What is a Rotaract Club you might ask? Even though you can opt to join a Rotary Club at age 18 or for that matter at age 30 you won’t find many members in that age group. This was especially true in the past when Rotary Clubs were all men. Interestingly, women were admitted to Rotaract clubs right from the start.
District 7040 Rotary clubs happy to wrap Ukrainians in thousands of blankets this winter
John Borst
2023-03-12 05:00:00Z
0
Blankets,District 7040,Krasnodarsky,Rotaery Club of Plattsburgh-Sunrise,Rotary Club of Arnprior,Rotary Club of Carleton Place,Rotary Club of Chesterville,Rotary Club of Cornwall Sunrise,Rotary Club of Kemptville,Rotary Club of Kharvik-New level,Rotary Club of Kingston,Rotary Club of Kingston Waterfront,Rotary Club of Kingston-Frontenac,Rotary Club of Plattsburgh,Rotary Club of Renfrew,Rotary Club of West Ottawa,War in the Ukraine
Justin, a young man in his early twenties, learned to golf last week; from a Toronto pro none the less! It was March the 3rd and the snow was piled deep, while the temperature hovered below the freezing point, yet there they stood with a pristine green fairway spread out before them, with the golf ball at their feet, all teed up.
Dave Hallett, a member of our sister club Kingston-Waterfront joined the ShelterBox Response Team in 2007. Today Dave spoke to us as the District’s lead ShelterBox ambassador.
The focus of Hallett’s talk was ShelterBox work in responding to shelter needs as a result of war in the Ukraine and the earthquake in Turkiye/Syria.
Launched in 2015, by The Rotary Club of Kingston, the Community Outreach Grants this year go to 14 different organizations in a total amount of $28, 391.
The meeting has become known as the club’s “Annual day of giving”. This year there were a total of 26 applications requesting nearly $54,000 in funding! These were reviewed by a committee of 14 members headed up by Rtns Lindsey Foster and Paul Elsley.
Funds for the grants were raised through such activities as The Rotary Gala, Rotary Cash Calendar, Rotary Nut Drive, Oktoberfest, and Online auctions.
The community grants were broken out into three categories: eleven “outreach” grants, two youth grants and 3 “campership” grants. Families, young adults, campers, seniors, women, those who are living with food insecurity and a lack of housing will in some small ways feel the impact and benefits of these projects and programs.
This past week Curling Canada announced that The Rotary Club of Kingston’s Ken Thompson will be the the 2023 winner of the Ray Kingsmith Award for dedication to curling.
On February 23rd, Don Heath provided a presentation on The Rotary Foundation. Unfortunately, it was not recorded on Zoom. Using Don's slides, modified for video, I have rebuilt the presentation as it highlights some of the key milestones in the growth of The Rotary Foundation and describes the heart of The Foundation today, plus puts a focus on the club's unique approach to it.
For the 76th time March is Easter Seals month, a time when the Easter Seals Society raises awareness of children with disabilities and the need to help their family’s fund the cost of the very expensive equipment they need in order to be mobile.
Imagine if you were a young single mother of an 8 year old child making minimum wage and living in Hearst, Ontario which is more than 900 km from Toronto and your child needed a medical procedure only available at Sick Children’s Hospital in Toronto and you do not own a car and the bus takes 17 hours to make the journey.
(L-R) Cyrus Regnart, Richard D'Aeth, Paul Van Nest, John Holland 2013 (photo courtesy of Paul Van Nest)
Cyrus Regnart was sponsored into the Rotary Club of Kingston by Tom Lodge, a fellow banker, on 20th October 1994 and took pride in achieving 32 years of perfect attendance.
4H Canada is one of the 80 countries in the world with a 4H program. Now with over 4 million members, the program, whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development” began in 1901 when President Orwell of the Farmer’s Institute of Macoupin County, Missouri, USA offered local boys a bag of corn seed to grow and show at the St. Louis Fair.
District Governor, Michel Wong Kee Song visited the Rotary Club of Kingston, his seventh in 3 1/2 days, and shared 3 stories and one announcement during the DG’s annual talk.
Do you fear the task of speaking to a group of people? Sweaty palms, upset stomach, and nervousness are symptoms of the fear associated with having to speak before a public gathering. They are also what club Rotarian Garrett Cole once experienced before he joined the Rotary Club of Kingston.
Kingston’s Mayor, Bryan Patterson, elected in November to his third consecutive term in office spoke for the ninth consecutive year to the Rotary Club of Kingston as their first guest of the new year.
