Following the acceptance of Littleton Rotary's check in meeting the Gate's Foundation challenge pledge to help Rotary International eradicate Polio globally, Rotary District Governor Mike Oldham drew the winning ticket of Arizona resident Mary Starr and announced Mary as the winner of a "cherry" 2001 Corvette.
The Gates Foundation has given Rotary International two grants totaling $555,000. As part of each grant, Gates challenged Rotarians to raise $1,000,000. The Rotary Club of Littleton raised its share of the first $1,000,000 last June. Gates announced the new grant in San Diego March 2009. The clubs were given three years to raise their share of the $1,000,000.
Rotary District 5450, which covers a large portion of central Colorado from the eastern plains to the western slope, had a district-wide goal of $300,000 for the three years. However, the Littleton club's share was $9,500. The club managed to raise that through such fundraising events as handling the beverage sales at Littleton's Block Party last summer and was among the first clubs in the district to complete their second challenge in only six months.
In 1985, Rotary promised every child a world free from the threat of polio. Since then, the number of countries that continue to be polio endemic has declined from over 125 to just four. It hasn't been easy. Rotary and its partners will have invested over $1.2 billion in the effort. And that doesn't include the money spent by individual Rotarians in travel and the value of time spent to inoculate children in those nations.But all that moneyand all the time will be wasted if we don't complete the task of eradicating polio in the four remaining nations -- Pakistan, Afghanistan, India and Nigeria now.
Since 2003, poliovirus outbreaks have spread to 27 previously polio-free countries. Thankfully, most outbreaks have been stopped. But the fact remains; so long as poliovirus exists any place in the world, it is a threat to every nation in the world. In a global economy, polio is only a plane ride away.
"We are very proud of completing our part of the poliovirus challenge so soon. Said, Littleton Rotary President, Bruce Beckman
Beckman added, "Now it's on to the next project. The Corvette Raffle today is just one of the many fun and continuing fund raisers Littleton Rotary conducts within our community each year in support of the local and international service projects of our club"
The Rotary Club of Littleton meets Tuesdays at Columbine Country Club at Noon.It's website is
www.littletonrotary.org.