Poliovirus cases and positive environmental isolates reported this week:

Since the launch of Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative in 1994, Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8%, from an estimated 20 000 in the early 1990s to 31 in 2025 and 4 cases so far in 2026. Global polio eradication experts agree that ending wild polio in Pakistan and worldwide is within reach, but only if all partners maintain the response in the 2 remaining endemic countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) has published its 25th report, providing a candid assessment of progress and remaining challenges on the road to a polio-free world. 

You can get the latest statistical updates at:https://polioeradication.org/about-polio/polio-this-week.

Poliovirus cases and positive environmental isolates reported this week:

During the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean, and as the first country in the region to complete polio transition, Iraq is showing how investments made for polio eradication can deliver lasting public health benefits, strengthening health system resilience, surveillance, laboratories and immunization systems. Read more here.

You can get the latest statistical updates at:https://polioeradication.org/about-polio/polio-this-week.

The Rotary Foundation will offer donors a variety of amenities and invitation-only events at the 2027 Rotary International Convention in Barcelona, Spain, June 26th – 30th. These events celebrate your generosity and the difference you make by supporting The Rotary Foundation. Online registration for the donor events will open in November. To receive an official email invitation, first register for the convention. Register for the convention by March 31st to take advantage of early-registration savings.

The details provided on the Donor Events page will help you get the most out of your donor experience in Barcelona. Check back often for the most up-to-date information regarding the donor events and amenities at Convention, and contact Donor Relations and Stewardship with any questions.

Interested in building your leadership skills? Want to engage your club’s members? Ready to offer better service projects? Interested in The Rotary Foundation? All this is offered in Rotary Leadership Institute, Part 1.

District 6040 is hosting RLI Part #1 online in two sessions, providing a convenient opportunity to complete the course virtually. There will be two sessions, the first on Monday, October 19^th, and the second on Wednesday, October 21^st
Each session will run from 5:15 p.m – 8:15 p.m. (Central) each evening

Seats are still available. To register, click the link or scan the QR code on the attached flyer. Registration Link: https://registrations.dacdb.com/Register/index.cfm?EventID=77943210

Online RLI Part I D6040

Poliovirus cases and positive environmental isolates reported this week:

Thanks to you and donors like you, The Rotary Foundation  raised more than $477 million in the 2025-2026 Rotary year. Your donations supported sustainable projects that improve people’s health, expand access to education, protect the environment, alleviate poverty, and promote peace. In the past year, The Rotary Foundation was able to:

• Award 1,804 global grants
• Award 463 district grants
• Award 61 disaster response grants
• Award a $2 million Programs of Scale grant for Sustainable Water and Sanitation Systems in Haiti
• Work with partners to vaccinate more than 350 million children in 28 countries
• Open our newest Rotary Peace Center at Symbiosis International University in India

Thank you for your generosity and for choosing to support our Foundation. Your gifts are creating opportunities, strengthening communities, and advancing Rotary’s mission around the world. This means helping people access clean water, healthcare, and disaster relief, while working steadfastly to eradicate polio. 

Doing Good in the World starts with people like you. Thank you.

This photo was taken by John Butterfield, a member of The Rotary Club of Dublin-Worthington, OH (D6690) since 1997, and was among the winners announced this Summer in Rotary’s 2026 photo awards.

A woman makes her way through a courtyard of the 16th-century Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque in the heart of Sarajevo’s historic Ottoman-era market area. While the Bosnian city today is home to skyscrapers, modern avenues, and a mix of cultures, the narrow lanes of Baščaršija, Sarajevo’s old bazaar, are a living repository of the city’s history and traditions. 

How he says he got the shot: I spent time observing the interaction of people outside the mosque, seeking moments that embodied Sarajevo’s way of life. In this image, I focused on a young woman with a guarded expression, which contrasts with that of the older man in the background. In this everyday moment, there’s a sense of the connection and perhaps tension across generations.

Have a photo of your own? Rotary International is seeking submissions for the 2027 Rotary magazine photo awards. Photographs can be images of Rotary projects, values, people of action, club activities, or general interest. It is especially interested in photos that capture everyday life in your community. There is a limit of five submissions per person, with only one photo per submission. Pictures must have been taken since January 1^st of this year and must be received between October 1^st and December 31^st at 11:59 p.m. (Central). Check back during the submission period at this website for more details on how to send in your photos.

It would be great to have submissions from our Zones recognized two years in a row!

As our students head back to school, September is an ideal time for your club to share the impact of Youth Exchange with local media. With Rotary Youth Exchange recently receiving the American Society of Association Executives’ Power of Associations Gold Award, there’s never been a better time to tell our story.

Don’t know what to say? Need help? Download a customizable letter-to-the-editor template to help you get started.

Our districts have long histories of our clubs engaging in literacy projects. Some are entirely self-funded while others rely upon Global or District Grant funding. If your club hasn’t already hosted a literacy project for September, it isn’t too late to showcase how your club is helping learners succeed. Need ideas? Here are three:

• Visit elementary schools to read aloud, provide help & mentor students
• Donate books to a local school
• Distribute new books to local kindergartens

Take pictures and when you’re finished, share stories about your education projects to help build awareness of Rotary’s impact and strengthen our public image.

Rotary’s Learning Center remains a severely under-utilized resource. Each year, our districts offer Presidents-Elect Seminars, Training Assemblies, Vibrant Club Workshops, and Team Learning Seminars. And many districts recycle old training materials or worse, start from scratch to create the content. These districts and the training leaders are doing it the hard way by failing to make use of the voluminous training materials ready and waiting in The Learning Center. There, you’ll find complete courses and materials for each of these district events.

Haven’t used The Learning Center much or at all? Not to worry, get Tuesday, December 8th at 8:00 p.m. (Central) on your calendar and register for the webinar that evening to be among the first to hear about the coming changes to make it more user-friendly and to discover what’s new, get inspired, and see how easy it is to use the resources there to learn, plan, and lead your club and district.

And you don’t have to be at a computer to take advantage of these tools. Help the clubs and leaders in your district by encouraging members to download or update the Rotary Learning Center mobile app. With it, members can have courses with them on their mobile devices wherever they go.