President Richard has been in touch with our Honorary Member, The Mayor of Wolverhampton seeking ways in which we Rotarians can provide support for Afghan Refugees who are arriving in the City.
The following reply was immediately received:
“From: Denise Williams <Denise.Williams@wolverhampton.gov.uk>
Hello Richard, thank you and The Rotary Club for your kind offer of support, it is greatly appreciated.
I am coordinating the picking, packing and delivery of items. We are having deliveries dropped off Monday to Friday, to Graiseley Strengthening Families Hub, Pool St, Wolverhampton WV2 4NE. This allows for a coordinated and targeted approach and prevents multiple drop offs at the hotel.
Current required items that have been requested are as follows;
Women’s clothes, all sizes
Men’s clothes all sizes, including xl
Shoes for girls 32-44
Shoes for boys 32-44
Shoes for women 34-42
Shoes for men 40-45
Infant boy’s shoes size 22
Winter coats all ages, male and female.
4 Pushchairs
We would be grateful for any help with these items
If I could be informed when deliveries are to be made, I will ensure that someone is there to receive the items.
Thanks again for your support
Regards
Denise
Denise Williams
Partnership Manager
Tel. Office: 01902 556133
City of Wolverhampton Council”
Our member Sally Woods has offered to provide a central collecting point for donations made by our club, and she will take the goods onwards to the Council’s collection point.
If anybody wishes to donate via Rotary, please place a message on https://www.facebook.com/rotaryclubofwolverhampton or contact us through this website
Category Archives: Uncategorised
Enabling the Wolverhampton MS Centre to make a giant step in technology.
The Wolverhampton MS Centre was founded over 25 years ago with huge support from the Rotary club of The City of Wolverhampton – support that has never faltered, and that will be ongoing.
The latest project is the funding of an Information Hub to provide a display service, both in the Centre and for MS sufferers at home, to perform keep fit exercises, demonstrate wellness techniques, give general advice and keep everybody in touch by means of a large screen and computer backup.
Peter Williams MBE along with Fraser’s daughter and son, Tim and Kathy.
The funding was made possible by a legacy left to the club by our much missed senior member, Fraser Dukes, and the Hub has been named in his memory. Fraser was a keen supporter of the Centre and had been very involved in its establishment, continuing to give medical advice for many years.
A memorial plaque was unveiled at a well attended gathering on the 9th. of September and it was entirely fitting that the unveiling was carried out by Fraser’s daughter and son, Kathy and Tim, in partnership with the centre chairman, Rotarian Peter Willams MBE.
Peter also paid tribute to Fraser and another Rotarian who was very much involved, the late John Baker. He said that without the support of the Rotary club, the great achievements of the centre would not have been possible.
Kathy, Tim, Peter and the Centre technical expert, Paul Williams all expressed their intense gratitude for the funding provided.
For more information on the centre’s work- click here; Centre Website
Eradication of Polio in Afghanistan Continues
The following statement was received via email today from Michael K. McGovern, Rotary International PolioPlus Committee Chair
As the sun rose on 1 January 2021, we all worried about what this new year would bring. For those of us who closely follow polio eradication progress, it was an
especially worrisome time. 2020 and 2019 had seen an uptick in wild polio virus cases and in circulating vaccine derived cases. Polio vaccinations had had to be suspended for a while in 2020 due to the coronavirus and vaccines for Covid-19 were just starting to receive early use approvals.
The polio news was especially bad in Afghanistan. On the very first day of 2021, a wild polio virus case was reported. In the next week, the national health minister was fired due to hints of corruption on non-polio matters. Before month’s end, the government of Afghanistan ordered the UNICEF polio lead to leave the country relating to a verbal spat that had occurred in the President’s office. Then in March and June there were coordinated attacks on polio workers and their security teams leaving eight families having lost loved ones. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attacks, and it appeared the attacks were tied to elements who supported ISIS or ISIL as they are also known. We also noted that some areas of the country had been subject to over 30 months of a ban on house-to-house polio vaccinations.
While all this was going on other activities were occurring which have been mostly unreported. On January 17th, the Regional Directors of WHO and UNICEF met at the Taliban office in Doha, Qatar to discuss polio vaccinations and covid response in the areas controlled by the Taliban. While house to house polio vaccinations were not agreed to, the seven senior members of Taliban leadership indicated support for other measures to provide vaccination activities. In all areas of the country, health screenings continued unabated which showed no new wild polio cases and no positive identification of polio viruses in the environment.
In a zoom call of polio partnership leaders the week of 17 August, Aidan O’Leary, the global WHO polio director, noted that Afghanistan has one of the best programs for polio surveillance in the world and it was not finding polio anywhere.
After the fall of the Afghanistan government in mid-August, the new leadership has agreed to keep on the acting health minister who has been effective in righting the program since February. Taliban leaders have visited the national and regional polio offices and pledged their support for the polio eradication program. On 23 August, a Rotary sponsored roadside vaccination hut provided vaccinations to children under five with local Taliban providing the needed security. For security reasons, I will not share the photos I received but it was good to see the Rotary logo doing good in the world.
Rotary has just 35 members in Afghanistan. They inspire me daily with their courage and perseverance. The polio program has always been politically neutral in every country. Rotary and our partners work with the leaders who are in charge. We now work with new leaders in Afghanistan. Rotary funds WHO and UNICEF. We do not send any funds to the governments nor to groups other than WHO and UNICEF. We monitor the spending they do on our behalf very closely. We have never been closer to eradicating polio in Afghanistan. We will continue to work with the Afghani people and our partners to finish what we began over 35 years ago.
