Tag Archives: Polio Eradication

What most non-Rotarians don’t know about Rotary

28 Tuesday Sep 2010

Posted by in Branding, Club Leadership, Communication, Customer Relations, Customer Service, Membership Recruitment, Membership Retention, Passionate People, Pride, Public Relations, Relationships, Rotary, Rotary@105

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by Paul Kiser
USA PDT  [Twitter: ] [Facebook] [LinkedIn] [Skype:kiserrotary or 775.624.5679]

Paul Kiser

Most non-Rotarians have little background information on Rotary and when we try to explain what Rotary is about we usually discuss the aspects of Rotary for which we are most familiar. Often a Club will become involved in eight to ten programs or projects each year and Club members know and understand those programs but may be unaware of how many programs Rotary offers at a District level.

Each District has a menu of support services and program opportunities for its Clubs. The goal is to assist and improve Club operations as well as help develop effective local, regional, and international programs and projects. Each of the over 500 Rotary Districts are supported by a staff of Rotarian volunteers to assist in the formation and maintenance of each project or program.

The unique aspect of Rotary is that a single member typically initiates her or his Club’s participation in a new project or program, so a new member can often take the lead in expanding the service opportunities in her or his Club, while also becoming connected to the Club through involvement. When talking to a potential member, every Rotarian should remember that a non-Rotarian might be the person to ignite a new fire in the Club.

The scope of Rotary
In any given year our Rotary District (5190) there are typically almost 150 District positions staffed by volunteer Rotarians representing many clubs.  Among the positions are:

A District 5190 Leadership Meeting

  • 15 Current or Future District Governors and Assistant District Governors assisting the Clubs
  • 2 District Officers (Secretary and Treasurer)
  • 41 District Project and Program Committee Chairs including
    • Membership
      • Development
      • Extension
    • Clean Water
    • Health & Hunger
    • Literacy
    • Community Service
    • International Service
      • World Community Service
      • Partners and Projects
    • Vocational Service
      • Ethics Project
      • Speech Contest
      • Music Contest
    • Youth Services
      • Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
      • Interact Clubs (Ages 12 to 18)
      • Rotaract Clubs (Ages 18 to 30)
      • Rotary Youth Exchange Program (including Safety, Orientation, and Procedure Training)
      • New Generations Exchange
    • Club Administration
      • Club Awards Program
      • Newsletter Editor
      • Visioning Team
      • Rotary Academy
    • Public Relations
    • Rotary Foundation
      • Annual Giving
      • Ambassadorial Scholarships
      • Peace Fellowship
      • Foundation Alumni
      • Major Donors/Permanent Fund
      • Paul Harris Society
      • Group Study Exchange
      • Polio Eradication
      • District Simplified Grants
    • District Assembly
    • District Webmaster
    • District Directory
    • District Conference
    • District Nominating Committee
    • District Finance Committee
  • 80 (approximately) additional Club and District support positions and/or committee members

Each of the functions listed above may have multiple sub-functions, projects, and/or programs. The scope of Rotary is larger than most Rotarians realize, but non-Rotarians also have little, if any, understanding of the dynamic projects and programs that operate under the banner that is Rotary. Our 105 year-old organization has developed highly effective programs that are led by passionate volunteers who invest their time, money, and energy at the Club and District level. The Club and its members are the center of the Rotary universe, but our universe extends far beyond the Club. Rotarians and non-Rotarians should understand the full extend of our organization’s capabilities of service to the Club and to Humankind.

For more information about Rotary visit www.Rotary.org

For more information on Rotary District 5190 programs go to www.RotaryDistrict5190.org

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Rotary: New Polio Strategy in the Works

23 Friday Apr 2010

Posted by in Membership Retention, Public Relations, Rotary, Rotary@105

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by Paul Kiser

Paul Kiser - Rotary District 5190 Public Relations Chair - RC of Reno Sunrise, NV

Is the fight against polio too narrow?  A Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article by Robert A. Guth suggests that Bill Gates, a recent champion of eradicating polio, and other major players in the polio fight are reconsidering the focus on eradicating one disease in favor of a broader based approach.

(Read the WSJ article here.)

Since the 1980’s Rotarians have been closely involved in the attempt to eradicate polio with the belief that it would be accomplished by the year 2000.  But that didn’t happen despite major efforts of Rotary International, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and our own Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Polio Worldwide Cases

By the year 2000 the new cases of polio were down to less than a 1000, and the hope was that a strong second effort would eliminate polio.  For the last ten years millions of dollars have been raised to accomplish the goal and in the past few years the Bill Gates Foundation has joined the effort.  Despite all the dedicated effort we are no closer to eradication than we were in 2000, in fact, we may be farther behind.

However, there is ample evidence that the money and effort spent over the last ten years have not been in vain.  When efforts have been halted due to political and/or religious issues the number of new cases skyrockets, and not just in the local region. It is no exaggeration to say that a polio outbreak in the United States is only 14 hours away.  So are we locked in a never-ending battle with polio?

That is part of the reason the major players in the fight against polio are considering a different strategy. Polio is able to keep a foothold in the world, in part, because of larger health issues in many countries.  A lack of clean water, proper treatment of human waste, poor health care, and other diseases that weaken human resistance, all create an environment where polio can thrive.  If we can improve the health standards in rest of the world we can not only make progress against eradicating polio, but also deal a blow to a wide range of diseases that have plagued those who are least able to fight back.

According to the WSJ article, next month the nations of the WHO will be asked to vote on a revised strategy.  The battle against polio will be remain at the center of the strategy, but additional efforts to improve health in affected regions will be part of the effort.  The hope is to choke off the conditions that allow polio to breed.

It will be a big challenge as the polio fight is currently $1.2 billion short in meeting the budget for the next three years; however, the risk of not taking action could be much more expensive for all of us.

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