During a recent Garden Grove Rotary Club meeting, 2016-2017 President Maria Stipe gave, "Reasons to Love Rotary."
"The number-one reason to love Rotary right now is because we are about to eradicate a disease, and you and I can be a part of that process," said Stipe. "We are 99.9 percent of the way toward ending polio. As of June, there were only 16 cases of wild poliovirus in the world and many think this could be the year we see the last naturally occurring case of polio.”
During a recent Garden Grove Rotary Club meeting, 2016-2017 President Maria Stipe gave, "Reasons to Love Rotary."
"The number-one reason to love Rotary right now is because we are about to eradicate a disease, and you and I can be a part of that process," said Stipe. "We are 99.9 percent of the way toward ending polio. As of June, there were only 16 cases of wild poliovirus in the world and many think this could be the year we see the last naturally occurring case of polio.”
Stipe said when Rotary began its campaign to end polio, more than 350,000 children were paralyzed every year by the dreaded virus.
Rotary International reported that the largest vaccine rollout in history kicked off in April as a globally-coordinated effort to include the polio vaccine into routine immunization programs.
UNICEF said that between April 17 and the first of May, 155 countries and territories around the world stopped using the trivalent oral polio vaccine that protects against all three strains of wild poliovirus and that it has replaced it with OPV (bOPV), which protects against the remaining two wild polio strains, types 1 and 3.
"This transition, referred to as the global-vaccine-switch, is possible because type 2 wild polio has been eradicated. The switch is the first major step toward the eventual removal of all OPV after wild polio transmission has been stopped, though mass vaccination campaigns will continue until all types of polio have been eradicated and funding will be necessary for the efforts to continue," Stipe said.
She also quoted a statement made by Michael McGovern, chair of Rotary's International PolioPlus Committee: ”This switch is an important step but we must maintain our support until every last child is safe from this disease,”
Going on to mention the benefits of belonging to a club such as Rotary, Stipe said environment can change a person's behavior and while at Rotary meetings, the handshakes, smiles and a hand-waves from fellow members and/or an offer to sit by them, can make a person relax, smile and "Be the person they want to be," rather than dealing with outside daily stresses and perhaps feeling upset or angry.
"Whether facing struggles or celebrating successes, the Garden Grove Rotary Club helps us to understand that we are in this together and gives us a place to foster friendships and support, while working on our causes," Stipe said.
Some of the Rotary successes in addition to eradicating polio include: for the past four years, the Garden Grove Rotary Club has stocked two emergency food and supply pantries and provided special food distribution-events at the Buena Clinton Youth and Family Center and Magnolia Park Family Resource Centers in Garden Grove.
Stipe said Rotary funds and support were used to purchase perishable and non-perishable food items, diapers, baby supplies and personal hygiene items that are stocked at the centers. The items are distributed on an as-needed-basis and through special distribution events to individuals and families in the Garden Grove community who are suffering from stress because of housing and/or job displacement, domestic emergencies and other crises.
The Rotary motto is “Service Above Self” and the four-way test Rotarians apply to their activities is: Is it the Truth; Is it fair to all concerned; Will it build good will and better friendships; and will it be beneficial to all concerned?
"Every Rotarian brings something distinct and indispensable to the community, whether it's personality, passion, or professional experience,” Stipe said. “That multidisciplinary perspective allows us to see and solve challenges in ways others cannot."
