Mr. Jim Lewis of the Moorpark Rotary Club was our featured speaker. Just a little bit about Jim. - he is a retired educator and coach. He was originally prodded to attend a Rotary meeting to learn about scholarship opportunities for his students in Ventura County. Little did Jim know that Rotary International is a primary benefactor of the eradication of polio. Oh yes, did I mention Jim was afflicted with polio as a child? The disease has impacted Jim’s life in many ways, but I think we can say with confidence that once Jim learned of Rotary’s focus, he knew the Rotary team is where he needed to be.Jim has been with Rotary for nearly 20 years. He has made the fight to eradicate polio through Rotary membership, and joining Rotary’s affiliation with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) his battle. Since his involvement with Rotary, Jim has spearheaded numerous fundraising efforts and is widely known throughout Rotary for these efforts.
When Jim speaks about where Rotary was in 1985 when Rotary first took on this devastating deadly disease, and how far we’ve come, Jim boasts with pride. You can actually see it in his face, and I think he even stands a bit taller!
When Rotary began the fight against polio there were 350,000 active cases (1988), and now there are approximately 120 wild polio virus cases worldwide. Jim tells us that much of this progress would not have occurred if it were not for the GPEI, which includes Rotary members just like you and I.
Jim is cautiously optimistic, as Afghanistan, and Pakistan continue to have active polio cases. He said it would not take much slacking off to allow the disease to take front and center once again. Jim tells us radical factions from these countries further complicate achieving 100% eradication, due to their unwillingness to cooperate with preventative medical needs of their own countrymen and women…and that includes children!
Yes, Jim is a cheerleader…don’t tell him I said that, but he is. Jim wants us to direct 2020 towards ramping up momentum to donate to Polio Plus with our Rotary Foundation Giving, support polio survivor programs, and commit to Rotary District 5240 Polio Plus Society which started in October 2018.
Any Rotarian in our district that pledges to donate at least $100 to Polio Plus annually, will become part of the Society. I am sure Jim would like to hear back from us on this new program.
Jim, thank you for traveling to Bakersfield Breakfast to be part of our program today, we join you in your mission to stamp out polio once and for ALL!