Sir Emeka and RI Presidents "Lights up Rotary"
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- Category: News and Events
- Published on 04 June 2014
Written by Dr. Edwin Ndukwe
Sydney, Australia 2014- Polio Summit drew to a flamboyant and colorful end today, June 4th. The world and indeed Rotarians celebrated their friendship, their courage, and their determination to pull resources towards promoting peace and conflict management, prevention of maternal and child death, education and literacy, and certainly polio eradication. The central theme of the summit, the "END POLIO NOW" and the "END GAME strategy" are well alive in the hearts of Rotarians as was seen throughout the various activities organized at the AllPhones Arena and at each of the plenary sessions.
The highlights being the pledge of $100M towards polio eradication by the Australian government and the independent donation of $1M by Sir Emeka Offor sparked a new enthusiasm among Rotarians. More than ever, they believe and therefore are determined to rid Nigeria and the rest of the endemic countries of Polio disease.
In his outgoing message, the RI President Ron Burton said, "Together, we can dream big and we can achieve. We can change whole communities for the better, not for a day but for a lifetime." His message reverberated through the walls of the arena, drawing a vigorous applause and leaving attendees to reclaim their belief that in a healthy collaboration, a great success can be achieved towards the end game strategy.
Similarly, the incoming RI President Gary C.K. Huang believes in working together. He called on members to spread the awareness of Rotary in their various communities. Endorsing a new theme, "Light up Rotary" for his tenure, which will begin in July, he encouraged Rotarians to "Use your hand to help, use your head to make sure you are helping in the right place, and use your heart to make it sincere. Without your heart, nothing else matters."
"Without your heart, nothing else matters," is so true a statement. Sir Emeka Offor embodies all of that. For two consecutive years and in between, he has given his resources to Rotary International for Polio eradication. Beyond resource provision, Sir Emeka has put his booths on the ground, criss-crossing the country of Nigeria and using his gentle hands to administer polio vaccine to young infants. His heart is certainly in it.
