The Coppell Family YMCA recently hosted the new Rotary District Governor, Larry Webb, and his wife Pam, at a club dinner. Webb, who took office last month, is governor over the 68 clubs in the Rotary District 5810 which encompasses the Dallas area.
Webb addressed Rotary International’s primary philanthropy, the eradication of polio world-wide. “As we speak, there are only two countries that are not polio free,” Webb said, “Pakistan and Afghanistan. We will reach our goal of no polio world-wide because of the efforts of Rotarians like each of you in the Coppell Rotary Club.”
Rotary, along with the Bill Gates Foundation has reduced polio cases by 99 percent worldwide since the first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Rotarians world-wide have helped immunize more than two billion children against polio in 122 countries.
“Rotarians focus our efforts in six areas: promoting peace, preventing diseases, providing access to clean water and sanitation, enhancing maternal and child health, improving basic education and literacy, and helping communities develop. But we are especially dedication to ending polio,” Webb stated.
Webb also addressed his wife’s cause, that of stopping sex and human trafficking. Governor Webb told a story of a young girl who had been sold into slavery, noting that “the purpose of his wife’s selection of human trafficking for her philanthropy was to ensure intervention and provide an opportunity for safety, counseling and education about this corruption, which is one of the three largest criminal activities in the world.” He further brought home the issue of human trafficking by sharing statistics about the Dallas area, noting that “2,000 young girls in the Dallas area have been assisted out of the trafficking industry. This is not a crime specific to a third world country; the exploitation is right here in Texas, and Dallas is second only to Houston in the volume of trafficking that goes on in our state.”
Webb ended the evening stating “Rotarians have done more collectively as an organization than we could have done individually.” He encouraged the Coppell Rotarians to put their skills to use to make a difference in the lives of others, not only around the world, but also in Coppell. “Because of you, we are making a difference and will continue to make a difference. Be a gift to your family, your club and your world. If it is good for Coppell, it is good for Rotary.