Nebraska gubernatorial candidate, Carol Blood, is this week's speaker. Born in McCook and raised in rural Adams County, Nebraska, she and her husband, Joe, raised their three adult children in Sarpy County. She served two terms as the At-Large (city-wide) Representative on the Bellevue City Council and is serving two terms in the Nebraska Legislature.
Carol has been an active volunteer and community advocate who feels her mission in life is to help and serve others.
She prioritizes being accessible to her constituents because it helps her understand the wants and needs of the folks she serves by hearing and noting their concerns directly.
"In Nebraska, we can keep our eye on what is important – people. Those seeking to serve in public office should not serve special interest groups or political parties; they should serve you."
As an experienced legislator, Carol has specific ideas and solutions.
Recently, Bill Harvey, the Rotary International Endowment/ Major Gift Advisor Rotary Region 36, recognized Jim McKernan as Paul Harris Fellow. Jim is a returning Rotarian and seeing the need to help eradicate polio, he decided to become Paul Harris Fellow upon his return to Rotary. Jim McKernan is Vice President and General Manager of WOWT-TV in Omaha, Nebraska. Jim is a longtime broadcaster with an extensive background in senior leadership positions. Jim was appointed Vice President and General Manager in Omaha after 10 years with Quincy Media where he served as a Regional Vice President while also managing KWWL-TV. McKernan oversaw 8 TV markets for Quincy in his regional management role. During his tenure at KWWL, McKernan and Quincy Media oversaw the multimillion-dollar renovation of the KWWL Building and broadcasting facilities utilizing federal and state historic tax credits in Waterloo, Iowa. The 105-year-old building is now a beautiful award-winning structure which has enhanced Waterloo’s downtown area. McKernan takes over in Omaha at a time when WOWT is also constructing a new 22M state of the art broadcasting facility at Blackstone Plaza in Omaha.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can then attack the nervous system.
Our goal
Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we've reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.
Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within ten years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
Connecting with fellow Rotarians is made easy with club service. Plus you get attendance credit. It's a great deal! and if you are a new Rotarian, it counts toward your Red Badge requirements. You may sign up as Greeter, Virtual Greeter, Check-in/Registration, Navigator, and Invocator. Click here to sign up.
Pictured here are recent greeters Brett Frevert, Franco Gentile, and Fr. Lloyd Gnirk
The recent detection of the vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 case in New York, USA, and isolates in several environmental samples collected in London are stark reminders that as long as polio exists anywhere, it is a threat everywhere. It also highlights the importance of vaccination as the only form of protection against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases and the work that needs to be done in our communities to encourage the uptake of vaccines. Also, as the world gets closer to zero wild poliovirus cases, it is increasingly important to track all forms of the virus wherever they may appear, including in polio-free regions.
The U.S. is still considered low risk for paralytic outbreaks of polio due to the high level of vaccine coverage across the population. If a child has received the entire course of vaccines, the risk of becoming paralyzed by polio is negligible. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 92.6% of children aged 24 months are fully vaccinated against polio, slightly below the 95% World Health Organization target. Read more, click here.
Rotarians are making a difference at Stephen Center. CLICK HERE to sign up.
Stephen Center partners with the community, families and individuals to overcome homelessness, addiction and poverty. Stephen Center has served the homeless and low-income in Omaha since 1984 through their three programs: Emergency Shelter, HERO Program and Transitional Living Program.
The Omaha Downtown Rotary partners with Stephens Center in serving hot meals to its residents.
Hardworking Rotarians at Stephen Center L to R: Franco Gentile, Jim Stewart, James Mackiewicz, Heidi McGinness, and Vince Miscia
Here's a sneak peek of a weekly meeting at Omaha Downtown Rotary. It starts with a live concert with Jim Scott-Miller on the piano with certified singers, the Omaha Downtown Rotarians! Watch this video. You can feel the energy!
CAROL BLOOD
Recently, Bill Harvey, the Rotary International Endowment/ Major Gift Advisor Rotary Region 36, recognized Jim McKernan as Paul Harris Fellow. Jim is a returning Rotarian and seeing the need to help eradicate polio, he decided to become Paul Harris Fellow upon his return to Rotary. Jim McKernan is Vice President and General Manager of WOWT-TV in Omaha, Nebraska. Jim is a longtime broadcaster with an extensive background in senior leadership positions. Jim was appointed Vice President and General Manager in Omaha after 10 years with Quincy Media where he served as a Regional Vice President while also managing KWWL-TV. McKernan oversaw 8 TV markets for Quincy in his regional management role. During his tenure at KWWL, McKernan and Quincy Media oversaw the multimillion-dollar renovation of the KWWL Building and broadcasting facilities utilizing federal and state historic tax credits in Waterloo, Iowa. The 105-year-old building is now a beautiful award-winning structure which has enhanced Waterloo’s downtown area. McKernan takes over in Omaha at a time when WOWT is also constructing a new 22M state of the art broadcasting facility at Blackstone Plaza in Omaha.
What is Polio?
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