Two years ago, I was asked to take on the role of the District Foundation Chair. I must admit, I was a little hesitant to do so at the time as it had been a while since I had carried a title and the duties of this highly visible and very important position in the district. Truly, I was very honored to be asked to do so by then District Governor Gordon Owen. Now I find myself already two years into it and have just one year remaining to hold this esteemed position. I’ve been so incredibly blessed to have such wonderful people working with me such as Mike Mudd, who just won the “Meritorious Service Award," along with Kay Williamson who last year won the district “Meritorious Service Award." Can’t find a better team than those two! The rewards for holding this position, I cannot begin to explain to you. However, what I can do is talk about why I do it and what we are striving to do.

I want to draw your attention to the PolioPlus Society photo that accompanies this month’s article. Anyone who was around in the early 1960’s will recognize the scene being played out. As the US began to roll out the vaccine to the American public this scene was played out across the land. I certainly remember going to take the vaccine at the time. My friend and fellow Roswell Rotarian Jonathan Crooks related to me his own personal experience at his elementary school in upstate New York when he went to take it. He said he remembered being told he had to go and get this and was frightened not by what he had to take, as he had no concept of what it was about as a five-year-old, but rather feared the needle he knew he was going to have to take. He HATED needles, they were big and they hurt. When he arrived, he found that not only did he not have to have a needle, but to his delight, it was a sugar cube, and it tasted just fine. What a relief it was for all of us at that time to get the sugar cube. But the picture in the photo really tells the rest of the story. You see very clearly the frightened look on the faces of the mothers as they hoped and prayed that their son or daughter would be fine and this would protect them. You observe the folded hands over the mother’s chest and the handkerchief blotting the tears of fear. Even the fathers look rather trepid as they quietly stand in line as well, wanting to be brave for their children as their own stomachs were churning. It was real fear for all our parents back in the day. A day now long in our past.

However, the battle continues all around the globe for mothers and fathers and children just as you see in the picture even yet today. Those of you who were at District Conference saw firsthand what it could do to children and its permanent effects.

Let’s look at the cost to administer this vaccine today. Because of Rotary and all our wonderful partners, the cost is an average of $3.00 to fully protect a child against polio according to my friend Kim Walden of the EPNC Social Media and Worldwide PolioPlus Society. She explained to me that the $3.00 cost includes not only the vaccine, but also the activities required to deliver the vaccine including transportation costs, vaccinator stipends, vaccine carriers, the chalk required to mark the house after each visit and dye to paint the children’s fingers purple to show they had been vaccinated. That is incredible to me to think that all that is accomplished for just $3.00 per child. Even keeping in mind that a child requires several doses of the vaccine to be fully vaccinated, it still is a small price to pay to ensure the child is protected.

This is a battle that still must be waged year after year all around the world in order to achieve our Rotarian goal of full eradication. Even when we do reach that goal, we can never let up for a minute to ensure that no child born will ever again have to face the disease.

We as Rotarians are committed to making this dream come true and it truly is a dream we will achieve, because it is what we do and we know why we do it. Just look at the picture again and remember your own time when you received the vaccine and you’ll always know in your heart why you keep pushing to make the dream a reality.

If I can personally assist you in any way, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via cell or email. I’m here to help and together we will….Unite for good!