Anne Bermingham, Governor 2021-22

GOVERNOR ANNE'S OCTOBER MESSAGE

The Power of Collaboration is Alive and Strong in our District 7090 

Wow – As I visit all the clubs in our district, it is fantastic to see how clubs collaborate with each other and with our community partners.   Here are three amazing examples:
 
1.     Great Lakes Watershed Clean-Up – In the spring of 2021, this autumn and again the week of Earth Day 2022, clubs throughout District 7090 and beyond are coming together to collaborate and create a huge impact on a bigger scale than we could ever do as individual Rotary clubs.  The Great Lakes contain 20% of the world’s fresh water and yet 22 million pounds of pollution and plastic ends up in the Great Lakes and adjacent watersheds and waterways.  Now thanks to Rotarians, much of this trash has been cleaned up from the shores.  Outstanding efforts!  If your club has not done so already, be sure to decide what date the week of April 17-24, 2022 you will join the 2022 effort!
 
 
 
2.     Pedal / Participate for Polio on October 2, 2021.  This is our chance to tell the world our story of how we have used a vaccine to almost rid the whole earth of a crippling disease called Polio. 
  • Did you know that there have only been two cases of polio in the whole world reported so far this year? 
  • In 1996, 75,000 children were paralyzed by the disease.  In August 2020 – all 47 countries in Africa could report that the disease has been officially stopped.
  • Rotary International Executives met with the Taliban in Afghanistan last month and have secured their cooperation to ensure our polio eradication efforts are sped up not slowed down.  Recently there was a traveling polio vaccine centre set up along the roadside in Afghanistan and it was the Taliban that provided the security. 
So be sure to organize an event at your club or with the clubs in the area. If each of us told five people about our determination and success in ridding the world of polio – that would make our events a success. 
 
If you raise funds from Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike to help vaccinate even more children in Afghanistan and Pakistan (the final two countries worldwide where polio is a threat), that is a success.
 
Please join in by cycling, walking or just posting about the event.  Again by working together, we do more!
 
3.     October 21-23, 2021 District 7090 Conference.  News of your plans are coming in.  It is fantastic.  Clubs are getting together to do a service project on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. 
 
Some are planting trees.Some are doing a clean-up along a trail.Still others are bringing food to a food bank.
 
It is just fantastic and it is less work and more impact – when we pledge to work together as Rotary clubs.
 
If you are not sure what your club is doing, ask your President? Ask your Assistant Governor?
 
In the November issue, we hope to be able to bring you many pictures of us as People of Action working together in District 7090!
 
Thank you to all of you who so beautifully model our year’s theme of SERVE TO CHANGE LIVES!