Two New Members, Golf Day Preparation & Rotary at the Paralympics

Welcome to two new members, Pat Richards and John Vink!

Pat transferred to us from Blackheath Club, only the second Rotarian to join us from another Club, and John Vink is the first son of Rotarians within the Club to join.  Congratulations to you both!

The meeting was a Business Meeting and most of it was taken up with preparations for the Golf Day on teh 16th November at Wanderers.  The covering letter and application forms for 4-Balls will be sent out in the next couple of days.  Let's keep up the enthusiasm and make it a great success.  Many thanks to Greg Smith for putting it together for us.....he's the smiling and serious Man in Red!  Arthur Begley was back from Kazakhstan, Ann Bourdin from the fleshpots of Paris and top right, the Swiss Family Vink.

Wheelchairs
The Club has bought 10 more wheelchairs for our on-going wheelchair project for Lucille Blumberg to distribute

This Week
There has been a change of plan.  Our guest speaker is Oliver Quambusch of Hotel Hope Ministries.  There was a lot of enthusiasm for what the organisation achieves at the last Board Meeting and President Amina Frense organised the 67 minutes of service for Mandela Day there.







Paralympic-related event puts the spotlight on polio
eradication

By Ryan Hyland
Rotary News -- 31 August 2012
 

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Paralympic athletes at the garden party sponsored by Rotary International, in association with UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the British Pakistan Foundation, and the Global Poverty Project. Photo by Jordi Matas

Perseverance and dedication are qualities that both Paralympic athletes and Rotarians use to reach their goals.

To highlight this common bond, British Rotarians used the excitement surrounding the opening day of the 2012 Paralympic Games on 30 August to rally government dignitaries from the United Kingdom and Pakistan to raise funds for Paralympic athletes and Rotary’s PolioPlus program.

“We wanted to celebrate the achievements of these amazing athletes and Rotary’s hard work towards polio eradication,” says Judith A. Diment, PolioPlus national advocacy adviser for the UK and a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor St. George, England. “Both groups have persevered through great odds to be where we’re at today.”

Rotary International, in association with UNICEF, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the British Pakistan Foundation, and the Global Poverty Project, sponsored the garden party in London attended by more than 100 people, including five Paralympic athletes, three of whom are polio survivors.

The event raised thousands of dollars for PolioPlus and the Pakistani Paralympic Committee and advocated for a polio-free world. Wajid Shamsul Hasan, the High Commissioner of Pakistan to the United Kingdom, praised Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio in Pakistan and spoke about his government’s commitment to step up resources to rid his country of the disease.

Diment said advocacy efforts have become more important than ever, as funding shortages have forced the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to cancel or scale back immunization activities in high-risk countries, leaving more children vulnerable to the disease.

The GPEI launched an emergency action plan earlier this year but is US$1 billion short of what it needs in order to implement the plan through 2013. Rotarians can help, Diment says, by lobbying their governments to commit funding for polio eradication and by spreading the word about the immense benefits of finally eliminating this crippling disease.

“We must continue to reach out and put Rotary’s effort in front of the opinion makers and governments so they act in helping us achieve our goal of polio eradication worldwide,” says Diment.

Rotary backing Paralympians

Fresh from supporting the London 2012 Olympic Games, Rotarians are now turning their attention to Paralympics, 29th August to 9th September.

Former soldier Derek Derenalagi is being sponsored by the Rotary Club of Elstree and Borehamwood. He lost both legs after an explosion whilst serving in Afghanistan. Derek is competing in the discus event.

Stefanie Reid, sprinter and long-jumper is being supported by theRotary Club of Barnet. Stefanie lost her foot in a boating accident but never gave up on sport. She switched from rugby to track and field sports, winning a bronze in the Beijing Paralympics in the women's 200 metres.

The Rotary Club of Winchester is helping to raise funds for two brothers, Adam and David Knott, aged 17 and 15, both of whom have been selected for the Men’s British Paralympic Goalball team. Adam and David have only 10% vision as they suffer from ocular albinism. As keen sportsmae they took up goalball at which they both excel.

The squad has only limited financial support and are always in great need of funds to assist with training, equipment, travel and accommodation. To support the team, Winchester Rotary has launched a public raffle with the aim of raising over £2012. 

In addition to backing athletes, Rotary clubs in London are opening their central office in York gate to all visitors, Rotarian and non-Rotarian, during the Games to provide a warm welcome to London and a place to rest.

Elsewhere and the Rotary Club of Newham stepped in to help the Olympic team of Zimbabwe with vital funding. The club supported the seven athletes from Zimbabwe and their team by raising money for them to help them buy their kit for the Games.

In addition, the Rotary Club of Tower Hamlets was invited by the Ethiopian Ambassador to a reception for Ethiopia's Olympic Team. This was to thank the club for its support. The club has various projects in Ethiopia, including providing a village with a fire engine where, sadly, a school was lost to fire as there was no fire engine. The club also helps desolate children.