Rotary Clubs of District 5790 to celebrate The Rotary Foundation Centennial

 

The Foundation is the $1 billion charitable arm of Rotary International. To mark the centennial, Rotary’s goal is to raise $300 million by July 2017 for its campaign to eradicate polio and for service in communities around the world.

 

Sixty-Nine Rotary clubs from district 5790, including Rotary Club of Mineral Wells, have held various service projects, participated in fundraisers, and have made contributions to help raise the funds needed to make this year’s campaign successful. The gala will be attended by almost 400 Rotary members and spouse guests.

 

Established in 1917 with a donation of $26.50, The Rotary Foundation is dedicated to advancing world understanding, goodwill, and peace. Through grants and other resources, Rotary members develop sustainable projects that promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, support education, save mothers and children and grow local economies.

 

Rotary’s top priority is the global eradication of polio. Rotary launched its polio immunization program, Polio Plus, in 1985 and in 1988 became a leading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative along with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and more recently, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

Rotary has contributed more than $1.5 billion and countless volunteer hours to eradicate polio. Through 2018, every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched 2-to-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, up to $35 million a year. Since the initiative began, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to less than 71 confirmed in 2015.

 

Dean Rohrs, her husband, Rhino, and their three children immigrated to Canada from South Africa 26 years ago. Dean grew up in Zambia and, after marrying Rhino, lived in Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. Dean was born into a Rotary family, and when Rhino joined Rotary in 1986, she became an active Rotary Ann until she joined Rotary in 1989. On arriving in Vancouver, both Dean and Rhino joined the Rotary Club of West Vancouver. They presently are members of the Rotary Club of Langley Central in District 5050.

 

Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org. To access broadcast quality video footage and still photos, go to www.thenewsmarket.com/rotaryinternational.