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5 more years and another $125 million to statistically Making a difference: doing far more
wipe out every trace of the wild virus. Rotarians have together than we ever could do alone...
pledged to raise the needed $125 million.
According to Barry Rassin, RI President Elect, “Polio
won't be over until the certifying commission says it’s
over -- when not one poliovirus has been found, in a
river, in a sewer, or in a paralyzed child, for at least three
years. Until then, we have to keep doing everything we're
doing now. We have to keep immunizing the kids -- 450
million of them every year.
“We have to keep up all the surveillance -- checking
communities for paralyzed children, checking water sup-
plies for virus, and maintaining all of the labs, staff, and
infrastructure we support now.
“If we stop any of that work -- if we let immunization
levels fall, if we take our eyes off the places where the
virus can hide -- we risk losing everything. And that's why
we need to raise all the money that we've committed --
$125 million -- to get us all the way to the end.” In November, 2016, Rotarians from around
Two of our Rotary Club of Plymouth A.M. members, District 6400 gathered at St. John's Conference Center
Sam Kennedy and Jeanne Knopf-DeRoche, have partic- in Plymouth to present Rotary International
with a check for $2,000,000.
ipated in Rotary immunization campaigns in Africa. They The funds were intended to commemorate the 100th
tell us that these have been life changing events....for the Anniversary of the RI Foundation...including Rotary's
children and even more so, for themselves. work to eliminate polio once and for all.
To become a part of this effort or if you would like to Shown here celebrating this unprecedented event are,
contribute to the Rotary “Drop to Zero” campaign, second from right Rotary International President John Germ
please contact Sam Kennedy at skennedy@spi- with Plymouth A.M. Rotarians Sam Kennedy,
pcs.com. Judy Wernette and Jeanne Knopf DeRoche.

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