Mission Statement
The mission of Rotary International is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.
Polio Plus
Eradicating polio is one of Rotary International’s top priorities. By the time the world is certified polio-free Rotarians will have raised more than $1.2 billion in support and contributed hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours. Rotary is a spearheading partner with the World Health Organization (WHO): and in 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $355 million and issued Rotary a challenge grant of $200 million. This announcement resulted in a combined $555 million in support of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. with Rotary joining UNICEF and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a result of their efforts, over two billion children under age five have received the polio vaccine, five million people who might otherwise be paralyzed are walking today, 500,000 new cases of polio are prevented each year, and the number of polio cases has declined by 99 percent worldwide.
Seneca Falls Rotary International Service
By internationally coordinating centrifugal pump support through Xylem, Inc., the Seneca Falls Rotary specializes in irrigation assisting the Engineers Without Borders water treatment project at the Malawi Children’s Village (MCV). Using Xylem Saajhi Treadle pumps purchased for the program in the irrigation system, currently 33 irrigation sites are in operation, many of which are self sustaining, benefitting over 50,000 people in the MCV catchment region.
Seneca Falls Rotary Community Service
Seneca Falls Rotary is proud to support many local community groups and events such as:
- Camp Onseyawa
- American Cancer Society
- American Red Cross
- Backpack Program
- Literacy Volunteers of Seneca County
- National Women’s Hall of Fame
- Seneca County Children’s Committee
- Seneca County Christmas Project
- Seneca County House of Concern
- Seneca County Youth Bureau
- Seneca Falls Library
- Seneca Falls Historical Society
- United Way of Seneca County
- Safe Harbors in the Finger Lakes
- Seneca Falls Project Graduation As well as school supply and dictionary project for local schools
We also provide over $3000 in scholarships to deserving graduating Seniors from Mynderse Academy each year.
Throughout the years, Seneca Falls Rotarians learned that serving a large organization such as Rotary International has its obligations as well as its benefits. One of the most successful programs ever instituted by Rotary International was POLIO PLUS. To wipe out polio from the face of the earth, it was originally estimated would take $120 million USD. The Seneca Falls club’s first quota was $14,000. It seemed like an impossible task, but under the leadership of John Webb, the club collected four times the goal!