Ed Foster, District 6360 PolioPlus chair and Taylor Huie, president of Rotary Club of Kalamazoo

Highlights of the event attended by about 60 Rotarians and guests included presentations by experts in worldwide polio eradication, stories from survivors of the disease:

• Ed Foster, shared the story of Jim Woods and asked members to become a PolioPlus Society member (Charlotte)
• Charles Jespersen, a video narrated by polio survivor from (St. Joseph - Benton Harbor) watch video below
• Sharon Wherry (Gull Lake) podcast video moderated by Marvinetta Woodley-Penn (Kalamazoo) - view All Stories video below
• Aruna Koushik, polio vaccination volunteer from the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario with an update about the fight against polio in Gaza,
• Arie Voorman, Principal Research Scientist, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, live feed or current with Q & A (Arie is the son of Rich Voorman, Rotary Club of Kalamazoo)

Rotary's Role on World Polio Day 24 October | video 00:07:12

 All Stories Matter | Public Media Network | video 00:03:30 

World Polio Day – Ready, Set, Go - Prepare for WPD events

The Rotary Foundation is hosting a WPD event on Zoom:

Join the LIVE event happening in Kalamazoo

• Find out who on the teaching and administrative staff will be your best advocates. 
• Will your middle/high school allow you to have a Youth Programs information table at Parent Teacher Conferences? 
  • Or at athletic events? 
  • Or at band events? 
  • Or other high school events? 
• Will your middle/high school allow someone from Rotary to give a short presentation to students during their “advisory” class or homeroom or some other general time? 

• It is important to let students know that their participation in Rotary Youth Programs offers them many skills development that they can record on their “Common App” for post-secondary education and careers. 
• It is important to let students know that participation in Rotary Youth Programs is fun!   

• Become a PolioPlus Society Member through the district initiative Learn More
• Give online annually, select PolioPlus Fund choose One-time or Recurring

The recipients of this year’s scholarship include:

• Mukhtar Abdulla, of Coldwater
• Nadwia Alaqrai, of Coldwater
• Baraah Algabri, of Coldwater
• Maram Al-Gabri, of Coldwater
• Ashley Ballinger, of Bronson
• Madison Beckhusen, of Coldwater
• Dezirae Bigelow, of Hillsdale
• Felicia Brown, of Union City
• Candi Frye, of Battle Creek
• Kiara Gilchrest, of Quincy
• Ximena Griffiths, of Angola, Indiana
• MacKenzie Hale, of Athens
• Gabrielle Harris, of Coldwater
• Brooke Hudson, of Coldwater
• Annabelle Kling, of Coldwater
• Brittaine Lewis, of Coldwater
• Alexis Lock, of Quincy
• Steffany Marrero, of Coldwater
• Kaylee McBride, of Coldwater
• Stephanie Miller, of Coldwater
• Miranda Parker, of Olivet
• Macey Randall, of Quincy
• Maddy Ratkowski, of Bronson
• Kristina Richardson, of Quincy
• Ciarra Rumph, of Coldwater
• Julia Smith, of Coldwater
• Abigail Steele, of Coldwater
• Mariam Thabet, of Coldwater
• Kaylee Withington, of Coldwater
• Madison Wrobel, of Coldwater

Each recipient received between $500 and $1,500 for the 2024-25 academic year.

Promise Scholarship Expansion

Eligible scholarship recipients must either reside in Branch County or have graduated from a Branch County high school or home school and – up to this year – must have been accepted to or enrolled in one of KCC’s health or skilled trades programs.

This summer, Promise Team members approved an expansion beginning with the 2025-26 academic year for the scholarship to cover students pursuing associate degrees in mental or behavioral health fields not already covered by the scholarship, such as human services, psychology or social work.

In addition to the residency requirement, eligible students applying for the scholarship from these fields must have the equivalent of one year of successful academic achievement (credits) in the relevant associate degree area and must be in good academic standing at KCC.

Applications will open to these students when the general KCC Foundation scholarship application period for 2025-26 opens on Dec. 1.

About the Promise Scholarship

The Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship was established with an initial three-year grant of $60,000 in 2019 and a four-year grant of $80,000 in 2022 from the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Foundation. More than 150 scholarships have been awarded totaling over $130,000 since the Sunrise Promise Scholarship Program was launched in 2019.

Funds for the Promise Scholarship program have been secured due to generous gifts from the Thomas Bott Donor Advised Fund; the Hal and Lillian Creal Fund; the George and Kathie Babcoke Trust; Southern Michigan Bank & Trust; Century Bank and Trust; ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital; and Clemens Food Group; as well as support from members of the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Club and its Foundation.

In early 2024 the Promise Endowment Fund that was created in 2019 to perpetually sustain the Promise Program surpassed $500,000 and continues to grow with the support of club members, the business community and private donations.

Recently the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Foundation Board approved two additional actions. In addition to expanding scholarship eligibility to students in mental and behavioral health fields, funding for the Promise Program was increased from up to $20,000 per year to up to $25,000 per year.

“The KCC Foundation is excited to continue its partnership with the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary for this amazing program that is making a positive impact,” Michelle Williamson, executive director of the KCC Foundation, said. “We are excited to steward this grant fund, especially with the increase in funding and Promise Program coverage to the benefit of our students and the communities in Branch County, and we applaud the efforts of the Rotary to help raise the level and quality of education in the region.”

For more information about the Coldwater Township Sunrise Rotary Promise Scholarship Program, call Promise Project Communication Liaison Jon Harpst at 517-202-7849 or visit coldwatersunriserotary.com.


Shared from https://daily.kellogg.edu/category/news-releases

• Marsha Bassett, Outbound District Chair, Contact
  • Cell:  269-998-2829,  or
• Margie Haas, District RYE Chair, Contact
  • Cell:  269-838-3392