Trustee chair

August 2008

Message from the Chair: Let’s rally to meet Rotary’s challenge

Dear family of Rotary,

No matter where we live, until polio is eradicated worldwide, the disease will remain only a plane ride away. That’s why every community – and every Rotary club – has a stake in ending polio once and for all.

The number-one obstacle to reaching our goal is a shortfall in funding. Every club’s support is vital to fulfilling Rotary’s pledge to match the US$100 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

I encourage each club to raise at least $1,000 a year for the next three years and to be creative and think big while developing community fundraisers for polio eradication. Some U.S. clubs have held online and live auctions of items ranging from home repair work to radio advertising spots, works of art, and vacation cruises. Several Canadian clubs are helping to sponsor a polio survivor’s 4,474-mile bicycle trip across their country, with 75 percent of the proceeds going to PolioPlus. And I’ve just learned that Scottish Rotarians have aimed to break the world record for the most players to complete a round of golf on a single course in 24 hours. With luck, they now hold the new record – and have scored big for polio eradication.

More fundraising ideas can be found at www.rotary.org. Let’s keep up the momentum to meet Rotary’s challenge and ensure that we fulfill our promise to the children of the world.

Jonathan Majiyagbe

Foundation Trustee Chair