I hope everyone is enjoying the crazy yet beautiful weather we have been having the last few days. It’s a little uncommon for the month of September, but it sure is delightful weather.

 

Polio World Day is coming up, and I would like to share another Rotary fact about Polio. Stay tuned because this Wednesday our Fundraiser chair and incoming President Stefanie Joy Muscat will be announcing the club’s events for the Polio Day fundraiser.

 

PolioPlus is Rotary's massive effort to eradicate poliomyelitis from the world by the year 2025. It is part of a global effort to protect the children from five other deadly diseases as well; that’s the "plus" in PolioPlus. The program was launched in 1985 with fund-raising as a primary focus. The original goal was to raise $120 million. By 1988, Rotarians of the world had raised more than $219 million in cash and pledges. By 1994, the cash total exceeded $246 million! These gifts have enabled The Rotary Foundation to make grants to provide a five-year supply of vaccine for any developing country requesting it to protect its children. Grants have been made to nearly 100 countries – a commitment, thus far, of $181 million to buy vaccine and to improve vaccine quality. Achieving eradication will be difficult (only one other disease, smallpox, has ever been eradicated) and expensive (estimated cost to the international community is nearly $2 billion). It will require continuing immunization of children worldwide, and it also must include systematic reporting of all suspected cases, community-wide vaccination to contain outbreaks of the disease, and establishment of laboratory networks. Rotary will not be alone in all these efforts but in partnership with national governments, the World and Pan American Health Organizations, UNICEF and others. Rotary's "people power" gives us a special "hands on" role. Rotarians in developing countries have given thousands of hours and countless in-kind gifts to help eradication happen in their countries. No other non-governmental organization ever has made a commitment of the scale of PolioPlus. Truly it may be considered the greatest humanitarian service the world has ever seen. Every Rotarian can share the pride of that achievement!

 

This Wednesday September 25th, we will be hosting Misha Mytar of Maine Coast Heritage Trust. We will also have Seattle Rotarian Charles Dickey who will give us a quick update on Rotarian Malaria Partners. It will be a busy and interesting meeting.

 

A reminder that October 5th is the District Assembly at The Hotel Le GeorgesVille in Saint George, Quebec. As I said, I am planning to attend and if you want to know more about what our district does regarding financial reports, foundations, membership, special projects, RYLA, Polio, etc., please let me know.

 

The Interact club is doing a fundraiser this Saturday, September 28th. They need donations of baked goods. The donations can be dropped off at 6:00 pm at the MDIHS table at Night Sky Festival. All Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit their yearlong "Birthday Kits" for the Bar Harbor Food Pantry. Please let me know if you would like to make a baked goods donation, and I will let them know of the contribution.

 

“Rotarians are very much more favorably disposed toward action than they are toward words.” - Paul Harris.

 

See you on Wednesday,

 

President Susy