October 6, 2005: Headlines: COS - Philippines: Polio: Rotary: Littleton Independent: Julie Welch-Bucceri, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines in the late 1980s, remembers polio victims well
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October 6, 2005: Headlines: COS - Philippines: Polio: Rotary: Littleton Independent: Julie Welch-Bucceri, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines in the late 1980s, remembers polio victims well
Julie Welch-Bucceri, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines in the late 1980s, remembers polio victims well
Few Americans under the age of 50 have probably seen the muscle malformation, stilted growth and awkward movement that plague polio victims, most of whom are children when the virus strikes. This reporter, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines in the late 1980s, remembers them well. Polio survivors are victims of a disease for which there has long been a vaccine, but not always enough funding, education and collective will to eradicate. Rotary International has often been able to do what individual governments have not--overcome these obstacles and get out to the remote places where disease hides
Julie Welch-Bucceri, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines in the late 1980s, remembers polio victims well
Historical Society highlights Rotary Club birthday
By Julie Welch-Bucceri/ Correspondent
Thursday, October 6, 2005
Caption: A child receives oral polio vaccine.
[Excerpt]
While most Littleton residents are probably aware that our community has a Rotary Club, and many might also know a bit about the work that Rotary does locally, the recent Littleton Historical Society meeting was dedicated to exploring the history and origins of the Rotary Club in the year of its centennial.
Don Sturtz, president-elect of the Littleton Rotary Club, was the invited guest speaker for the Historical Society's first meeting of the season. A member of both groups, Sturtz displayed copies of his Rotary-themed stamp collection (the originals are currently on display at the gallery at Regis College.
Rotary-themed stamps have been issued by more than 100 nations over the years, said Sturtz, who attributed their popularity to all of the good works done by Rotary over the years. He spoke proudly of the work Rotary has done both locally and internationally, including the enormously successful Polio Plus program, which has helped immunize over 22 billion children world wide, and has helped lead to the eradication of polio in most countries.
Few Americans under the age of 50 have probably seen the muscle malformation, stilted growth and awkward movement that plague polio victims, most of whom are children when the virus strikes. This reporter, who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines in the late 1980s, remembers them well. Polio survivors are victims of a disease for which there has long been a vaccine, but not always enough funding, education and collective will to eradicate. Rotary International has often been able to do what individual governments have not--overcome these obstacles and get out to the remote places where disease hides. According to Sturtz, there are only six countries in Asia and Africa where polio is still endemic.
Sturtz spoke about how Rotary has evolved into an organization with 1.2 million members in 32,000 clubs in 168 countries. 1905, when Paul Harris organized the first Rotary Club meeting in Chicago, it was in response to what Sturtz called being "A farmer upset with big city attitudes." Though he was a lawyer and a sophisticated individual, he was essentially a "farm boy" who had grown up with an ethic of neighbor helping neighbor-the spirit of volunteerism that Alexander de Tocqueville wrote of in Democracy in America.
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| 'Celebration of Service' a major success The Peace Corps Fund's 'Celebration of Service' on September 29 in New York City was a major success raising approximately $100,000 for third goal activities. In the photo are Maureen Orth (Colombia); John Coyne (Ethiopia) Co-founder of the Peace Corps Fund; Caroline Kennedy; Barbara Anne Ferris (Morocco) Co-founder; Former Senator Harris Wofford, member of the Advisory Board. Read the story here. |
| Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. |
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Story Source: Littleton Independent
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Philippines; Polio; Rotary
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