Rotary continues effort to eliminate polio

More than 16,000 Rotary members gathered in Brisbane, Australia --

including James Parsons, district governor and member of the Rotary

Club of Newport Irvine -- for Rotary’s 94th annual international

convention.

Bhichai Rattakul, the president of Rotary International, announced

that Rotarians had contributed $88.5 million for the final push in

Rotary’s Polio Eradication Campaign, surpassing a goal of $80

million.

“Thanks to the remarkable commitment and generosity of Rotary

members worldwide, we are closer than ever to wiping out this

crippling and deadly disease,” Rattakul said. “Rotary was the first

to have the vision of a polio-free world. Today, we are just as

committed to this legacy, our gift to the children of the world.”

Locally, the Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa committed $11,235 to

the campaign, Newport Sunrise $6,000, Newport Irvine $10,000 and

South Coast Metro $500.

The funds raised this year are in addition to the $500 million

Rotary has committed to polio eradication since 1985, when Rotary

launched its first fund-raising drive with the goal of $120 million.

By the end of that campaign, Rotary more than doubled its goal and

created its PolioPlus program -- the largest private-sector support

of a global health initiative ever.

In addition, more than one million men and women of Rotary have

volunteered their time and personal resources to help immunize more

than 2 billion children in 122 countries.

A highly infectious disease, polio still affects children mainly

younger than 5 in countries in South Asia and in parts of Africa.

Polio can cause paralysis and sometimes death. As there is no cure

for polio, the best protection is prevention. For as little as 60

cents worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against this

crippling disease for life.

Great strides have been made in polio eradication. In the 1980s,

this crippling disease infected about 1,000 children every day. In

2002, 1,919 children contracted polio in seven countries (India,

Pakistan, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Niger, Somalia and Egypt), down from

the 350,000 cases estimated in 125 countries in 1988.

The Americas were declared free from polio in 1994, as well as the

Western Pacific region in 2000, and Europe in 2002. Once eradicated,

polio will be the second disease after smallpox ever to be eliminated

worldwide.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by the

World Health Organization, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF.

HARBOR MESA LIONS INSTALL 2003-04 OFFICERS

Harbor Mesa Lions will hold the installation of the 2003-04

officers on Saturday at the home of Ann and Mike McIlroy. Past

District 4-L4 Gov. Danny Mayer will officiate as these members are

installed: Joan Parks, president; Sandi Scheafer, 1st vice president;

Arlene Schafer, 2nd vice president; Carol Van Holt, secretary; Gina

Stansbury, treasurer; Barbara Hayward, bulletin editor; Lorna Young,

tail twister; Debbie Jara, lion tamer; Marianne Allen, Bernice Ellis,

Karen Lamas, Ann McIlroy, Myrta Sparkes and Eunice Thomason,

directors; and Marianne Segalla, immediate past president. Cocktail

hour is 6 p.m., dinner is at 7 p.m. The installation program will be

held afterward.

SAVE AN HOUR A DAY

Computer Friends of Oasis is pleased to announce that Tom

Underhill of Creative Continuum will return Wednesday for a program

titled “Saving an Hour a Day on Your Computer.”

This talk should be of interest to computer users who spend any

time at all sitting in a chair and viewing a monitor. Yes, computing

is informative and great fun. E-mail is terrific, but working with a

computer can be addictive, time wasting and body crunching, too.

The meeting begins at 1 p.m. at the Oasis Senior Center in Corona

del Mar. A coffee and cookie break will take place after Underhill’s

presentation. There is a $3 charge at the door for those who are not

members of Computer Friends. No reservations are necessary. Call

(949) 759-4921 for more information.

WORTH REPEATING

From Thought for the Day by Greg Kelley of the Newport Mesa Irvine

Interfaith Council:

“The individual who does not work for the love of work but only

for money is not likely to make money nor find much fun in life.”

-- Charles M. Schwab

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK

TUESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The 40-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club will

meet at Five Crowns (newportbeachsunriserotary.org/index.htm).

6 p.m.: The Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club will meet at the

Costa Mesa Country Club.

WEDNESDAY

7:15 a.m.: The 20-member South Coast Metro Rotary Club will meet

at the Center Club (www.southcoastmetro rotary.org); and the Newport

Harbor Kiwanis Club will meet at the University Athletic Club.

Noon: The 40-member Exchange Club of the Orange Coast will meet at

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a business meeting.

5 p.m.: The 60-member Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa will meet at

the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program by Larry LeDoux on his

tall ship experience in the Antarctic (www.newport-balboa.org).

THURSDAY

7 a.m. The 20-plus member Costa Mesa-Orange Costa Breakfast Lions

Club will meet at Mimi’s for a program by Jim Ballinger on “White

Page Telephone Listing and Tax-Exempt Contributions.”

Noon: The 50-member Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club will meet at the

Holiday Inn; the 50-member Newport Beach-Corona del Mar Kiwanis Club

will meet at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (www.kiwanis.org/club/

costamesa); the 80-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor will meet

at the Newport Harbor Nautical Museum for a program by Rubin Smith on

Acapulco, Mexico; and the 100-member Newport-Irvine Rotary Club will

meet at the Atrium Hotel for presentation by Stacey Hunter Schwartz

of Coastline Community College. (www.nirotary.org).

* COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Saturdays in the Daily Pilot.

Send your service club’s meeting information by fax to (949)

660-8667; e-mail to [email protected] or by mail to 2082 S.E. Bristol,

Suite 201, Newport Beach, CA 92660-1740.