November 2003 Quick Links: From the Editor..The Rotary Foundation Leader of the Pack Over the Top A Proposal to establish a "thrift bank"Foundation Alumni Resource Group Rotarians also LaughClub Service - RC Diliman's Twin Jewels |
James Lacy, trustee chairman, shares his thoughts on the goals of the Foundation - and how you can help.In 1998-99, the year that James Lacy, of Cookeville, Tenn., USA, served as RI president, the RI Theme was Follow Your Rotary Dream. Lacy continues to build on his dreams by serving as chairman of The Rotary Foundation Trustees in 2003-04. In this interview, Lacy describes the priorities and future direction of the Foundation as Rotary prepares to enter its second century of service.
What do you see as the major priority of The Rotary Foundation this year?
The main priority will always be the eradication of polio. That is a goal that has been agreed upon by the trustees, the RI Board of Directors, and the delegates to the Council on Legislation. I truly believe that our credibility is at stake when we say that we will eradicate polio by 2005. We must do everything we can to make this happen.
Are you optimistic that Rotary will reach the goal by the target date?
I believe that this goal will be achieved, based on reports from one of our partners in the initiative, the World Health Organization. Tremendous progress has been made toward the global eradication of polio. In 2002, 99 percent of all polio cases occurred in only three countries: India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Rotarians have been very generous in supporting the Fulfilling Our Promise: Eradicate Polio campaign. They met - and surpassed - the $80 million goal set last year. When Rotarians understand what is needed, they will do whatever it takes. We can be proud of the fact that Rotary is the second-highest contributor of funds - more than $500 million - to the global polio eradication effort. Only the United States government, with $700 million, has donated more.
What else can Rotarians do to help support polio eradication?
Rotarian can continue to help by supporting the PolioPlus Partners program, which has been reinstated. [The program had been deferred during the 2002-03 Rotary Year to allow Rotarians to concentrate resources on the polio eradication fundraising campaign.] This program can match Rotarians with countries that have specific needs. Eradicating that last one percent of cases is always the hardest. We must continue to work in every way we can to reach our goal. When polio eradication is certified and health authorities determine that it is safe to stop immunizing children, we can save the world $1.5 billion a year in vaccine costs. But as long as there is one case anywhere in the world, all children are at risk.
What is another major emphasis of the Foundation this year?
We have set the goal of "Every Rotarian, Every Year." The trustees have set a per capita goal for every Rotarian to contribute $100 each year to the Annual Programs Fund. If this was accomplished, we could lift the moratorium on accepting new applications for 3-H (Health, Hunger and Humanity) Grants and we could fund more Matching Grants. We currently can't fund 800 to 1,000 Matching Grant projects each year, simply because we don't have enough funds. This effort will have a tremendous impact on raising the funds needed to support so many worthy projects.
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