T-MINUS SIXTEEN AND COUNTING...

This morning, when looking out my windows, and seeing the results of yet another ice-snow-sleet storm, I also reflected upon what my wife, Jane has been saying to friends and family, "Elias will be wintering in India, away from all of this!" Well, to a certain degree, she is right, I WILL be away for a good portion of the hassles of snow and ice and melting and re-freezing. However, like all of the rest of the members of my two teams, I am not going on vacation to India. I am looking forward to the many challenges which await each and every one of us, as we leave our families, our friends, our jobs, and travel to the other side of the world, to serve with other Rotarians and Friends of Rotary, as we participate in two different National Immunization Days (NIDs) to give oral vaccine to children under the age of five years, in order to BREAK THE CHAIN of this insidious disease. If you take the time to ask most people, "What is Polio?" you most likely will get a blank stare from the majority of people. The success of eradication is huge, but we are only at about 99.3% of the way. There are still four countries where polio is endemic - Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria and parts of India. To gain a little bit of the flavor of what the largest "army" ever mobilized in the history of the world is doing, please read below:

As all of you are aware, Rotary continues its efforts to End Polio Now. The
following presentation tells the story of polio and why Rotary is still in
the front line of eradicating this disease in the world. If you have the
occasion to share this link with others, please do so. It's a story worth
telling.
Be patient ... it loads slowly, especially if your browser/server speeds are
slow: http://www.thefinalinch.org/
Thank you for everyone's efforts in our fight to End Polio Now.

So, even if we are escaping the cold, raw weather conditions of our homes, (leaving in approximately sixteen days) we will be working as a part of this incredible army of volunteers to make sure this disease is conquered, once and for all, and we and our children and their children, for generations to come, will live in a POLIO-FREE WORLD.