MINUTES OF MEETING : Tuesday June 13, 2017
ROTARY GRACE
O Lord, The Giver of all good,
We thank Thee for our daily food
May Rotary friends and Rotary ways
Help us to serve Thee all our days.
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Grace: Past President Hilda Finnigan
O Canada: Peter Dueck
Toast To The Queen : Tim Dwyre
GUESTS/VISITING ROTARIANS: Michelle Marshall and Melanie Powell our Guest Speakers
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES Ted and Sharron Morrison celebrating 49 yrs on June 15th
Alan Nason a Birthday on June19th; Robbie LaRoque on June 20th
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Linda Porritt reported that the World Service Committee will support the Guatemala Literacy Project;
Hilda Finnigan asked members present to sign up for Front Desk and Bulletin Editor for the summer months - THANKS to all who did so - only two dates left to fill;
Tim Dwyre presented potential plan for Summer Social Events - a Mariposa Dinner Cruise in July, a Ball Game in August; cost for either of these events would be approx. $100.00 per person, based on an attendance of 40 - this would include the hiring of a bus (not a school bus) for transportation to and from. Tim is hoping to join with the Jaycee Senate group to assist in reaching the number required. A show of hands among those present did not indicate a positive response. Tim and committee will revisit the social situation. Our annual picnic will be on Saturday August 19th hosted by Linda and Devon Biddle.
Pres. Dave:
commented on the success of our June 6 annual Paul Harris Night and thanked all who participated. A very special thanks to our Past District Governor Ted Morrison who organized a tremendous night. Terry Johnson, our Community Recipient, will attend on July 11 to receive his award with his family;
June 27th is President's Night - a count of attendees is required on or before June 20th; (Dave still needs a yes or no and how many from: Kim, Marsha, Laura, Shawn, Bob Koski, Mike and Alan)
the Rotary International Conference 2018 will be held in Toronto - registration fee for this conference is at a special rate of $295.00 US$ during the Atlanta Conference (this special ends June 14th);
Oshawa Parkwood is planning to host a Home Hospitality Event at Parkwood Estate during this 2018 Conference;
District 7070 Conference 2017 will be November 3/4
ACE OF SPADES DRAW:
conducted by Sgt at Arms Linda Porritt. Stanley Igboanugo drew the nine of Hearts and received travel toothpaste.
HAPPY BUCKS:
Apology from the editor for missing the first few - was collecting the toothpaste for Stanley;
Sonya happy her Mother is rejoining Rotary in Belleville;
Hilda happy and thankful for members volunteering;
Pres' Dave happy to be returning the walker to Kris and Janice, pleased he is walking ++ and making a great recovery;
Sandy remarked on the more confining atmosphere in our dining area;
Bob Stewart a SAD buck, his client passed away before completing a proposed financial set up
DUTIES FOR NEXT WEEK:
Front Desk Sue McKinnon and Chidinma Igboanugo BulletinEditor/Greeter Hilda Finnigan
(Editor’s note: If you cannot be on the door , please find a replacement)
ROTARY MOMENT:
Pres. Dave gave an update of our Polio Plus Campaign. C
Arrticle by Andre Picard, Toronto Globe and mail. June 12, 2017:
Canada pledges $75-million (U.S.) as world aims to eradicate polio
The public health world is gearing up, once again, for a final push to eradicate polio and, with only five cases recorded in the world so far this year, that elusive goal seems tantalizingly within reach.
On Monday, representatives of charitable groups and governments gathered at the Rotary convention in Atlanta and pledged an additional $1.2-billion (U.S.) over three years to fund the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which aims to eradicate the childhood disease by 2020. That is just shy of the $500-million needed annually for the global vaccination program.
The biggest contributor is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which pledged $450-million; Rotary International, the service club that has made ridding the world of polio its mission, will contribute $150-million, Nigeria $140-million, Pakistan (via the Islamic Development Bank) $100-million, Canada $75-million, and a host of other donors. (All figures in U.S. Dollars.)
Paul Martin: Time to finish the job of eradicating polio
“Polio is very difficult disease, but with the generosity of donors we’ll have the resources to get this done,” Bill Gates said in an interview.
He said that the polio eradication campaign “suffered a lot of setbacks in the early 2000s but we really upped our game so I’m optimistic.”
Bob Scott, a Rotarian and head of the Polio Eradication Task Force, said the pledges are crucial because “they show the world we’re still fully committed to this effort.”
Dr Scott said that he is encouraged by the fact that, after 29 years, there is still no donor fatigue but, rather, a renewed sense of purpose. Rotary Club members are not only formidable fundraisers – having raised $1.4-billion and counting for the polio campaign – they are the backbone of an army of vaccination volunteers.
Both Mr. Gates and Mr. Scott praised Canada as one of the most steadfast supporters of the campaign, having donated more than $600-million since 2000
.Marie-Claude Bibeau, the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, said while polio was eliminated in Canada decades ago, “diseases know no borders and we’re committed to seeing this through to the end.”
Ms. Bibeau said the “investments in polio do more than combat polio, they reinforce health systems and allow countries to be better prepared for new threats like Ebola.”
In 1988, there were more than 350,000 polio cases in more than 125 polio endemic countries. In 2016, there were only 37 cases and three endemic countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. India, long the epicentre of polio, was declared polio-free in 2011, a milestone that reinvigorated the eradication campaign.
Polio mainly affects children under the age of five and can cause irreversible paralysis. Among those paralyzed, 5 to 10 per cent die when their muscles become immobilized.
Mr. Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft who has committed much of his fortune and his personal time to global health issues, said polio, like most infectious diseases, thrives where there is unrest, so nothing can be taken for granted. But he said the notion of abandoning the eradication quest was unthinkable at this point.
“Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are tough. They all pose unique challenges,” Mr. Gates said.
He said the big change in recent years is that “we’ve gotten a lot better at looking for polio and preventing cases.” For example, in Pakistan, there is now regular monitoring of sewage effluent and, when polio viruses show up, there is a redoubling of vaccination efforts.
The biggest impediment to vaccination is attacks on vaccinators by the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and by Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization, said eradicating polio “will be a perpetual gift to coming generations,” because it will allow public health resources to be shifted elsewhere.
To date, only one other disease, smallpox, has been eradicated in humans. (Rinderpest has been eradicated in livestock.) Six human diseases other than polio have been declared eradicable: guinea worm, lymphatic filariasis (elephantiasis), measles, mumps, rubella, and pork tapeworm.
We are truly "THIS" close . Only 5 cases have been identified this current year; the fight must go on, as countries must be clear for three years before declared permanently disease free and children need to receive more than one vaccination.
For more info, be sure to check out: https://www.rotary.org/en/polio-pledges-2017-convention