In Haiti, Recovery Starts With Shelter!
City of Wolverhampton Rotary steps in and honours Rotarian.
Having somewhere dry and warm to sleep, to prepare meals and be with stricken families is vital for starting the long process of rebuilding lives.
Rotary ShelterBox teams work with disaster-hit families around the world, offering emergency shelter and other essential items to support them in rebuilding their lives.
Every disaster is different and so is every community, so time is spent time with those affected to make sure they can be offered the right support at the right time to help them recover.
The ShelterBox teams can travel by boat, helicopter or tuk-tuk to get to the families who need support – whatever it takes to get to the people who have lost their homes to disaster.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti on Saturday, August 14th.
Buildings have been flattened and hospitals already under strain from COVID-19 are overwhelmed.
Now with Haiti in the predicted path of Tropical Storm Grace, survivors of the earthquake could face strong winds, driving rain, flooding and mudslides.
Rotary ShelterBox is sending a team to the Dominican Republic, which borders Haiti, as soon as possible.
The Rotary ShelterBox team will work with fellow humanitarians to assess damage reports, understand from communities what they need, and work on the challenging logistics of delivering aid to areas where buildings have been reduced to
rubble.
Our late Rotarian member Fraser Dukes left a legacy for the Rotary Club of The City of Wolverhampton to use in support of communities at home and abroad, and the club has deployed part of the legacy to fund a ShelterBox in the sum of £590.
President Richard Green says “we are absolutely sure that Fraser would wholeheartedly approve of this use of the funds he left us, to provide desperately needed support in Haiti.”
PolioPlus and Afghanistan.
PolioPlus Leader’s words of en
couragement regarding Afghanistan.
TALIBAN HAVE CHILDREN TOO …
Many Rotarians have expressed concern about the future of our Polio Eradication Initiative – when ultimate success is so close.
However, RI Past President and 2021/22 Chair of The Rotary Foundation, John Germ, said yesterday that Rotary’s team has been working with the Taliban for some time and “we need to remember the Taliban have children too – and want them protected against Polio.
We acknowledge the tragedy of the situation in Afghanistan, but there have always been obstacles in the way that have been overcome.
We have only one wild virus case in Afghanistan and Pakistan for the past eight months – and very little trace is being found in environmental samples. We need to work with all elements of leadership in that country and the anti government element has indicated a willingness to work with us. 
Historically, the Taliban have never been against Polio vaccination. They are wary of people involved in delivering the vaccines but they want to target the end of Polio and are very well organised.
In 2021, despite internal conflicts and a global pandemic, Afghanistan is seeing unprecedently low transmission of wild polio, with just one case reported this year. Not only has the country seen a drastic reduction in cases of wild polio, polio surveillance data confirms this progress and significantly less virus is being detected in the environment.
As conflict in Afghanistan quickly evolves, we must advocate for the children of Afghanistan. The Polio program must work and communicate with all stakeholders involved to ensure that polio immunisation remains a priority to ensure the gains we have made against polio do not diminish.
We look forward to working with our polio eradication partners and the Afghani people to completely eradicate polio.” concluded John Germ.
Membership Drive in Top Gear
New Rotarian Gail Reynolds
New Rotarian Ade Adeoye
On 20th July we were able to welcome 6 new members to our club. This was a lovely start to our Rotary year which started on the 1st of July .
New Rotarian Polly Bhambra
New Rotarian Lorraine McCarthy
New Club Member-Rotarian Judi Barry
New Club Member-Rotarian Nigel Mills
Two of these new members were seasoned Rotarians who joined us from another club so have lots of experience. The four othermembers were people who have come to us through their knowledge of Rotary or by recommendation. They have backgrounds in health care education and business. The wonderful help and experience of these new members will help our club continue to support our Rotary work at home and abroad .We welcome like minded men and women who want to give something back to society and who can help others less fortunate than ourselves. Details on how to find out more about our club can be found on our website. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sylvia Morgan
07488399878
Membership chair
The Rotary Club of the City of Wolverhampton.
Young Citizen Ceremony Postponed
PRESS RELEASE
Wolverhampton Young Citizen Awards ceremony postponed
In view of the extended Covid restrictions, the Wolverhampton Young Citizen of the year awards ceremony has been postponed until September 16th.
Organising Committee Chairman Rotarian Roger Timbrell , said:
‘There were record entries this year and the judges report that the selection of finalists has been a difficult job. Many of those who are not selected as finalists have made such significant contributions to their community that they will receive certificates of commendation’. As Wolves legend John Richards says in his video recorded to promote the awards ‘ These awards celebrate and recognise all the voluntary work that young people do. No act of kindness, however small, should go unrecognised. Just a nomination alone is a powerful way to say thank you’ To view his video and that of other supporters including B.B.C. T.V.Repair Shop star Jay Blades go to www.wolverhamptonyoungcitizen.org.uk
Awards will be given in two age categories : 13 – 18 and 19 – 25. Subject to Covid 19 restrictions the awards ceremony will be held on Thursday 16 September in the Mayoral Suite. The ceremony will be hosted by the Mayor of Wolverhampton, who is one of the judge
s, and the winners will be announced by Chairman of judges Peter Madeley, political editor of the Express and Star.
These awards were devised and are sponsored by the five Rotary Clubs in the city and organised in partnership with the City Council, The Express and Star, Wolverhampton Wanderers Foundation and supported by Carvers Building Supplies Ltd. and the James Beattie Charitable Trust.
Contact: Roger Timbrell roger.timbrell@yahoo.co.uk