November is Rotary Foundation month.  The District Foundation Committee hopes that your club has at least one program in November with an overview of the Rotary Foundation and showing you some of the projects being done around the world and in your community in Rotary’s name.  If your club would like someone from the District Foundation Committee to come to present on Our Foundation or if you would like a copy of my club presentation to personalize to your story, please contact me.

 

I read this week that The Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation has committed an additional 1.2 billion to support efforts to end all forms of polio globally.  Since 1985 Rotarians and Our Rotary Foundation have contributed over 5 billion and our investment has influenced world governments to contribute another 10 billion to The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).  Our Rotary Foundation has recommitted to giving 5 million annually.  A reminder that each dollar you give to The PolioPlus Campaign is matched with two from The Gates Foundation.

 

“Polio eradication is within reach. But as far as we have come, the disease remains a threat. Working together, the world can end this disease,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “The fight against polio has done far more than protect children against polio. It has played a key role in strengthening health systems,” said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Polio workers have been especially vital in responding to COVID-19 and reaching communities about the importance of vaccination against preventable diseases.”

 

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments with six core partners—Rotary International, the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. For more information on the global effort to end polio, https://polioeradication.org/.

 

I thank you for choosing to be a Rotarian.  Please contact me if I can help in your Rotary journey.