THE ROTARY CLUB OF

WESTERLY

Established June, 1958 District 7950 Club 6706 PO Box 407 Westerly, RI 02891 www.westerlyrotary.org Tattler editor— Clayton A Lord, Jr (Cal) Cell:860.917.8320 Check us out on Facebook too! Look up the Rotary Club of Westerly Meetings held Monday night, 5:30 - 7:00 at the Venice Restaurant 165 Shore Road, Westerly, RI Change of Address? If anyone has moved, has a new telephone number, a new cell phone number, a new email address, please contact Secretary Rose Russo at 401.315.5868

OFFICERS 2014-15

Rotary International: President:

Gary C. K. Huang

Club of Taipei, Taiwan

District 7950

Governor: Valerie Perry

Governor Elect: Kristine David

Asst District Governor: Rona Mann

Westerly Rotary Club Officers

President: Douglas Rayner

President-Elect : Robert Elmer III

Vice President : Jeffrey Frenette

Sec/ Treas Rosemarie A Russo

Past President: Clayton A “Cal” Lord, Jr

Director-at-Large: Franklin Celico

John Huhtula

The Weekly Meeting— July 28st

Reforest the Tropics

Westerly Tattler

July 28, 2014 The Rotary Club of Westerly - Founded 1958

The Four Way Test Is it the Truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

What is Rotary: We are 1.2 million neighbors, friends, and community leaders who come together to cre-ate positive, lasting change in our communities and around the world.

Our guest speakers were DR. Herster Barres, Desiree Derix and Greg Powell, The

newly appointed Executive Director of RTT, who updated us on the project.

We have recently received confirmation of our District Grant in the amount of

1500.00. Total district requests totaled $64000, with only $32000 to award, so clearly

our application carried significant merit! Our thanks to Rose & Dan in preparing a

great proposal.

Upcoming Programs

August 4—Monthly

Board Meeting at 4:00

pm with the open

meeting planned for

the Regular club meeting at

5:30 pm

August 11—VJ Day holiday.

No meeting.

August 18—Rotarian Dan

Alvino shares news of the work

that we have been supporting

through him down in Mexico.

A Tribute to One of Rotary’s Founders

When visiting Cleveland this week, Cal Lord came across

this monument saluting Rotary and one of its founders, Arch

Klumph. It highlighted the major achievements of Rotary and

was set in a beautiful garden erected by the local Rotary clubs

near the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The Rotary Club of Westerly - Founded 1958 Page 2

Rotary Night at the Pawtucket Red Sox

District 7950 is going to the Pawtucket Red Sox again

this year. We will be attending the game on Wednesday

August 20th with Rotarians from one end of the district to the other. You will be able

to go on the field with our District Governor as she throws out the first pitch. The

game is set to start at 7:00 p.m. It is not limited to Rotarians. Invite spouses, grand-

kids, friends and potential Rotarians to join the fun. Sign up next week at the meeting

or email Cal at calstigers@gmail.com for information

A True Craftsman

Discovered this picture of Joe Nigrelli on Facebook.

He still goes down to the shop to help out. Special thanks

to Nigrelli’s Jewelry Store for supporting the Student of

the Month program by providing all our plaques. Joe and

his family have lived “service above Self.”

Our own Rose Russo sang with the Chorus of Westerly as the toured Eu-

rope last month. “It was a real thrill” she said.

Local MakeUp Locations: Mystic : Mon. at 12:00 Mystic Hilton 20 Coogan Blvd.Mystic, CT North Kingstown: Tues 12:15pm,

Sonoma Bistro

7366 Post Rd North Kingstown, RI

02852 Chariho: Tues, 6:30pm, Richmond Country Club, 74 Sandy Pond Rd, Richmond, E Greenwich: Wed, 12:15, Chianti’s Restaurant, 195 Old Forge Rd, East Greenwich Wakefield: Thur, 12:15, Lilianna’s Restaurant at Holiday Inn, 3009 Tower Hill Rd, S Kingstown Stonington, CT: Fri, 7:00am, Stonington Human Services 166 South Broad Street Pawcatuck, CT www.stoningtonsrotary.org

Have you made your

gift to Every Rotarian

Every Year? Make your

contribution early in this

calendar year. Your gift to

the Rotary Foundation

will bless people in need

around the world. Do it

this week.

