Bulletin - Oct 22, 2015

 

 

Greeter/Note taker: Jack Parry; Door: Barry Hawkeswood; Sgt: Dan Rippon.

 

Meeting to Order: Pres. Cosmo

 

National Anthem: Leta

 

Invocation: Dan Rippon

 

Guests: Joan Toone - Guest Speaker & Terry Toone, both members of Victoria Rotary Club.

 

President Cosmo read from a letter from the Victoria Foundation advising that they have earmarked November 6, 2015 as “Random Act of Kindness Day” as a day to recognise kindness and humanity in Greater Victoria. For further info, follow them at Facebook/The Victoria Foundation; tweet to @Vic Foundation using hashtag #RAKdayYYJ.

 

World Polio Day celebrations – October 23^rd.

 

Guest Speaker, Joan Toone, a polio survivor, “Now is the Time To End Polio”.

 

Joan gave us a background on the polio virus and a personal account of what it meant to contract polio as a child and deal with the treatment and after-effects of the disease.

 

Polio has been around for some 4000 years and comes on suddenly and mostly in children. Joan contracted polio as a child and described the horrors of her and other victims childhoods - isolation wards; iron lungs; being cut off from parents, siblings and friends; long rehab; lack of acceptance after treatment due to fear of transmission.

 

Things changed with the Salk and later the Sabyn vaccines and 1979 saw the last case in the Americas. However survivors have now found that 30 years later they begin to suffer from ‘Post Polio Syndrome” with its pain and muscle weakness.

 

There is still no cure for polio and that is why it so essential to continue the worldwide eradication program adopted by Rotary in 1985. We are now down to 2 affected countries and only 51 new cases thjis year but if the virus breaks out we could see 200,000 new cases per year.

 

Joan told us of an upcoming event with the idea of a way to encourage people to support polio eradication. The idea was started by Rotarians Susanne Rea of Queensland and Mukesh Malhotra of the UK.

 

A team was formed to use the power of social media…. to encourage clubs to hold a meal event….. and donate the proceeds to PolioPlus. This would be simplicity itself…. as it could be anything from a simple gathering of members over coffee…. to an amazing auction of Pele soccer memorabilia at the world conference in Brazil. There is a website www.wgmeal.com where a club can register for an event number or get more information.

Hold your event…. enjoy a meal…take pictures…. and gather funds. Now back to the website with your number and total collected…..to add to the global tally. Then just send the actual money to TRF Canada for Polio Plus….and credit to your club. How easy is that? Remember these funds will go towards your Paul Harris credit.

 

Susanne will be speaking at the Rotary Club of Victoria noon meeting in Union Club on Dec. 3rd. We would love to see Rotarians from clubs throughout Victoria attend this event. Just put your donation into an envelope and seal it.

Print the name of your club…and the amount of the donation on the envelope. We will then use the total for the global tally….and give YOUR envelopes back to your club….for credit. I will be pleased to give you more details about it…. and how your club can get tickets to hear Susanne…. and be part of this exciting event.

 

Cosmo thanked the speaker.

 

Sgt at Arms: Jack Parry & Barry were fined for various misdeeds.

 

Happy Bucks: Donna – for being back from Arizona; - Carolyn, Linda Leng and Leta for Joan’s presentation

 

Sad Bucks: Dan Rippon for some upcoming medical issues he is facing.

 

 

50/50 Draw:  White marble by Jack Parry.

 

Next week’s meeting: Pub night – 6 pm – Location – Waddling Dog, reservation under “Donna”.

 

Meeting adjourned at 7:50 pm.