It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, whose dedication to humanitarian causes and unwavering commitment to peace and the environment deeply inspired Rotary members around the world, especially those in the Commonwealth countries. The queen was a supporter of Rotary's polio eradication and humanitarian missions. She received the Rotary International Award of Honor, the organization's highest recognition, in December 2013 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of her coronation. Her late husband, Prince Philip, was an honorary member of the Rotary clubs of Kings Lynn, Windsor & Eton, and Windsor St. George, England; and Edinburgh, Scotland.

We join the international community in offering our condolences to the royal family.

The recent detection of the vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 case in New York, USA, and isolates in several environmental samples collected in London are stark reminders that as long as polio exists anywhere, it is a threat everywhere. It also highlights the importance of vaccination as the only form of protection against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases and the work that needs to be done in our communities to encourage the uptake of vaccines. Also, as the world gets closer to zero wild poliovirus cases, it is increasingly important to track all forms of the virus wherever they may appear, including in polio-free regions.

The U.S. is still considered low risk for paralytic outbreaks of polio due to the high level of vaccine coverage across the population. If a child has received the entire course of vaccines, the risk of becoming paralyzed by polio is negligible. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 92.6% of children aged 24 months are fully vaccinated against polio, slightly below the 95% World Health Organization target.

The best things countries can do to protect themselves from polio until the disease is eradicated from the world are to: maintain high vaccination coverage and robust disease surveillance and be ready to respond in the event of an outbreak to minimize the risk and consequences of polio re-introduction or re-emergence anywhere.

The world currently has a unique opportunity to stop virus transmission for good. Still, all parties, including donors and country governments, must re-commit to polio eradication by fully supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) 2022-2026 strategy. This focuses on adopting an emergency posture while generating greater accountability and ownership from country governments to eradicate wild polio and end variant poliovirus (cVDPV) outbreaks.

Rotary, a global service organization with over 1.4 million members, has been at the center of the worldwide effort to eradicate polio for over three decades. Every year, through our funding partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary commits $150 million to the global effort to eradicate polio. We have contributed more than $2.6 billion and countless volunteer hours to end polio forever. Together with our partners, we engage communities everywhere to encourage high vaccination rates, immunizing over 400 million children annually. More than 20 million people are walking today who otherwise would have been paralyzed because of our efforts and those of our partners in the GPEI.

The time for urgent action is now. A new vaccine has been deployed – novel oral polio vaccine 2 (nOPV2) – which is more genetically stable to stop outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus effectively. With sustained political and financial commitments, the GPEI is confident that we can achieve a world in which no child is paralyzed by polio again.

EVANSTON, Ill. (Aug. 23, 2022) — With ten commemorative signs posted throughout Evanston this week, the city proudly marks its 68th year as home to Rotary International World Headquarters, where a diverse global team of 700+ professionals support the work of Rotary's 46,000 clubs worldwide to strengthen communities and improve lives.

"Rotary has been an economic anchor for decades, not only as one of our largest employers, but surprising to some, one of the largest property taxpayers in our city," said Paul Zalmezak, City of Evanston's Economic Development Manager. "Rotary's reach goes beyond corporate staff shopping and dining at local businesses. With its global membership, Rotary contributes over $1 million to our local economy with more than 2,000 international visits annually. We are proud to house an organization that is transforming communities and positively impacting lives around the world."

The commemorative signs are located on the east side of the Sheridan Road curve and the intersections at Dempster and McCormick; Sheridan and Lake; Sheridan and Ridge; Howard and Ridge; Howard and Chicago; Golf and McCormick; Golf and Crawford; and near the Metra and CTA hubs at Davis and Church.

"We are honored to have our world headquarters recognized by the City of Evanston," said John Hewko, Rotary International CEO. "We hope these signs will make it easier for people to find us and engage those who may be curious about our organization. Evanston has been a great place to call home and our visitors are always impressed with its stunning lake views and small-town atmosphere."

On display in the lobby of One Rotary Center, located at 1560 Sherman Ave., are exhibits that are open to the public from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Mon.-Fri. and 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Saturday, except on major U.S. holidays, that showcase Rotary's causes, including promoting peace, fighting disease, providing safe water and sanitation, supporting education, saving mothers and children, growing local economies, and protecting the environment. Rotary's top priority is the global eradication of polio. Rotary launched its polio immunization program, PolioPlus, in 1985 and in 1988 became a leading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

One Rotary Center is open to tours by appointment and conference rooms offering fully-equipped, state of the art spaces and capabilities for a wide variety of safe, COVID-compliant gatherings and meetings, events, seminars, panel discussions, corporate gatherings and more are available. Contact visitors@rotary.org to learn more about hosting an event at One Rotary Center.