National Immunization Day in India

President Susan Hay Cramer was back this week, following a trip to visit her ailing mother in Colorado.  Susan thanked everyone for the kind thoughts and support.  While in Colorado, Susan attended a meeting of the Rotary Club of Loveland.  She returned with a banner from the club.

Our meeting opened with Carol Williams leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.  Bill St. John provided an inspiring invocation. 

Committee sign up sheets were again circulated and Susan Hay Cramer presented Margot Belden with a cookie for leading last week's meeting and for her work on the budget.

Exchange student Julianna from Brazil received our club's banner and presented us with her country's flag.  She said she is leaving in two weeks and is sad as she "loves it here."  Julianna said she's had a great exchange, gave us thanks, and said she'll really miss Missoula.

Sergeant at Arms David Bardwick introduced guests Jed Dennison (Justin Metcalf), Blain Nicholls (Mary Windecker) and visiting Rotarians Jim Hutcheson and Martha Ripley (Noon Club) and Bill Jewett (Yuma) with his wife Barbara and their guest Mary Ellen Doty, Arch and Margie Oldehoeft (Ames, Iowa).  Our speaker (and visiting Rotarian) Joanne Knutson (Bigfork) brought guest Kathy Thomas.

In his weekly humor share, David Bardwick told us about a "redneck vasectomy" involving a cherry bomb in a beer can.  Suffice to say you had to be there!

Susan Hay Cramer announced that Bob Clay was holding a service committee meeting following the regular meeting.  Susan also announced that dues statements are out and need to be paid promptly.  The payment box will be out and available at our meetings, and if you have need for a payment plan, see Susan.

Anne Guest announced that today's Out to Lunch program will be the kickoff to the International Choral Festival at Caras Park from 11-2.  This evening at 7pm at Bonner Park the children's choirs of the ICF will present a concert following the Missoula City Band.  Downtown Tonight will be Thursday from 5:30 to 8:30 and will feature Deja Voodoo.

Ramey Kodadek reported that the Missoula Marathon was a success with 6 Sunrise Rotarians participating on the Youth Homes team of approximately 116.  Ramey offered thanks from the Youth Homes.  Jim Clark added that Jeanne didn't push his mom across the finish as she wasn't able to come, but Jeanne did finish and raised more than $1,000 for the Youth Homes.  Ramey also announced that Kim Anderson's son is named Smith Cooper Anderson and they are going to call him Cooper.

Susan Hay Cramer announced that we are losing Matt Jones as he is moving to Bozeman to become State Director of the USDA Rural Development.  Matt, we are going to miss you!

Paul Williamson provided another fantastic Rotary Minute, this a video entitled "This is Rotary."  This is a terrific piece which talks about Rotary changing the world.  Check it out on the RI website, or on You Tube.  It's a must see!

Our classification talk was provided by Rusty Babington.  This was the third classification talk Rusty had given in the past two years, but he graciously agreed to do so, AND, he has offered to "ramrod" the classification talks going forward. (Thank you, Rusty!)  Rusty has been an attorney for 35 years, and was a naval officer for 23 years involved with military law.  Rusty grew up in New Mexico and his lived all over the world.  He came to Montana a few years ago with his wife of 40 years, Carol.  They met at a speech tournament in high school with the line, "you have pretty good looking legs."  They have three adult children (in Hong Kong, New Mexico and Colorado) and a Rhodesian Ridgeback named Harold.  Rusty has been a Rotarian for 7 years (the first 4 in New Mexico where he earned his first Paul Harris).  Rusty says Montana is great and he loves to fish and boat.  He enjoys Rotary for the opportunity to help people.  Thanks, Rusty, for providing another classification talk, and for offering to take charge going forward!

Susan Hay Cramer then introduced our speaker, Joanne Knutson.  Joanne was President of the Bigfork Rotary Club in 2008-2009 and has been Assistant District Governor for Area 2.  Joanne was previously an elementary school teacher in both North Dakota and Montana.  She came to speak to us today about her NID (National Immunization Day) trip to India.

Joanne offered a wonderful program with slides and photos from her visit to India.  She was there for two weeks in January and February 2009 and described it as the "trip of a lifetime."  Joanne said it was wonderful to see the incredibly dedicated Rotarians from around the world and said there is no difference in Rotarians from Montana and India-they all are dedicated to helping the world.  Joanne said that when RI began its polio work in 1988 there were 1,000 cases a day internationally.  By 2000 to 2007, that number had changed to 2,000 per year!

Joanne traveled with a team of Rotarians from District 5240 in Southern California.  Upon arriving in India they went to the polio office in New Delhi where they got their assignments.  Joanne was sent to a town 100 miles northeast of New Delhi, toward Nepal.  The trip was by taxi and it took five hours.   Joanne said the traffic was unbelievable, and the noise, smells and number of people were overwhelming.  And, she said, everyone honks!  The slides of the street scenes were quite sad-garbage, animals, extreme congestion, etc.

Joanne showed photos of her host family and said there are five Rotary clubs in the city and she visited them all.  Her group me with the District Magistrate and the Chief Medical Officer (who she said were two of the few non-corrupt politicians).  Joanne's group was charged with vaccinating children from 0-5 years of age.  She explained that the vaccine is made in India, in a factory in New Delhi, and is kept frozen and sent out on ice.  Each vial holds 20 drops, with 2 drops given to each child.

The National Immunization Day was on a Sunday, and booths were set up in approximately 15 neighborhoods.  Children came to receive their vaccinations, and many children were brought by other children.  For the ten days following the NID, Joanne's group went on a door-to-door campaign to reach more children.  Her group went to a Muslim Slum which had open sewer on the streets, no running water or electricity.  Once children receive the vaccine their pinky fingers are marked with a marker, yet some children receive the vaccine 10-12 times as they are so sick with dysentery they need to several doses.

Following this campaign Joanne's group traveled back to New Delhi and then to the Taj Mahal, which Joanne said was stunning and "unbelievable."   They also visited a hospital where children with polio have surgeries.

Joanne said her group felt that polio still exists in that area for several reasons:  high population density, high birth rate, open sewers, contaminated water, illiteracy, malnutrition, and intestinal illnesses.  Joanne closed her program with a quote from Amber Collins:  "To heal the world of suffering, the change must start with me!"

Susan Cramer thanked Joanne for the wonderful presentation and said we'd be donating a dictionary in her name.

We then closed the meeting with a recitation of the Four-Way Test.