Kingston's Mayor welcomes the new 'Challenge of a rapidly Growing City' during his 2022-26 term
John Borst
2023-01-05 05:00:00Z
0
2022-2026 term of City Council,Business expansion,City of Kingston,Downtown core enhancements,Green space,Housing,Kingston Airport,Long term care,Mayor Bryan Paterson,Physcian shortage,Portsmouth harbour,Regional collaboration,Waaban Crossing
When the folks at Edith Rankin Memorial United Church created 50 young girls’ skirts to send to their partner church in in San Salvador, they had a problem.
Photo of conditions in Cramahe Township evening of December 23, 2022 by Mark Richardson Globe and Mail
When the 10:30 am Canada Coach by Megabus arrived on time in Kingston, Ontario, at 1:30 pm on December 23rd, little did the passengers know it was the last time that bus would be on time for the next 30 plus hours.
On January 25th, 2020, Canada confirmed it first case of COVID-19. The Rotary Club of Kingston held its last Christmas luncheon in December 2019. It wouldn't be until December 15th, 2022, that it celebrated the next one, 3 years later.
With the FIFA "World Cup" centre stage, I thought this Rotary International's "This Close" promotional picture of Nwankwo Kanu, Africa's best ever football player and a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a forward and was a member of the Nigerian national team, and played for Nigerian team Iwuanyanwu Nationale, Dutch side Ajax, Inter Milan of Italy, and English clubs Arsenal, West Bromwich, Albion, and Portsmouth would be a good introduction to a request to join RI's Polio Plus Society.
Previously we looked at garlic mustard and the danger it poses to Ontario’s trilliums. Now, the spotlight is on the Dog-strangling vine. I am sure Adrienne is worried but, to the best of my knowledge, Dog-strangling vine does not actually strangle dogs but definitely, literally strangles native plants and small trees. Unlike garlic mustard, we cannot eat this killer!
The first time you walk through the entrance at bgc Southeast in Kingston, Ontario, you are surprised to see a brightly decorated small restaurant where you can pick up a meal at a very reasonable price.
Since 1956 Rotarian curlers from clubs in Scotland and Canada (this year all from Southern Ontario) have enjoyed the fellowship of competition every two years, until in 2020 COVID put an end to the visits. In 2022, however, 16 Scots once again visited 13 Ontario hosts and played 13 games between November 6th and 26th. The first game was a "friendly" in Burlington.
Currently, Dawn House, a crisis centre supporting vulnerable women who are homeless or marginalized in Kingston, is facing unprecedented levels of demand. That’s the message left with the Rotary Club of Kingston by Maggie McLaren, its Executive Director when she addressed the club on Wednesday November 24th.
Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an adaptable, aggressive, biennial (2 year life cycle) herbaceous plant in the mustard (Brassicaceae) family, which is sometimes called Hedge Garlic or Sauce Alone.
According to Ayla Fenton, food systems manager at Loving Spoonful, when it began the focus was on salvaging food from restaurants and grocery stores in order to assist those facing a lack of food in their lives.
In 2005 the City of Kingston decided to create a memorial garden and wall to commemorate the city and area’s war dead. Our Remembrance week speaker, Peter Gower, a local historian who had been studying the issue for 10 years, was commissioned to create to list of names for the wall.
What made it so difficult to verify names for Kingston's Memorial Wall?
Paul Van Nest
2022-11-10 05:00:00Z
0
American Civil War,Battle of Waterllo,Cenotaph,City Park,City of Kingston,Commonwealth War Graves Commission,Library and Archives of Canada,Memorial Park Wall,Red Cross,Remembrance Day
Elaine Power, a professor in the School of Kinesiology & Health Studies at Queen’s University and a co-founder of the Kingston Action Group for a Basic Income Guarantee, spoke on the need to create a “Basic Income” program for Canada to alleviate poverty in Canada.
Every Rotarian can make a difference by recognizing, reporting, destroying (if feasible), and by not spreading invasive species. But how do we know what to look for? Barry Slater suggested we have a series of short articles in Ramblings to explain invasive species.
A visit to Kingston’s Extend-a-Family facility was a little like going down the rabbit hole in the Wizard of Oz, you suddenly found yourself in a new world you knew nothing about, and it had been in your backyard all along.
Starting with a horse drawn wagon ride from the parking lot, to facepainting, games, crafts, free popcorn and apples, Sparky, a climb aboard a 1926 fire truck for kids and the usual food and drink for both adults and children the first annual Oktoberfest was a fun filled giant success raising about $20,000 for future community causes.
