Rotarlight 16/17 #47 (Jun 18, 2017)

Combining passion, friendship, and service through Rotary Fellowships

The scope of Rotary Fellowships has changed over the years, but their purpose has remained the same: to unite Rotary members, their spouses, Rotaractors, program participants, and alumni in friendship, and to provide ways for them to enjoy their favorite recreational or professional activities. Over 70 fellowships cover interests from tennis and marathon running to wine and cooking, from scuba diving and jazz to recreational vehicles and computers.

Rotary Fellowships began informally in 1928, when Rotarians with a shared interest in Esperanto joined together. In 1947, Rotarian boating enthusiasts began flying the Rotary flag from their craft, calling themselves the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians. The group now has the longest continuous history of any Rotary Fellowship.

June is Rotary Fellowships Month: Read the Rotary Service blog to learn more about fellowship activities and service projects. View a list of all the fellowships, and join one today!

At the Rotary International Convention, global leaders and key donors affirm their commitment to ending polio

With polio on the brink of eradication, nations from around the world and key donors pledged more than $1.2 billion last week to energize the global fight to end the paralyzing disease.

The historic pledges of new funds at the Rotary Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, will go toward drastically shrinking the $1.5 billion gap in the funding that the partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative say is needed to reduce polio cases to zero worldwide. Just five cases have been reported this year, the lowest number in history.

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said ending polio would be one of the world’s greatest achievements. "Polio is the thing I spend the most time on. Everyday I look at my email to see if we have a new case," Gates said. "I'm very inspired to be part of this. I'm also very humbled."

Rotary International President John F. Germ announced that Rotary would increase its commitment and raise $50 million per year over the next three years. Rotary has raised more than $1.7 billion to fight the disease since 1985. “Right now, every time a new case is identified, it really could be the last one the world ever sees,” Germ said.

Gates told the crowd of nearly 24,000 that, starting 1 July, his foundation will extend its 2-to-1 match to cover up to $50 million in donations to Rotary for each of the next three years. The match and donations to Rotary would add up to $150 million per year over the next three years, which will add up to $450 million to the fight.

The new funding will go toward polio eradication efforts such as disease surveillance, responses to any outbreaks, and the vaccination of more than 400 million children annually.

Bill Gates and RI President John Germ at the Atlanta Convention