Mid Isle’s Foundation Chair giving a presentation “100 Years of the Rotary Foundation” on Tuesday night.
SIMPSON BAY--Rotary Club of St. Maarten-Mid Isle has been celebrating the centennial of the Rotary Foundation with various events. Mid Isle invited various persons to its annual meeting this past Tuesday where a presentation to celebrate 100 years of the Rotary Foundation was made.
The Foundation is the US $1 billion charitable arm of Rotary International. To mark the centennial, Rotary aims to raise US $300 million by July 2017 for its campaign to eradicate polio and for service in communities around the world.
“We hosted two dinners for the World’s Greatest Meal and in collaboration with Alex and Ani have hosted a fundraiser at their store on Front Street, and we have also held a Walk-a-Thon for ‘End Polio Now.’
“We are presently doing a ‘Welcome Baby Bag,’ with a district grant working with the SMMC [St. Maarten Medical Centre – Ed.]. These bags contain the necessary items for a new-born; they will be given at the discretion of the nurses.
“Each year each member of Mid Isle makes a donation to the Foundation,” stated a press release from the Club on Wednesday.
Mid Isle plans to participate in the Foundation Centennial Project “100 Acts of Good.”
Established in 1917 with a donation of US $26.50, The Rotary Foundation is dedicated to advancing world understanding, good will and peace. Through grants and other resources, Rotary members develop sustainable projects that promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, support education, save mothers and children, and grow local economies.
Rotary’s top priority is the global eradication of polio. Rotary launched its polio immunisation programme Polio Plus in 1985 and in 1988 became a leading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative along with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More recently, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation contributed more than $1.5 billion and countless volunteer hours to the fight to eradicate polio.
