Rotary Information
R.I. President 2010-11
Ray Klinginsmith of the Rotary Club of Kirksville, Missouri, USA, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for the president of Rotary International in 2010-11. Klinginsmith becomes president-nominee on October 1st if there are no challenging candidates. He earned degrees in business and law at the university of Missouri and completed graduate studies at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. He was general counsel and professor of business at Northeast Missouri State University from 1973 until his retirement in 1995, and also held the post of Dean of Administration for five years.
A Rotarian since 1961, Klinginsmith has served Rotary as district governor and as chair of the 1998 Council on Legislation in New Delhi and the 2008 Los Angeles Convention Committee. He was a member of the RI Board of Directors for 1985-97 and chaired the executive committee in 1986-87. He joined The Rotary Foundation Trustees in 2002, serving as vice chair in 2005-06, and was a member of the Future Vision Committee from 2005 to 2008.
Ray believes that Rotary’s best days are still ahead. In his address following his nomination he said, ”The reputation and ability of Rotarians to impact the world positively is better than ever, and the future for Rotary is bright. The RI Strategic Plan and the Rotary Foundation Future Vision Plan are good roadmaps to the future. However, the decisions about the selection of strategic partners, the recruitment of younger members, and the facilitation of district changes to enable younger leaders to serve as district governors will continue to require leaders of uncommon vision and wisdom”
Sounds like a pretty good choice!
Polio – Our Challenge
Although tremendous progress has been made, the world is not yet polio free. The poliovirus knows no borders; it can spread from an endemic country into polio-free areas. As long as one case of polio remains in the world, no child is safe from this deadly disease.
The greatest challenge in the battle against polio today is financial. Despite the enormous resources already committed, more money is urgently needed to reach the children in the four remaining polio-endemic countries. Recognising Rotary’s resolve to eradicate polio, and its extensive volunteer network, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded Rotary a US$100 million grant. In return, Rotary is committed to matching the US$100 million over a three-year period, beginning I January 2008.
Facts about Child Mortality
More than one-third of all child deaths occur during the first 28 days of life.
Up to half of the deaths under the age of five are associated with under-nutrition
Other contributors to under-five deaths are unsafe water, poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene
Only about 1 percent of under-five deaths resulted from unknown causes.
Two-thirds of the under-five deaths are entirely preventable with such interventions as skilled attendants at delivery, newborn care, immunisations, oral re-hydration therapy, antibiotics to fight pneumonia, and insecticide-treated mosquito nets.