What is the Polio Plus Society? The original concept came in 2012 from Rotarian Harriett Schloer of Bend High Desert Rotary in Oregon and PDG Dell Gray of District 5110. District 5110 now has over 800 Polio Plus Society members which means they can count on $80,000 annually until the virus is eradicated.
As you can plainly see in the attached PDF file, my staff is falling asleep due to the slow trickle of Polio Plus Society jot Forms coming in. Please, please, please give them some paperwork to do and join the Polio Plus Society today. Donate $100.00 each Rotary Year until Wild Polio is eradicated (approximately four to six years). By joining the Polio Plus Society, you will be saving the lives of those children that need our help the most.
Use the QR code attached or go to Rotary District 6440 website and sign up today!
One new Wild Polio case reported this week. We are now 2 weeks since the most recent reported Wild Polio Case - in Pakistan. Intensified efforts continue to be implemented in Pakistan, particularly in the Southern area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to urgently eradicate the remaining endemic WPV1 transmission.
Total paralysis cases
Year-to-date 2023
Total
2022
Total
2021
Total
2020
Total
2019
Globally
7
30
6
140
176
- in endemic countries:
7
22
5
140
176
- in post-endemic countries:
0
8
1
0
0
2023 Wild Polio Case Total 6 - Afghanistan 5, Pakistan 2
Quote of the Day - "The simplest acts of kindness are by far more powerful than a thousand heads bowing in prayer." - Mahatma Gandhi
The Final Two Polio Endemic Countries:
Pakistan One new Wild Polio cases reported this week. Two Wild Polio cases reported in 2023. Twenty Wild Polio cases reported in 2022. The most recent case had an onset of paralysis on 2/20/23. Two WPV1 Samples and no cVDPV2 Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Pakistan.
Afghanistan No new Wild Polio cases reported this week. Five Wild Polio cases reported in 2023 - all from the Nangarhar Province. Two Wild Polio Cases reported in 2022. The most recent case had an onset of paralysis on 5/18/23. No WPV1 Samples and no cVDPV2 Positive Environmental Samples were reported this week in Afghanistan.
Advocate, Donate & Educate to END POLIO NOW & FOREVER!
20,500,000 Children Saved from the Paralysis of Polio
Our Goal is Global Polio Eradication!!
Glenn T. Garlick
D6440 End Polio Now Chair
Libertyville Sunrise Rotary Club
630-399-2421 gtgarlick@yahoo.com
Hello Fellow Rotarians,
I would like to extend my services as the District 6440 End Polio Now Chair to come to your Rotary Club meeting and discuss the latest news on the eradication of Wild Polio. I will also be distributing the Polio Plus Society pins for those who made a contribution during the second half of 2022-2023 Rotary Year. My presentation should take about twenty minutes. In the past three years I scheduled most of my presentations in September, October and November. However, this year I’ll only be doing a maximum of two presentations a week, therefor you can schedule me during any time of Rotary year 2023-2024. To those Rotary Clubs that meet on Wednesday morning please try to schedule me on the fifth Wednesday of the month. I will start to visit Rotary clubs after Labor Day. I look forward to seeing you all again and participating in your World Polio Day events.
<Smera Chandan, left, celebrating the new year with her host family.
Editor’s note: This post was written in two parts, the first during the author’s Rotary Youth Exchange year and the second after she returned from her exchange.
By Smera Chandan
My name is Smera Chandan and I am 16 years old. I am sitting in English class. I am in a class to learn English, yet I am fluent in English. So why would I be in an English class?
I am a Rotary Youth Exchange student from the United States and I am living in Catalonia, Spain. I began this journey in September 2022, and I have been living among the people, culture, and customs of this beautiful place for five months. What an incredible time it has been.
Rotaract allowed Pietro Oliveira da Silva to discover more freedom, meet new people, and step out of a personal comfort zone.
By Pietro Oliveira da Silva, Vice President and Project Director of the Rotaract Club of Guaramirim, Brazil; and Director of Diversity and Inclusion, District 4652
Our first years of life are often defined by our parents. If born a boy, we play with toy cars, wear dark clothes, and take soccer classes. If born a girl, we wear pink clothes, have ribbons in our hair, play with dolls, and take ballet classes. This is the normal pattern deeply rooted in society. Our parents were raised this way and raise their children the same way, following these standards.
Since I was 8 or 9 years old, I already felt different. I wanted to wear my brother’s clothes, play soccer with the boys at school. I wanted to feel free, without having to worry about choosing fancy clothes or braiding my hair.
By Tom Gump, aide to 2024-25 RI President Stephanie Urchick and a member of Rotary International’s Membership Growth Committee
<Tom Gump
My favorite month of the year is August because that is when Rotary focuses on membership. As a membership organization, we recognize that our members are our biggest asset. When Rotary membership is strong, our clubs are thriving, we are more visible, and our members have more resources to help their communities.
That is why growing our membership is one of our top priorities. How do we grow membership? Luckily, we don’t have to approach this question in a vacuum. A number of Rotary International surveys have confirmed that the single most important factor in member satisfaction is the club experience.
.png)