Polio Vaccinators

Make Significant

Strides in Nigeria

Nigeria is closer than ever to eradi-

cating polio, riding a successful

effort to reach children in seven

northern states at highest risk for the

disease. "Rotarians have [gone] into

remote areas of the country by car,

canoe, motorbike, and even on foot

to ensure every child gets the vac-

cine," says Rotary's Nigeria Polio-

Plus Committee Chair Tunji Funsho.

In Katsina state, members of the Nigeria PolioPlus Committee (NPPC) recently met with

leaders of two communities notoriously opposed to immunization, mainly on religious grounds and

in protest of the lack of basic health care. They persuaded the leaders to endorse vaccination by

obtaining government assurance that mobile health camps would provide free checkups, medica-

tions, immunization against diseases besides polio, and other services.

"It was very encouraging to see the positive impact of engaging these leaders . . . witnessed by

the huge turnout of crowds at the health camps and women willingly presenting their children for

vaccination in households, quranic schools, and other locations," reports the NPPC. "[The camps]

are one of the proven 'quick wins' to untie the knots of persistent noncompliance in some settle-

ments across the high-risk states."

Along with Pakistan and Afghanistan, Nigeria has never stopped transmission of the wild

poliovirus. However, it has recorded only three polio cases so far this year (as of 3 June), down

from 24 cases for the same period in 2013.

The NPPC began providing funding for the health camps in May. And in response to commu-

nity demands for clean water, some Rotary clubs are sponsoring projects to install boreholes.

In high-risk states like Katsina, "the mere participation of community leaders, allowing their

own children to be vaccinated or pronouncing the acceptance of OPV [oral polio vaccine] is

enough to encourage community members to allow the vaccination teams into their homes," says

Funsho. Rotary field coordinators are helping close immunization gaps in northern Nigeria by

gaining public support from government and community leaders through providing technical sup-

port, and monitoring the quality of vaccination teams.

"In the security challenged areas, measures such as 'fire walling,' which ensures that children

going in and out of Borno and Yobe states are immunized, have been put in place," says Funsho.

Teams of health workers and security agency personnel also use "hit and run" tactics to immunize

children and withdraw in two days' time or less, he adds.

The NPPC promotes public awareness of the need to eradicate polio through community bill-

boards and posters, along with distributing T-shirts, caps, and aprons to health workers. And it has

engaged national celebrities like musician and actor Sani Musa Danja to encourage vaccine ac-

ceptance in communities where pockets of opposition still exist.

In April, Rotary joined the Federal Ministry of Health in sponsoring the Nigeria Polio Sum-

mit. Governors of high-risk states, religious and traditional leaders, national and global health offi-

cials, Rotary members, and others focused on best practices in the drive to become polio free.

Funsho and others are optimistic that Nigeria can stop polio transmission by the end of 2014,

one of the goals of the polio endgame strategic plan. Rotary is a leading partner in the Global Polio

Eradication Initiative.

"The greatest challenge . . . will be the preparations for the 2015 elections," said Dr. Oyewale

Tomori, chair of Nigeria's Expert Review Committee on Polio Eradication, in a recent GPEI inter-

view. "Every election year since 2003 has been characterized by abandonment of good govern-

ance, and subsequently accompanied by a surge in polio cases."

To help Nigeria seize the opportunity to end polio this year, Rotary released $7 million to the

GPEI to fund immunization activities and research in the country. And business leader and philan-

thropist Sir Emeka Offor has contributed $2.25 million to PolioPlus.

"The Nigerian government, now supported by the international community, is doing all that it

can to eliminate the widespread violence, abductions, and terrorism," says Sir Emeka, a member of

the Rotary Club of Awka GRA and Rotary's polio ambassador in Nigeria. "Peace would facilitate

polio eradication, but we cannot sit by and wait until that time comes. We must do what we can to

find ways to end polio now."

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