According to Dr. Gerald Evans, Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases and a Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Biomedical & Molecular Sciences, and Pathology & Molecular Medicine at Queen's University, a pandemic is a global infection outbreak caused by a novel microbe to which most of the population is susceptible, is transmissible person to person, and has affected more than three of WHO’s six world regions.
Polio has returned to the United States of America. Recently a case was found in an unimmunized young adult in Rockland County, New York. After a large-scale epidemiologic investigation and response, the polio virus was even found in New York City wastewater.
Mckenzie Kereluik, a recent Queen’s graduate, and collaborator in the creation of the Queen’s Environmental Coalition, was instrumental in the creation of the Queen’s Sustainability Volunteers or QSV.
After a two-year COVID drought, Rotary International’s “Long Term” Youth Exchange program has returned.Bérénice Perrin is from Chaumont, France and will be hosted by the Rotary Club of Kingston families for the 2022-23 school year.
It took three years, but The Rotary Club of Kingston’s COVID delayed “Centennial” Gala finally got off the ground on Saturday evening much to the delight of its organizers and the over 250 people in attendance.
The harvest is now underway, so I thought it time to bring an update to the year’s growing pains both for us as gardeners and the state of the produce.
There are many ways Rotarians both assist their community and sometimes raise funds for it at the same time. One of those ways is assisting the Kingston and District Agricultural Society manage their annual Fall Fair.
There must be a couple of 100 thousand chocolate covered almonds floating around Kingston this morning after the Rotary Clubs of Kingston, 50th anniversary Labour Day “Nut Drive” fundraising event.
Rob Altenburg, American Rotarian and climate expert speaking to the Rotary Club of Kingston described Bitcoin as both a risky investment financially but more importantly, as a significant threat to our climate emissions goals.
Bethany Kids is a Christian based charitable organization which works across Africa providing medical training and exceptional care based on the principles of love, empathy, and compassion. That is the message Peter Lublink, left with the Kingston Rotary club at Thursday’s weekly meeting.
Mark Gerretsen, MP for Kingston and the Islands, spoke to the club on six topics suggested by club, plus answered a number of questions from the members in attendance.
Six Actions of Federal Liberals are focus of MP Gerretsen's straight talk to Club
John Borst
2022-08-11 04:00:00Z
0
Canada Pension Plan,Electorial reform,Electric vehicles,Fraud,Housing in Canada,Li-Cycle,Liberal party of Canada,Mark Garretsen,Net Zero emissions,Old Age Security,Seniors,Ukraine
Every child should be able to see at least 3 trees a day, to hear birds, experience insects and smell plants and grass. That is the goal of Joyce Hostyn, Kingston’s leading proponent of the “Little Forests” movement and Kingston Rotary’s latest guest speaker.
Ted Hsu, newly elected MPP for Kingston and the Islands riding, speaking to the Rotary Club of Kingston, in response to a question on how he would revitalize the Liberal Party of Ontario, said “Personally, I am exploring the idea of running for the leadership myself.”
Roger Romero’s journey from El Salvador to Kingston, Ontario, although at a very young age, set the stage for his eventual rise to Manager of Pathways to Education in Kingston.
From time to time the club has a business type meeting instead of a speaker. July 14th was such a meeting, where Treasurer, Peter Merkley, provided the membership with a spreadsheet overview of the 2022-23 proposed budget.
Jennifer Jones breaks Rotary’s glass ceiling with a District 7040 celebration in Canada’s capital, Ottawa.
Throughout the world the evening before a new calendar year begins is termed “New Year’s Eve” and we collectively celebrate the event with a party or party atmosphere.
June 30th, 2022 was the final day of the National Indigenous Month in Canada. It was also the final meeting of the 2021-22 Rotary year. To close out our tribute to honouring our Indigenous heritage, our fines master put together these questions on recognizing just a few ways Indigenous North Americans have influenced our culture and the arts. We thought others in the community might like to try their hand at answering the questions.
Rotary is not only an organization that encourages service above self, but we also love to socialize. And there is no better place to socialize than Ann Levison's’s amazing garden.
According to folklore, a ‘Swan song ‘is a phrase used to describe someone who is leaving in style and our 2021-22 president, Elsabé Falkson did just that.
It was billed as a “therapy walk” to celebrate National Indigenous Day, so perhaps 13 Rotary Club of Kingston, Rotarians and their 2 guests, should not have been surprised by the slowness of what turned out to be “a slow stroll” in the woods.
