Ass't District Governor
John Gordon complimented the Club on its many achievements. The Food Drive, Music in the Park, Student Exchange, Literacy, Student of the Month have all been mentioned at this meeting alone. Midland can be proud they have set the bar so high but John challenged the Club to set it higher still. There's work to be done on polio, wheelchairs, water, education, and job skills training. There is still so much to do.
Last year's focus was Health, Hunger, Water and Literacy. President Lee has carried these four forward but points out that 30,000 chidlren under 5 die from preventable causes every day - 1,200 died during lunch. Disease, lack of medicine or clean water or food, poverty, no education. Lee is asking us to help decrease this number.
Rotary has the membership and the resources and every child deserves health and happiness and a chance to dream. Rotary can help make those dreams real. The Gates Foundation has given $100,000,000.00 to Polio eradication which Rotary will match over the next three years. The money is already being put to use. Polio is down by 99% and there are now a few cases in pockets of 4 countries - the hardest to reach and educate. New tools and tactics are being developed. Type 2 has been eradicated but 1, the nastiest, and 3 are still out there.
RI has asked every Club to contribute $1,000.00 a year for the 3 years and they are looking for other donors.
Other priorities are the Foundation. 50% of the money donated comes back to the Districts to help out with local projects. Membership - there are more Clubs but fewer members, especially in North America. John said he was glad to see new faces at the Midland Club. PR - Rotary used to play the quiet, behind the scenes role but that is changing. We need to showcase our contributions and there is a new District Committee working on PR. The DC elect is taking wheelchairs to El Salvador soon. There is a GSE from the Caribbean visiting the District now. Foundation and Membership seminars are planned. The Web site is being redone.
John said we all must ask ourselves what we each can do to make the Club stronger and the community better and the world more peaceful where dreams can become real.