PDG Murray Verso, Rotary International Zone 8 End Polio Now Coordinator
PDG Murray Verso shares the highlights and challenges of his role as the Zone 8 End Polio Now Coordinator.
As all Rotarians know, the global eradication of poliomyelitis is Rotary’s number one humanitarian priority.
To emphasise the importance of this goal, the chair of the Rotary Foundation Trustees appoints an End Polio Now Coordinator (EPNC) to each of Rotary’s 34 Zones.
Since July 2022, I have had the honour, and responsibility, of being the EPNC for Zone 8. Our zone encompasses the 19 districts across Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island nations. I work closely with the other Rotary Foundation appointees for our zone, the Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator (RRFC) and the Endowment & Major Gifts Advisor (EMGA). As these are Foundation appointments, the three positions will remain in place while the zone’s regionalisation pilot is running.
The role of the End Polio Now Coordinator is to foster awareness of polio, to advocate for its eradication, and to raise funds for this vital cause at the district and club level. As an EPNC, I work in collaboration with district leaders to help Rotary reach its annual goal of US$50 million.
In Zone 8, during the 2023-24 Rotary year, we raised US$1.66 million, the highest level of donations for several years. With the Gates Foundation’s 2:1 match it means we made almost US$5 million available for the cause. But not every club donates each year, so we could do even better. As the goal of a polio-free world is now in sight, I would like to see every Rotary member and every Rotary club contribute, so that each of us can say we did our bit and take genuine pride in reaching that historic milestone.
One of the reasons for our fundraising success has been the growth of PolioPlus Societies (PPS). In October 2022, the Foundation Trustees endorsed PolioPlus Societies as a club and district led program and now more than half our districts have one. The largest ones are in Districts 9780 and 9800, each with around 100 members. With PPS members agreeing to pay US$100 each year until the world is certified polio free, it means those districts are providing around US$10,000 extra each year above and beyond what is contributed through club and district donations.
PICTURED: Back row (L-R): PDG Bob Calvert, D9830 End Polio Now Chair Marion Cooper OAM, Roslyn Teirney, Zone 8 End Polio Now Coordinator PDG Murray Verso and PDG Mike Patten OAM, with then Vice President of Polio Australia Gary Newton promoting World Polio Day in Hobart, Tas, in 2023.
In my role as an EPNC, I have enjoyed getting to know the governors, the Foundation chairs and the PolioPlus chairs in each district. Their leadership is crucial to the success of the End Polio Now program. I try to keep them informed about the status of polio cases and I serve as a resource to them on polio matters. This has been done at governor elect and nominee training, the annual Zone 8 Foundation Seminar, online polio update meetings, the Rotary on the Move newsletter, district conferences, and club meetings.
I have been impressed by the way clubs and districts have run special events to raise money for polio. Walks, train rides, bike rides, special dinners, lighting up public buildings in red, etc. are great ways to raise awareness and funds for End Polio Now. Joyce and Phil Ogden’s tandem bike ride from Adelaide to Sydney in April was a particular highlight this year.
It would be wonderful if more clubs embraced World Polio Day each October with special dinners or events using polio experts or survivors as guest speakers and using the occasion to promote Rotary’s polio work through local media outlets.
As the EPNC, I am a member of the Polio Eradication Advocacy Task Force for Australia. With our PolioPlus Advocacy Specialist in Evanston, US, we meet from time to time with Results International (Australia) and Global Citizen to discuss ways we can lobby the government for more funds.
Over the past 30 years the Australian government has made several significant contributions to End Polio Now, the last being a pledge of AU$43.55 million (US$28.1 million) in October 2022.
As an advocate for polio eradication, I have written to politicians, taken part in radio interviews, and had the good fortune to meet with some of the committed staff of the Gates Foundation.
I am enjoying the EPNC role – getting to know, and being inspired by, committed Rotarians across the zone, participating in End Polio Now events, and knowing that Rotary’s work will eventually lead to a polio free world is all very satisfying.
MAIN PICTURE: A medic administers a polio vaccine to a Palestinian child in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 19, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (Photo: Eyad Baba/AFP)