This interesting video by Bill Nye the Science Guy, which was sent out with a letter from Bill Gates, as well as and the following note was posted on the Rotary World Peace Fellow Alumni Facebook Page by PDG George Camp. Thanks George!

ROTARY! “Ordinary people, doing extraordinary things”

Thank you to those Rotarians (PRIP Clem Renouf, Rtn. Dr Benny Santos, PRIP Stan McCaffrey, Rtn. Dr. John Sever, Rtn. Walter Maddocks, PRIP Dr. Carlos Conseco and the countless RI Board members, TRF Trustees and PTRF Chair Bob Scott, most importantly those ordinary Rotarians from around the WORLD

In 1978, Rotary had a committee, appointed by RI President Clem Renouf, to design a new direction for Rotary. It was called the Health, Hunger and Humanity Committee. This was a small committee to design a program for Rotary International to undertake projects far greater than any club or district could do. Rotary had never undertaken a corporate or worldwide project – just club programs.

One proposal was from the Philippines. Dr. Benny Santos wrote that if Rotary could provide the vaccine, they would mobilize all the Rotarians in the entire Philippines and immunize all the children. So, that was it. We approved the project; and if I recall correctly, some 6 million children were immunized against polio. It was a huge success.

Since 1988, Rotary International and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) — the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — have worked to wipe polio from the face of the earth. A volunteer service organization of 1.2 million men and women, Rotary began immunizing children against polio in 1985 and became a spearheading partner in the GPEI three years later.

Thank you to the Gates Foundation for articulating so well what Rotarians around the world have known for so long.
PDG George Camp