Dave Groner , NID team leader, is part tour director, part PR coach and part logistics expert. But he never loses sight of the goal: polio eradication.
What does it take to organize and lead teams of Rotarians to immunize tens of thousands of children against polio? According to Past District 6360 Governor Dave Groner, patience, some sleepless nights, and the ability to cast aside all visible signs of worry.
Since 1998, Groner, with the help of his wife, Barbara, has led some 240 North American Rotarians to participate in four National Immunization Days (NIDs) in India and one in Nigeria . The energetic couple's latest journey was in February, when they led 65 Rotarians from the United States and Canada to India .
Dave, 60, a funeral director in Dowagiac , Mich. , USA , and a Rotarian since November 1970, says he couldn't do the job without Barbara, 59, a retired elementary school principal and also a Rotarian. "She's the guide that holds it together," he declares. And preparing teams for NIDs is no small task.
"You cannot imagine all the questions, answers, details, and deviations in travel that occur with a group." Groner says. "In the six weeks before departure, it's a 40-to 50-hour per work job, with questions on passports, immunizations, what to pack, what gifts to bring for the host families."
After their second NID, the couple wrote a training manual for new teams that's expanded with each trip. It describes the history and current status of polio eradication, as well as cultural details about the destination, such as eating habits and religious practices, and practical information, such as monetary exchange rates.
"People sign up to give [immunization] drops and represents their local clubs," explains Groner, "but their primary job is to be an advocate for a polio-free world. We need them to answer all of the questions that a local club president or host family or the media would ask. Many of our volunteers have never represented Rotary in this way."
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