Polio Survivor Swims Lake George (Aired October 19 and 20, 2019)

In 1954 when she was 6 months old, Louise Rourke contracted polio, also known as
infantile paralysis. Initially she lost the power of moving either leg or her left arm,
although her left side eventually recovered with medical help supplied in part by the
National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (the March of Dimes). After several corrective
surgeries, she was able to walk with the aid of a brace on her right leg. By the time she
was a teenager, she could walk without the brace, but age caught up to her in 2007 and
she needed the brace once more. Like some other polio survivors, she found that
swimming was excellent exercise, although her right leg just dangled in the water. Living
on the shore of 32-mile-long Lake George in upstate New York, she learned of women
who had swum the entire length of the lake, so she conceived of a plan to earn money
for polio eradication by swimming the length of Lake George herself. This RadioRotary
program tells how she got through the task and what she accomplished for polio
eradication, which became multiplied by a factor of 3 by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.

Learn more:
Polio: https://www.cdc.gov/polio/about/index.htm
End Polio Now: https://www.endpolio.org/
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/what-we-do/global-development/polio
Lake George: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_George_(New_York)
Northern Lake George Rotary Club: https://northernlakegeorgerotary.wordpress.com/

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November 4, 2019 · Posted in Global Polio Initiative, PolioPlus  

Hamburg Rotary International Convention, Part 2 (Aired October 12 and 13, 2019)

 

RadioRotary interviewers discovered some great projects at the 2019 Rotary
International Convention in Hamburg, Germany. Rotarians and other humanitarian
groups are doing good around the world, improving hearing and sight, providing light
and shelter, and preventing polio and other communicable diseases. Rotarians for
Hearing work in Nigeria, South Africa, and even the United States, concentrating on
ways to provide aids to the hearing impaired, while the Eye Foundation of American
helps solve vision problems in newborn children. ShelterBox tents include not only the
supplies needed after for a whole family a disaster but also a LuminAID solar cube that
lights the night (and in some cases charges the phone). Vaccination is succeeding in
eliminating polio, but simple hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent
communicable diseases.

Learn more:
Rotarians for Hearing RAG: https://www.ifrahl.org/
End Polio: https://www.endpolio.org/
LuminAID: https://luminaid.com/
ShelterBox: https://www.shelterbox.org/
Eye Foundation of America: http://aprildobrien.wixsite.com/eyefoundation
Hand Hygiene for Health: https://handhygieneforhealth.org/

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November 4, 2019 · Posted in Disaster Relief, Global Polio Initiative, Health, International Programs, PolioPlus, Quality of Life  

More than Just a Service Club (Aired on July 27 and 28, 2019)

The dynamic duo of Doris and Ken Obremski, both Past District Governors of
Rotary District 7210 and both members of The Rotary Club of Goshen, New York
(Ken is once again president of the club after a long hiatus), come to
RadioRotary to be interviewed by old friends Sarah O’Connell-Claitor and Jonah
Triebwasser. Much of the interview consists of reminiscences of Ken’s 50 active
years in Rotary (by January 2020) and Doris’ 26 years joining her husband in its
work– from immunizations for children in the US and against polio abroad,
international exchanges, to disaster relief after Katrina. RadioRotary started
during Doris’ tenure as District Governor and might not have made it through its
early years without her help and encouragement. The pair joined Rotary because
they wanted to be part of something important and it changed their lives and their
family’s lives for the better.

Learn more:
The Rotary Club of Goshen, New York: https://goshennyrotary.org/
Goshen Rotary, NY, on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rotary-Club-of-Goshen-NY-221599024649451/
Rotary District 7210: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50045
Rotary Fights Against Polio: https://www.endpolio.org/rotary-and-the-fight-against-polio
Rotary and the United Nations: https://www.rotary.org/en/history-rotary-and-united-nations

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August 6, 2019 · Posted in Disaster Relief, International Exchanges, Peace, PolioPlus, Rotary District 7210, United Nations  

Rotary International Show From Toronto Canada Show 2 (Aired on July 14 and July 15th, 2018)

Toronto Rotary International Convention, Part 2 (Aired on July 14 and 15, 2018)

Here are four more stories of people putting service before self from the 2018 Toronto Rotary International Convention. Sole 4 Souls not only distributes shoes and other clothing around the world, but also creates sustainable jobs in third-world nations. World Bicycle Relief does not provide relief for bicycles, but provides bicycles for relief of travel problems in places with bad roads or none. The specially designed bicycles are strong enough for bumpy rides and easy to
repair if needed. Rise Against Hunger recognizes that there is food enough for every person on the planet, but 815 million people, many of them children, go hungry because food is unequally distributed. The volunteers at Rise Against Hunger work on assembly lines to produce nourishing food packages; often the volunteers are Rotarians. Rotary is most known, however, for its steps to end polio now, which is discussed by Al Bonney of Traverse City Rotary. Mr. Bonney emphasizes the problems of post-polio syndrome as well as updating the fight to eradicate polio.
Learn more:
Soles 4 Souls:
World Bicycle Relief:
Rise Against Hunger:
End Polio Now:
Global Polio Eradication Initiative:
Post-Polio Syndrome:

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July 16, 2018 · Posted in Global Polio Initiative, Hudson Valley, Humanitarian Service, International Programs, Nutrition, PolioPlus  

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