Rotopep Vol. 98 No. 7
Rotary Club of Evanston
August 17, 2017
Program: Beth Gunzel: Heifer International fighting poverty and hunger
Inspiration : Bridget McDonough
Sergeant-at-Arms: Jose Romero
Scribe: Leslie Fabian
Greeter: Ada Kahn
Greeter: Bill Logan
Meeting of August 10, 2017:
Guests:
- Yacine Faye (guest of Helen Dickson) a Mandela Washington Fellow and business lawyer from Senegal, who is interning at Rotary International in the Partnerships area
- Abidemi Adebamiwa studying public policy at Northwestern and will be our speaker on 14 September
- Rick Redmon, ED of Starfish Learning Center
- David King (guest of Tracy Tebear) a staff member at Rotary International in Global Communications
Harry Vroegh inspiration about personal improvement and community connection
John Robertson was Sergeant-at-Arms and discussed the history of the Korean peninsula
- Onions
- Grant Street sewer project (John Robertson)
- Back in Evanston from vacation (Dick Peach)
- Orchids
- Sold a home (John Robertson)
- Harbor Golf Outing and seeking golfers ASAP (Gene Servillo)
- Back in Evanston from vacation (Dick Peach)
- Manwolves (and Abby’s son) opening for Rick Wilson at the Chop Shop (Abby McNear)
- Yard sale at Diane’s from basement cleanout (Diane Krier-Morrow)
- John Robertson had a letter published in the August issue of THE ROTARIAN (Diane Krier-Morrow)
Our speaker:
Carol Pandak, Director of Polio Programs, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International
Member of the Rotary Club of Evanston Lighthouse
Carol gave an update on global effort to eradicate polio and provided a history of this incurable but preventable disease. She offered her personal experience of administering polio drops to a child in 2002.
125 countries down to 3 countries. Only 37 cases of polio in 2016, and only 8 in Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2017 year-to-date. Type 2 was eradicated in 2015, and Type 3 was last seen in 2012. Challenges remain to detect polio in children and the environment, to local persistent pockets of missed children and mobile populations, maintaining political commitment, securing financial resources, and sustaining progress-to-date.
What to do: More than 450 million children in 60 countries and need to be immunized each year, 150,000 polio workers in 70 countries, and surveillance operations in 70 countries. It is estimated that $7 billion is needed to end polio.
We are starting to plan for a polio-free world. Will continue to conduct disease surveillance and immunization work. We will share knowledge and lessons-learned to apply to other global health issues. We plan to continue use the polio infrastructure for other programs in the future.
Encourage a connection on 24 October for World Polio Day to continue a global conversation and increase visibility about our needs. Our club is encouraged to participate, perhaps at Temperance Tuesday!
Carol reiterated that Rotary is developing a process to determine what and whether Rotary will conduct a new program following polio eradication.