The family of Jacob Lowell had arrived early. They milled about for a while and then sat on the folding chairs they had arranged at the edge of a vast expanse of grass. Spread before them, in precisely laid-out rows, stretched a landscape of identically shaped headstones, bone white against the green. More people arrived: in jeans and garrison hats, in ball caps with crossed rifles stitched in gold, and in T-shirts bearing slogans like, "Remember Our Fallen Heroes." They shook hands and embraced, sometimes weeping, sometimes chatting, sometimes simply standing in silence before one of the many markers casting slanted shadows under a mostly cloudless sky.
They had been told to be at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois, at 1 p.m., and now, the hour having arrived, they turn their gaze down a long driveway. There they spot the man for whom they have been waiting. Gripping the handlebars of his custom-painted Specialized Aethos Pro bike, he coasts the last couple of hundred yards to where the people have gathered.
Fifteen years earlier, Private First Class Jacob Lowell, 22, had been on patrol in Gowhardesh, Afghanistan, when insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade into his Humvee. When he and the other members in his squad jumped out to return fire, a bullet ripped into his leg, spraying blood and muscle. Despite that, Lowell managed to climb back into the Humvee, heave himself into the vehicle's turret, and seize the twin handles of the mounted .50-caliber machine gun. He was blasting the attackers when a second, fatal shot hit him in the chest. He died 2 June 2007, only a few days after the arrival of the new commander, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Kolenda, the man now stepping off his bike at the Illinois cemetery.
For polio eradication efforts, 2022 brought good news. Fewer genetic strains of the virus are circulating than ever before. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. And support from political, medical, and community leaders in those areas has strengthened vaccination efforts during the past year. Global support for polio eradication also reached new heights, as was proven at the World Health Summit in October, when Rotary and international partners and donors pledged a combined US$2.6 billion to eradicate the disease.
There were challenges in 2022 as well. The poliovirus appeared in places it hasn’t been for a long time: Israel, the United Kingdom, and the United States, to name a few. Wild poliovirus cases were reported in Mozambique, related to the 2021 case in Malawi caused by wild poliovirus imported from Pakistan. News of these cases didn’t slow our eradication efforts, however. If anything, it made us even more determined. Now is our best chance to finish the fight against polio.
We’re close to eradicating polio, but we’re not done yet. We still need funds to continue immunization and surveillance efforts. Your gift will get us closer to the finish line.
The Rotary Club of Michigan City Foundation is offering $2,000 scholarships to two (2) high school seniors who reside in the geographical area served by Michigan City Area Schools and exemplify Rotary's motto "Service Above Self." Application and letters of recommendation must be postmarked no later than March 24, 2023.
The 2023 Rotary Club of Michigan City Foundation Scholarship Application can be accessed online (see home page blue banner "2023 Scholarship Application").
The Rotary Club of Michigan City Foundation, in honor of J.M. Ruby, Robert Schwartz, and A.K. Smith, funds the two scholarships.
To be eligible to apply for and receive a scholarship, the student must:
Submit an application and recommendation letter by March 24, 2023.
Have demonstrated "Service Above Self' in the community.
Have a minimum of a "C" average in high school. (Class rank will not be considered for this scholarship.)
Graduate from any accredited high school before June 30, 2023.
Reside in the geographical area served by Michigan City Area Schools, and
Plan to attend post-secondary education in Fall 2023.
The scholarship will be paid directly to the winner's post-secondary education school. The applications and recommendation letters must be postmarked no later than March 24, 2023.
This Equal Opportunity Scholarship is offered by the Rotary Club of Michigan City Foundation, a not-for-profit 501c3 organization. No decision made in awarding this scholarship is based on race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, sex (including sexual harassment and pregnancy), or ancestry.
For polio eradication efforts, 2022 brought good news. Fewer genetic strains of the virus are circulating than ever before. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where polio remains endemic. And support from political, medical, and community leaders in those areas has strengthened vaccination efforts during the past year. Global support for polio eradication also reached new heights, as was proven at the World Health Summit in October, when Rotary and international partners and donors pledged a combined US$2.6 billion to eradicate the disease.
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