ROTARY INTERNATIONAL is a Global Network of more 35,000 Rotary Clubs in 171 countries with more than 1.2 million members worldwide. Rotarians are are business and professional persons who subscribe to the motto "Service Above Self", volunteer in their communities and promote world understanding and peace. Rotarians encourage high ethical standards and carry out humanitarian projects to address such issues as poverty, health, hunger, education and the environment. Rotary was founded in Chicago, Illinois, USA 1905 as the world's first volunteer service organization. Rotary District 6780 is located in eastern Tennessee, USA, and includes 63 Rotary Clubs with more than 2,800 members. Our service projects range from community to international efforts and include:
* Clean water initiatives in Ghana, Haiti, and Thailand, and Appalachia;
* Education and literacy initiatives in East and Middle Tennessee, South Africa, and Hungary; and
* Medical initiatives across our district and in Mexico and Turkey. The eradication of polio is a special priority for Rotary International, which made a commitment to immunize the world’s children against polio in 1985 and became a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative three years later. The other partners are the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF. Our District has a special connection to this effort. Bill Sergeant joined the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA in 1946. He was elected club president for 1963-64. In 1990 he was appointed a trustee of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. From 1994 to 2006, Sergeant served as chairman of the International Polio Plus Committee of Rotary International. The committee's mission was to revive efforts to raise money to rid the world of this crippling childhood disease. For his leadership, Sergeant was honored by the World Health Organization, received an honorary doctorate from a university in India. A statue with his likeness is located in Krutch Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee. This statue was part of the Knoxville Rotary clubs' Centennial project in 2005. Sergeant received numerous awards for his work in eradicating Polio, including those from the Kellogg Corporation and the Fries Medical Foundation. Bill died February 13, 2011, leaving active Rotarians -- including children and grandchildren who are members of local Rotary clubs -- to carry on his work.
