We Meet at Noon on Thursday

July 18, 2022

For Those Attending in Person

Buffet

(Zoom Meeting Opens at 11:45)

(Link Sent Thursday Morning)

At

 

 

David Clark & Christopher Belden

Duluth Transit Authority

 

A synopsis of the initiatives launched and in the works to create a brighter future for Transit and our Twin Ports communities.  Better DTA Movement is a portfolio of projects aimed at improving the bus system design, efficiency, passenger amenities, technology, safety, and overall quality.  Join us for a discussion that ties together these concepts and explores the benefits to community members, businesses, and other organizations.

Chair of the Day Jena Evans

 

By Al Makynen

 

With the lightest touch of the bell our new President Barb Perrella opened the meeting. Dave Fulda provided the Rotary Reflection on the increased ability to help others by joining with great partners.  In this case, it is our particular good fortune to have the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation join Rotary International in the struggle to eradicate polio.

 

 

Jay Ott, elected to the Board of Directors, was not able to attend the changing of the guard meeting.  President Barb Perrella thanked him for saying yes to club service and administered the oath of office.

 

Jay Ott taking the oath of office from President Barb Perrella

 

Dan Maki announced the opportunity for the Club to serve during the Tall Ships Festival coming to Two Harbors, August 4 – 7.  This is also an opportunity to raise significant dollars for the Grants Committee.  We are to assist with parking.  This includes working at the entrance and directing people.  This is literally boots-on-the-ground work.  Volunteers receive a free event shirt, free tickets to the event, and of course free parking.  Sign-up is happening now.  Invite your family and friends to work with you, enjoy the day, and raise money for the Club’s community projects.

 

Brian Fulda, chair of the Club Service Committee, thanked all those who worked registration, 50/50 drawing, greeter, or Rotary reflection. And Mr. Tech – who sets up the meeting electronics each week – went over the top with an electronic real-time roulette wheel to award gift certificates to the lucky folks whose names had been placed on the wheel for services rendered during the 2021-22 Rotary year.  The lucky winners were Dan Maki, Jon Ohman, Mike Orman, and of course Mr. Lucky himself, Gary Melander.

 

Brain Fulda and his wheel of good fortune

 

Chair of the Day, and Past Assistant Governor, Phil Strom introduced our speaker Senior Program Officer Rachel Lonsdale of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In her ten years with the Foundation she has worked to coordinate the message about the eradication of polio in order to keep world leaders, countries, donors, and volunteers engaged.  Not an easy task when you have six core partners: Rotary International, World Health Organization (WHO), US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Gavi Vaccine Alliance.  This massive worldwide effort begun by Rotary in 1985 has seen the work of 20 million volunteers in over 200 countries, expending $17 billion dollars to date – with more required.

 

There have been challenges.  Geopolitical instability coupled with remote geographic locations has made reaching “every last child’ difficult.  There are three basic, but not easy steps.  Step One:  Find the virus. Only 1 in 300 children infected will develop paralysis.  A more effective method is to test wastewater to determine if the virus is present.  Step Two:  Find the Children.  Often remote rural villages are not even shown on government maps.  On-the-ground investigation assisted by aerial photography is required to find out where the children live.  Step three: Vaccinate the Children.  This can be through public health initiatives, but it often becomes a village-by-village, person-to-person effort to find local leaders, gain their trust, and seek help.

 

Great progress has been made since Rotary International started its work in 1985.  Then 350,000 children per year became paralyzed by polio.  In 2021 there were 6.  Two countries still have the wild polio virus in their population; Pakistan and Afghanistan.  The challenge is that the reintroduction of polio into a country is just “one plane ride away.”  Until it is eradicated everywhere no one is fully safe.  Multiple years of vaccinations and billions of dollars are needed to reach the remaining children and prevent infection.  We are “that close” to eradicating the scourge of polio from the face of the earth.

 

(L to R) Brandon (?) Hoff, Callie Hoff, Past President Sandy Hoff, District Treasurer Elaine Hansen, and Mary Niemeyer

 

Jerry Pelofske and Past Assistant Governor Phil Strom

 

Past President Bill Gravelle with new member Holly Mirau