Rotary International president to visit Reno

In recognition of the announcement on July 24 that Nigeria has been declared polio free, Rotary International President K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran will visit the Truckee Meadows on Friday, August 14, meet with a Polio survivor and speak at a dinner in the President’s honor.

The visit is designed to acknowledge the achievements of Rotary District 5190, which is made up of 59 Rotary Clubs, eight of which are in the Reno and Sparks area.

K.R. "Ravi" Ravindran, a Sri Lankan business leader, will tour the Veterans Guest House, a beneficiary of significant local Rotary contributions. There he will meet with Polio survivor Dan Watley, and then, later in the evening, will speak at the Atlantis Hotel, an event which begins at 7 p.m.

Ravindran will focus his remarks on highlighting Rotary’s ongoing efforts to eradicate Polio worldwide with polio now eliminated in all but two countries in the world. He will also highlight the efforts of Reno and Sparks Rotary clubs to aid in this fight.

A member of the Rotary Club of Colombo, Ravindran is the first Sri Lankan to hold Rotary’s highest office. He says a top priority is to strengthen clubs by attracting men and women committed to improving communities worldwide through volunteer service. “Rotary members have been dedicated to bettering the lives of others since our inception,” said Ravindran, CEO and founder of Printcare Plc. “Expanding our membership will enable us to make a greater global impact.”

As president, Ravindran oversees Rotary’s top humanitarian goal of eradicating the paralyzing infectious disease polio. Rotary launched its polio immunization program PolioPlus in 1985 and in 1988 became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since the initiative launched in 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to less than 400 in 2014.

Rotary’s main responsibilities within the initiative are fundraising, advocacy, and social mobilization. To date, Rotary clubs worldwide have contributed more than $1.4 billion toward ending polio. Through 2018, every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched two-to-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation up to $35 million a year. In addition to contributing and raising funds, Rotary members volunteer their time to immunize children in polio affected countries.

In addition to fighting polio, Rotary members contribute their time, energy and passion to carry out impactful and sustainable projects in the areas of peace and conflict resolution, disease prevention and treatment, water and sanitation, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, and economic and community development.

About Rotary
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, visit Rotary.org. To access broadcast quality video footage and still photos go to: The Newsmarket.

About the Veterans Guest House
Veterans Guest House provides military families with caring support during times of medical need. This “Home Away from Home” is the only facility of its kind in the country, serving U.S. military veterans by providing accommodations to the families of those veterans being treated at the nearby Veterans Hospital. Veterans Guest House and Rotary have been partners from its inception, and has received over $120,000 from fourteen clubs and significant funds from individual Rotarians and their businesses.
The House is privately funded and receives no government funding for its operations. For more information, visit VeteransGuestHouse.org.