The Corning Rotary Club was pleased to present a check in the amount of $2000 for Polio Plus to John Ockenfels, District Polio Chair, at the Rotary Foundation Reception in Creston on October 27th .
Presenting the check was Nancy Turner, Foundation Chair for the Corning Rotary Club.
Rotary International is very focused on eradicating Polio. We are down to 20 cases fiscal YTD through August 30th. John, Peter and Ed have done more than their part. Therefore, the District 6000 Board of Directors is issuing a challenge to the 66 Rotary Clubs, 9 Extension Clubs, and 3 Rotaract Clubs. The board has committed up to $10,000 as a $1 - $1 match for any Rotary Clubs and/or individuals who donate to the “Flight Around the Atlantic.” As with all Polio Plus donations the Gates Foundation is matching $2 - $1 for this flight also.
“Flight to End Polio – Circle the Atlantic”- As you probably remember, John Ockenfels and Peter Teahen flew around the world and raised well over $2 million for Polio Plus.
Well, Peter Teahen has done it again. He and Ed Galkin, an 89-year-old New Jersey Rotarian, just flew around the Atlantic to again raise funds for Polio Plus. In the process they set a Guiness Book of World Record as Ed is the oldest pilot to accomplish this feat. Read a full description from Pilot Peter Teahen HERE.
To share an example of the financial impact of this challenge:
Rotary Clubs/Rotarians = $10,000
District 6000 Challenge Match Funds = $10,000
Total District 6000 Funds = $20,000
Gates Foundation $2 - $1 Match Funds = $40,000
Total Contribution to Polio Plus = $60,000
John Ockenfels will manage this fund for the district. He will be forwarding an email with specific directions to assure all donations attain the match.
Please share this opportunity with your club members. It is an opportunity to come closer to eradicating Polio with a 6 x 1 match.