Community & Clubs:

Rotary International celebrated World Polio Day on Saturday, a milestone in its global fundraising campaign to eradicate polio. Rotary raised nearly $100 million toward its $200-million challenge. This included contributions from the Rotary Clubs and members of Newport-Balboa, Newport Irvine, Newport Beach Sunrise and Costa Mesa, said Marc Aarons, Newport-Balboa president.

As part of a $355-million challenge grant awarded to Rotary by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary clubs locally and worldwide are aiming to raise a total of $200 million by 2012. The funding will provide critical support to polio eradication activities, including the distribution of a new, more effective bivalent polio vaccine. It was recently approved for use in the coming months in parts of Africa and South Asia still affected by the disease.

Since 1985, eradicating polio worldwide has been Rotary’s top philanthropic goal. In addition to $100 million, Rotary has contributed more than $800 million and countless volunteer hours to the protection of more than 2 billion children in 122 countries. The disease remains endemic in four countries — Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan — although other countries remain at-risk for imported cases.

A highly infectious disease, polio causes paralysis and is sometimes fatal as there is no cure. The best protection is prevention. For as little as 60 cents, vaccinating a child for polio can protect him or her for life. After an international investment of more than $6.22 billion, and the successful engagement of more than 200 countries and 20 million volunteers, polio could be the first disease of the 21st century to be eradicated.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and includes the support of governments and private sector donors.

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide to provide humanitarian service and help build goodwill and peace in the world. It is comprised of 1.2 million members working in more than 33,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic regions.

Cell phone users can donate $5 by texting the word “polio” to 90999. For more information, visit www.rotary.org/endpolio or www.polioeradication.org.

WORTH REPEATING

Thought for the Day as provided by Greg Kelley of the Newport Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council…“When it’s all over, it’s not who you were. It’s whether you made a difference.”

— Bob Dole

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK

How are you giving back to your community? Help your community and the world through a service club! For many, service club membership is an extension of our religious beliefs and congregation affiliation.

You are invited to attend a service club meeting this coming week to learn more about opportunity for service. Most clubs will buy your first meal for you as you get acquainted with them.

TODAY

7:30 a.m.: The 10-member Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club meets at Denny’s Restaurant, 290 Bristol St., Costa Mesa.

Noon: The 20-member Exchange Club of Corona del Mar meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. Visit www.coronadelmarexchangeclub.org;

5:15 p.m.: The 10-member Rotary Club of Costa Mesa meets at Diamond Sign Co., 2950 Airway Ave., Suite D-9, Costa Mesa.

6 p.m.: The 65-member Rotary Club of Newport Balboa meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a presentation by Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchins. Visit www.newportbalboa.org.

THURSDAY

7 a.m.: The 20-member Costa Mesa Orange Coast Lions Club meets at Mimi’s Café.

Noon: The 50-member Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club meets at the Holiday Inn in Costa Mesa. For more information, visit www.CostaMesaKiwanis.org.

The 45-member Kiwanis Club of Newport Beach-Corona del Mar meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club. Visit www.newportbeachkiwanis.org.

The 85-member Rotary Club of Newport Irvine meets at the University Club at UC Irvine. Hal Walker will be speaking on the Science Center for High School Students. For more information, visit www.ni-rotary.org.

The 95-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a Ladies Day program featuring “The Mary Magdalene Project.”

TUESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets at Five Crowns for a presentation by Dennis Fortier on “How do you know? (If you have Alzheimer’s)”. Visit www.newportbeachsunriserotary.org.

COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Saturdays. Send your service club’s meeting information by fax to (714) 921-8655 or by e-mail to [email protected] .