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Art buyers sold on ending polio |
The gavel went down on more than 90 paintings auctioned off for Rotary's challenge in New Delhi on 26 May. Featuring works by artists such as Jamini Roy, M.F. Husain, F.N. Souza, Krishen Khanna, Satish Gujral, Anjolie Ela Menon, and Laxman Pai, the auction raised US$40,000. District 3010 and India National PolioPlus Committee Chair Deepak Kapur organized the event in collaboration with the Swiss Embassy and Dhoomimal Gallery, one of the oldest art galleries in India.
"The woman and her son who run the art gallery are my neighbors and wanted to be involved with Rotary," Kapur says. "They decided to auction off the works of these prominent artists and have a percentage go to District 3010 fundraising."
Kapur adds that the Swiss Embassy became involved through an embassy employee, who is a Rotarian. Through the employee, District 3010 Rotarians obtained the ambassador's support for the fundraiser.
The auction drew diplomats, industrialists, local representatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and others, including Rotarians.
"It is a matter of honor for me and my country that we are associated with Rotary in this noble initiative of the eradication of polio," says Philippe Welti, the Swiss ambassador to India. "It is in fact our duty to honor such a noble cause." |
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Get maximum mileage from The Final Inch |
The Academy Award-nominated documentary The Final Inch will soon be available on DVD through thefinalinch.org for US$7.50 each (plus tax and shipping). Through an arrangement with the Google Foundation, $2 from each purchase will be donated to Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge. The 38-minute film, commissioned by Google's philanthropic division, follows health workers, including Rotarian volunteers, as they immunize children in India. World Polio Day, 24 October, is an ideal time for Rotary clubs and districts to use The Final Inch as a fundraiser to help meet their Rotary's challenge goals. A screening of the film by the Rotary Club of Cambria, California, USA, netted $642, which inspired members to contribute an additional $1,000. Two visiting Rotarians also arranged with Cambria club members to show the video at their clubs (Cambria Sunrise Centennial and Vandenberg Village). In 2008, the Google Foundation awarded a $3.5 million challenge grant to Rotary International, which Rotary has matched. |
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Creativity marks Canadian club's three-year effort |
The Rotary Club of Guelph Trillium, Ontario, Canada, has rolled out a campaign designed to raise C$48,000 (US$42,345) over three years for Rotary's challenge. The effort includes
� Selling a travel coffee mug bearing the End Polio Now logo and encouraging each of the club's 55 members to put at least $0.50 per day into it and bring it to the club's weekly meetings for counting
� Sponsoring a fellowship dinner on a historic train while traveling through scenic countryside
� Conducting a purple pinkie fundraiser after a rib fest barbecue
� Hosting a cruise after the 2010 RI Convention from Montréal, Québec, Canada, to Boston
In February, the club also arranged for David Onley, lieutenant governor of Ontario and a polio survivor, to speak to the community.
"In response to the challenge, our Foundation committee developed seven new creative initiatives," says club member Barbara Fisk. "We have a plan, and we're having fun doing it." |
| Going the distance against polio |
Marie Peasley says being a triathlete and member of the Rotary Club of Marquette West, Michigan, USA, are her "biggest passions in life. I have never really thought that they could be related until now."
Peasley has dedicated her entire 2009 race season to raising funds for Rotary's challenge and public awareness of polio.
"I have 12 races on my schedule between early May and early October - two duathlons, a half marathon, and nine triathlons," she says. "My club has supported me with donations and race clothes with the PolioPlus logo. My club's fundraising goal for the 2009-10 year is $5,800. My goal is to match that." |
| Mobile giving |
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Rotarians and non-Rotarians in the United States can help support Rotary's fight against polio by texting POLIO to 90999 for a one-time $5 donation. Service is available on most carriers. Proceeds benefit The Rotary Foundation. All charges are billed by and payable to the user's mobile service provider. |
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Fundraising roundup |
� The Interact Club of San Mateo High School, California, USA, raised almost $8,000 in an overnight campout and walk for PolioPlus that also featured a band, karaoke, movies, and other activities.
