Because the Governor has extended the restrictions on meeting in groups of more than 10 until April 10, President Yturri has canceled our meetings until at least April 14. So no evening or noon meetings on March 31 or April 7.
However, necessity is the mother of invention! This Tuesday at 11:45, Sheila Rice will host our first Zoom meeting. Dave Crum will be the featured presenter, telling us what the Great Falls Public Schools Foundation is doing to respond to current needs at our schools. Join us on Zoom at this link:
Topic: Sheila Rice's Zoom Meeting
Time: Mar 31, 2020 11:45 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
Your Rotary board of directors will be meeting via Skype on April 7.
This Week Long Ago
On March 26, 1953, Dr. Jonas Salk announced the successful human trials of his polio vaccine. The announcement followed an epidemic year for polio in the United States. Over 58,000 new cases had been reported and more than 3,000 Americans died from the disease. “Social distancing” was not a term then, but it was a practice. Entire communities lived in fear.
In 1954, the Salk vaccine was tested and, in spite of the setback created by a botched batch in Berkeley, CA, by 1957 its widespread use had turned the tide. There is still no cure for polio once it's been contracted, but the use of vaccines has virtually eliminated polio in the United States. Thanks in large part to Rotary, 99% of the cases worldwide have also been eliminated.
Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985 and was a founding member of the Global PolioEradication Initiative in 1988. Through decades of commitment and work by Rotary and our partners, more than 2.5 billion children have received the oral polio vaccine.
Dr. Salk did not attempt to patent the vaccine. When famed newsman Edward R. Morrow asked Salk who owned the patent, Salk, remembering the millions of charitable donations that funded his March of Dimes project, responded, "Well, the people I would say." (Some argue that the foundational work of previous researchers constituted "prior art" that would have precluded a patent, but the fact is that the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis felt as strongly as Salk did that this vaccine belonged to the people.)
Dr. Salk received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977. He died in 1995. His work - and ours - has made the world a better place.
Spotlight on a Renewed Rotarian
Once upon a time, a little more than a decade ago, there was a Morning Rotary Club in Great Falls. Sandi Filipowicz was a faithful member. She became a Rotarian in the morning club in 2000 because she was passionate about eliminating polio.
"My uncle contracted it from a vaccination at two years old," Sandi recalled. "He had to learn to walk again with leg braces. He lived with chronic pain." Sandi was so dedicated to the cause of eliminating polio that she was all set to go to India for a vaccine drive in 2001, but the plans fell through due to an issue in India.
The Morning Club disbanded about a decade ago, leaving Sandi clubless, although she is still friendly with the former Morning Club members. When Judge Holter convinced her to affiliate with our club a year or so ago, it was an easy sell. "Judge Holter is an inspiration to me," Sandi said, "and Rotary is a true family of exceptional people."
Speaking of exceptional people ... as Executive Director of the YWCA, Sandi's advocacy for women, children, and social justice make her a stand-out in any group. You reinvigorate us all, Sandi!
Service above Self Opportunity
United Way of Cascade County has created a COVID -19 Community Response and Recovery Fund to support local organizations seeing increased demand for their services. The funding goal is $50,000, all of which will be allocated to support these service organizations.
One of those organizations is Voices of Hope. Local help with childcare, food, energy assistance, unemployment assistance, and more is available. People can call 2-1-1 or search www.montana211.org to find resources that fit their needs. Calling the 2-1-1 line will help free medical and emergency responders to address immediate health needs. As new information becomes available, Voices of Hope, a nonprofit which manages the crisis line and 2-1-1, is updating the resource list, including information about which offices are open to walk-ins. Director Jackie Gittins said the call line also has professionals trained to help people who are feeling anxious or depressed.
The chart below illustrates how dramatically local demand for resources has increased this March.
To donate to United Way's COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund, visit www.uwccmt.com or send a check to United Way, PO Box 1343, Great Falls, MT, 59403.
Milestones
Lots of Rotarian birthdays this week!
March 28 - Diane Wright
March 30 - Lara Tait
March 31 - Kevin Eckhardt
April 3 - Lew Card
We hope that this time of isolation does not isolate the four of you on what should be a happy day.