How the KFLA Maltby Centre helped such children in the Kingston area.
Founded in 1996 as Pathways for Children and Youth, for the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) area, The Maltby Centre employees 130 staff spread over five communities in the region: Kingston, Napanee, Sydenham, Sharbot Lake and Northbrook.
About ten years ago, Kingstonian Bernie Robinson donated a plot of land for a community garden. Shortly afterwards, Bernie spoke to The Rotary Club of Kingston looking for volunteers to help him manage the garden. Then something unanticipated happened.
A new and exciting program is being launched on October 29th, 2022, with the involvement of club Rotarian, Matt Hawksley at Queen’s University, titled Advanced Leadership in Social Impact (ALSI).
Six months ago, with everything still uncertain, the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA) planning team made the commitment to having an in-person gathering. Although it was not without casualties, organizers were overjoyed at its resounding success.
Editor's Note: The following notice is from the Rotary Service newsletter of June 3, 2022
On 5 June, join us in celebrating World Environment Day. With the environment as one of our areas of focus, Rotary is committed to facing some of our greatest planetary challenges: the quickening pace of biodiversity loss and climate change, and the need for sustainable, equitable environmental solutions.
Instead of a regular meeting on June 2nd, The Rotary Club of Kingston held a “Service Day’. It was a chance for members to take on one of several work projects and to end with an evening of fellowship.
The overwhelming reason, a community citizen is motivated to join a Rotary club is because they want to support and improve the city in which they live. However, it doesn’t take long for them to learn that there are many communities throughout the world who also need help much more desperately than we do in our affluent country and community.
Interact clubs bring together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self. They are Rotary-sponsored service clubs that give young people an opportunity to participate in fun and meaningful service projects while developing leadership skills and meeting new friends. Interact clubs organize at least two projects every year, one that helps their school or community and one that promotes international understanding.
In September of 2017, the Caribbean Island of Dominica (population 71,000) was hit by a category 5, hurricane, called Maria. It is considered the 10th ranked storm in North America. The total estimated damage, including the addition of the islands of St. Croix and Puerto Rico are valued at $91.6 billion. Among the Dominica's most serious losses were its bees. Farmers even have had to hand pollinate their own crops.
If you haven't yet tried the TruEarth line of environmentally safe cleaning products, now is the opportune time to do so. At the same time you are helping the club raise funds for further environmentally sustainable initiatives.
Continuing to build Long Term Care facilities for seniors is economically unsustainable, especially when one in four does not need to be there. Those 90 or over are the fastest growing cohort in Ontario. To stay healthy such seniors need to maintain good relationships with friends and relatives, always feel useful and do things for other people.
How Climate change and the reappearance of algae blooms are linked.
Editor's Note: This presentation took place in September 2021. I just found the video of the talk and felt it important enough to publish it at this time as part of our focus on the environment.
As northerners we Canadians love the extra month of summer and the milder winter weather we have had over the past few years. But for those of us who like to visit our many lakes for swimming and fishing each summer we are seeing more algae blooms, that blue green stuff floating on the water, at the same time?
Long, hot summers we love, but do they endanger a lake’s health?
John Borst
2022-05-12 04:00:00Z
0
Algonquin Park,Dickson Lake,Eutrophication,John Smol,Lake of the Woods,algae blooms,blue green algae,climate change,longer summers,thermal stratification,threat multiplier
Have you ever wondered how energy efficient your home or business is or could be? Sustainable Kingston, a growing Non-profit, headed up by COO, Cedric Pepelea and his three staff can help you answer both of those questions.
To close out the month of April, the Rotary Club of Kingston held a special evening hybrid meeting combining Online attendees and live attendees at a wine and cheese social. The reason was the presentation of Paul Harris Fellowships to four members and two citizens from the community. Each in a special way went over and above the norm in personifying Rotary's motto "Service Above Self".
During the 2019-20 Rotary year, Rotary International's Board of Directors added a seventh area of focus "Supporting the Environment." Shortly after the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group was formed, called ESRAG for short. To encourage clubs, ESRAG through the Districts created a Gold, Silver, and Bronze Status system award levels. For their efforts in 2021-22, under the leadership of club president Elsabe Falkson, the Kingston Rotary Club has been designated an Eviroclub at the Bronze level for 2022-23 which begins on July 1, 2022.
Dr Ryan Danby, Director, and Associate Professor of the School of Environmental Studies at Queen’s University has discovered that the Bathurst caribou herd, one of Canada’s 21 major migrating tundra herds, has declined from a past high of 500,000 to around 10,000 today.