� A walk for polio organized by District 7330 (Pennsylvania, USA) in five locations garnered almost $7,000 for Rotary's challenge.
� Hundreds of Rotarians and other residents of Denpasar, Indonesia, turned out for a family fun day in May that included a blood donation drive, aerobics workout, children's games, music, dancing, and a food and fashion bazaar. Organized by District 3400, the event raised about US$5,800 for the challenge.
� In a project organized by the Rotary Club of Chirala, Andhra Pradesh, India, children from seven elementary schools gave local residents pamphlets describing polio, the importance of immunization, and Rotary's role in striving to end the disease. The community responded with about US$2,125 in contributions to the challenge. A similar project of the Rotary Club of Parchur Central, supported by Interactors, raised $2,000. |
| Social Networking |
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Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors who are registered on www.facebook.com and www.myspace.com are urged to share their Rotary's challenge fundraising stories so others can gain ideas for launching fundraisers in their communities. | |
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| Purple pinkies proclaim support |
The Rotary Club of Honesdale and Interact Club of Honesdale High School, Pennsylvania, USA, teamed up to raise about $3,000 during Purple Pinky Day, 9 May. "We want to raise awareness about polio and how it's still crippling and killing children," says Interactor Dominic Manzione. "Every new person who learns about it brings us that much closer to ending it."  Courtesy of the Rotary Club of Honesdale |
| Rising to the Challenge |
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Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge totals*
US$93.0
*As of 31 July 2009 |
| 'Voices' reach compassionate ears |
The March End Polio Now newsletter reported on Janice Nichols's donation of profits from the sale of her book, Twin Voices: A Memoir of Polio, the Forgotten Killer www.twinvoices.com, to Rotary's challenge. Stricken with polio in childhood, Nichols made a full recovery. But the disease took the life of her twin brother, Frank. In May, Nichols wrote that she was the keynote speaker at a large Rotary event. "Some man in the audience was so taken with my family's story and our current battle with polio that he wrote an anonymous check to PolioPlus for [US]$20,000," she says. |
| Polio Facts & Figures |
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For the latest on the number of polio cases, progress reports on polio-endemic countries, and other information, go to www.polioeradication.org. |
| Penny wars adds up for the challenge |
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Tools and Resources |
Clubs and districts can order the following tools and resources online at http://shop.rotary.org or from Publications Order Services (e-mail: shop.rotary@rotary.org; tel.: 847-866-4600; fax: 847-866-3276); or the international office serving their area. � Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge DVD(985) provides an overview of Rotary's continuing efforts to eradicate polio and the fundraising initiative to match the Gates Foundation grants. (US$15) � Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge brochure (986) describes Rotary's commitment to finish polio and encourages support for the challenge. (Free) � Amazing Stories of Polio! (976) describes the history and science of the disease and the eradication effort in 16 illustrated pages. Comic book format; great for young readers. ($0.75) � PolioPlus Headliner Kit (Web only) contains a sample news feature, a press release, an opinion piece, and a letter to the editor, all easily adaptable to any community to promote global polio eradication. � Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge poster (987) encourages participation in the challenge. Suitable for display at meetings, fundraisers, and other events. (Free, limit two per order) � End Polio Now Pins (988) help raise awareness of the eradication effort. (Available in lots of 100 for $50) -Donate directly to Rotary's challenge at www.rotary.org/endpolio. -Donors in the United States, Canada, and Australia can automatically transfer funds electronically from their checking, savings, or credit card accounts by enrolling in TRF-DIRECT. Once enrolled, donors can contribute to PolioPlus to support Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge. -Watch polio eradication videos and public service announcements on the Rotary International YouTube channel and include the link on Rotary club and district Web sites. Click here to find fundraising tips and ideas. -Join The Rotary Foundation's End Polio Now cause page on Facebook. Make a donation to support polio eradication, invite others to be part of the cause, and keep track of how many people you've recruited. |
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We want to hear from you! |
| If you have a success story, we'd love to hear from you! Please email us at: rotary's200millionchallenge@rotary.org
If you need a fundraising idea:
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