PolioPlus Society

PolioPlus SocietyPolioPlus Society Pins for the Ridgetown Rotary members At its April 17, 2023 meeting, District 6380 Assistant District Governor Ken Corlett presented every member of the Ridgetown Rotary Club with both a certificate and a lapel pin recognizing them as members of District 6380’s PolioPlus Society. Ken noted that the Ridgetown club was the only club within District 6380’s 44 clubs that had 100% of its members donating to the PolioPlus Society. The purpose of the Society is to encourage Rotary members to give a minimum of $100 US a year to the PolioPlus fund until we achieve our goal of eradicating polio. Rotary International has been active in the elimination of polio worldwide for over 35 years and that eradication is so close to being complete. Rotary International volunteers have helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries. The number of polio cases has been reduced by 99.9 % worldwide. Of the 3 strains of wild poliovirus (type 1, type 2 and type 3), wild poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999 and wild poliovirus type 3 was eradicated in 2020. As of 2022, endemic wild poliovirus type 1 remains in two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan. ![]() Front row l-r: Paul Brown, Henny Boeters, Judie Wigcherink, Brian Pasmore Backrow, l-r: Warren Jansen, Kees Boeters, David Klatt, Jeff Geddes, Reinout Von Martels, Ron Bolohan, Bob Wilson, Joel Van De Hogen, Ben Van Heeswijk, Murray Scoyne, D. 6380 ADG Ken Corlett, Terry Youlton |
Donation to Shelter BoxRotary Club donates to ShelterBox At its meeting on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023 the Ridgetown Rotary Club members voted to donate $7200 to ShelterBox for the purchase of 6 shelter boxes to help with the earthquake disaster in Turkey and Syria. ShelterBox and Rotary are official project partners in international relief. ShelterBox is an international disaster relief organization that hand-delivers aid to families devastated by conflict or natural disaster, to give them safe shelter and the tools to rebuild communities. |
Rotary’s Response to the 1918 Flu Pandemic
This is how Rotary responded to the influenza pandemic that began in 1918 and came in three waves, lasting more than a year. The Rotary Club of Berkeley, California, USA, meets in John Hinkel Park during the 1918 flu pandemic. |
Rotary at the Start of the United Nations
During World War II, Rotary informed and educated members about the formation of the United Nations and the importance of planning for peace. Materials such as the booklet “From Here On!” and articles in The Rotarian helped members understand the UN before it was formally established and follow its work after its charter. Many countries were fighting the war when the term “United Nations” was first used officially in the 1942 “Declaration by United Nations.” The 26 nations that signed it pledged to uphold the ideals expressed by the United States and the United Kingdom the previous year of the common principles “on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world.”
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First Club in Philippines Opens Door to Rotary in Asia
The club would be the only one in the country for more than 12 years. Eventually, Manila club members organized Rotary clubs in the Philippine cities of Cebu (1932) and Iloilo (1933). Iloilo club members then started a club in Bacolod (1937), and Rotary continued to expand across the country. |
History of Women in RotaryWomen are active participants in Rotary, serving their communities in increasing numbers and serving in leadership positions in Rotary. The 1989 Council on Legislation vote to admit women into Rotary clubs worldwide remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary. “My fellow delegates, I would like to remind you that the world of 1989 is very different to the world of 1905. I sincerely believe that Rotary has to adapt itself to a changing world,” said Frank J. Devlyn, who would go on to become RI president in 2000-01. The vote followed the decades-long efforts of men and women from all over the Rotary world to allow the admission of women into Rotary clubs, and several close votes at previous Council meetings.
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Young Inventor Eco-Friendly Bricks Come Full Circle
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