Hydroponics, Rockwool slabs, closed loop growth navigation systems, bumblebee hives, yellow sticky tape, deep water culture, monorail work systems, air pump oxygenation, supplemental lighting, and computer-controlled irrigation and climate are all new terms and processes as they apply to the modern-day greenhouse.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a serious disease which affects 240 million people worldwide, twice as many women as men, severely limits people’s mobility and increases the risk of heart disease. There is no cure.
Alison Cummings, a Learning & Development Specialist at Queen’s University, immersed Rotarians in the topic of “Mentorship for Inclusion and Belonging”.
Krishna Burra, Director of Education for Limestone District School Board described the March 21st removal of the mask mandate in schools on the heels of the March Break as having a significant impact, because it was feared by some and a relief to others.
If you are a Rotarian and you have a focus on preserving our environment, ensuring everyone has clean, safe, fresh water, and want to support the 2021-22 Presidential goal of empowering girls and young women then African Women in Science who are young with a specialist in aquatic research, each of whom lives on one of the 7 Great Lakes of Africa (GLA) then you might want to help them to learn from the organizations and research institutes we have on the Great Lakes of North America (GLNA).
Why would you want to help 'African Women in Science' learn in North America?
John Borst
2022-03-18 04:00:00Z
0
ACARE,AWIS,African Centre for Aquatic Research and Education,African Women in Science,Empower Girls and Young Women,Experimental Lakes Area,Fundraising,IISD,International Institute for Sustainable Development
Mi'Kmaw elder Albert Marshall spoke to the Rotary Club of Kingston on how Indigenous knowledge, concepts could merge with non-Indigenous ideas to build a stronger approach to create joint stewardship of our planet.
Since the institution of Community Outreach Grants in 2015 The Rotary Club of Kingston has given out $129,000 to small charitable foundations. This week, another $22,445 was given to 12 organizations.
11 Community Outreach Grants Announced on Kingston Rotary’s ‘Annual Day of Giving’
Paul Van Nest
2022-03-05 05:00:00Z
0
Almost Home,BGC South East,Big Brothers Big Sisters,Camp Outlook,Community Outreach Grants,Go with the Flow,Kingston Youth Shelter,Lionhearts Inc.,Loving Spoonful,RKY Camp,Rotary Club of Kingston,South Frontenace Community Services,Youth,charitable foundations
Two options you can activate when posting a “news story” in ClubRunner are a series of six social media icons and a comment section with a star in the right-hand corner above the comment box.
There are an estimated 1400 Rotarians in 35 clubs in Southeastern Ontario. If each of those Rotarians convince 9 or 10 people to donate just $5.00 to the Easter Seals Campaign during March 2022, then the Rotary goal of donating $65,000 to Easter Seals will be reached.
It is hard to imagine that something as simple as cow poop can change society, but that’s the key message Rotarian Jamie Kyles shared with the Rotary Club of Kingston.
When Rotarian Marilyn Fitzgerald, of Traverse City, MI, was asked to help Indonesian villagers pay for their children’s education, she accepted the challenge. For three years she raised $72,000 so 1200 kids could go to school. Then one day a rice farmer asked her for a Water Buffalo instead.
When a young man named Jack, while a student at Queen’s University, took his own life, his parents set up a memorial called jack.org to destigmatize mental illness. This is the fascinating story of its growth across Canada.
The Kingston Indigenous Languages Nest’s (KILN) efforts to maintain and preserve the languages and cultures of our urban indigenous population were the focus of the club’s weekly speaker, Carol Ann Budd.
If two 10-year-olds and two 80-year-olds walks into the doctor’s office with a cold there will not be much difference in what the doctor considers before recommending a medicine for the 10-year-olds. Those two 80-year-olds, however, may have two profoundly different and complex health and social histories to consider before the doctor can recommend a medicine.
In his annual ‘New Year’ address to the Rotary Club of Kingston, Mayor Bryan Paterson, said “housing is his number one priority” but added that it is “important that we address the whole continuum”.
Mayor says Kingston Needs Help with Those Difficult to House
John Borst
2022-01-19 05:00:00Z
0
City of Kingston,Climate Change,Film,Homelessness,Housing,Industry,Innovation,Mayor Bryan Paterson,Pascan,Tannery lands,Those Difficult to House,Transportation,Waterfront,vulnerable residents
Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school.
After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school.
For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.
After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.
What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.
A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga.
Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."
The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio.
For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.
What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.
Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."
