.

CELEBRITIES ADD THEIR VOICES

Archie Panjabi, Emmy Award-winning actress and Rotary celebrity ambassador for polio eradication, praised Rotary’s success in banishing polio from India in 2012. “I’ve immunized children, feeling pure joy when I placed just two drops of vaccine into a child’s mouth, which are like two drops of life,” she said.
The audience also heard from musician, activist, and Grammy award-winner Angélique Kidjo, who performed a song from her latest album, “Eve.”
Dr. Jennifer Berman, co-host of the Emmy Award-winning television show “The Doctors” called Rotary’s role in eradicating polio “one of those transformative initiatives that uses the insights of science to improve the human condition.”
The program also featured video messages from Bill Gates; Mia Farrow, actress and polio survivor; Heidi Klum, model and celebrity businessperson; and two new Rotary polio ambassadors, WWE star John Cena and actress .
“How do we stop polio forever? How do we ensure that no child has to suffer this disease ever again? It’s easy to help. Spread the word, donate, or simply take this opportunity to learn more,” said Bell.

ROTARY BOOSTS FUNDING

Rotary General Secretary John Hewko announced an additional $40.4 million Rotary will direct to the fight against polio. More than $26 million will go to African countries to prevent the disease from returning. Rotary has also earmarked $5.3 million for India, $6.7 million for Pakistan, and $400,000 for Iraq. Nearly $1 million will support immunization activities and surveillance. Since 1979, Rotary has contributed more than $1.5 billion to polio eradication.
“Our program this evening will show how far we have come -- and what we still have to do -- to slam the door on polio for good,” said Hewko. “Once we do, not only will we end the suffering of children from this entirely preventable disease -- we will also create a blueprint for the next major global health initiative and leave in place resources to protect the world’s health in the future.”
Event sponsors included , and . was the event’s media partner.