Leidschendam – Put tulip bulbs in the ground. With this, Rotary members drew attention to World Polio Day throughout the Netherlands last Saturday. Monique Vreeburg and Adrie den Dulk from Rotary Club Voorschoten-Leidschendam also participated. They both experience membership and participation in these types of actions as an enrichment of their lives.
Since 1985, Rotary has been rolling up its sleeves to eradicate the crippling disease polio with the worldwide campaign End Polio Now. In 2019 alone, it involved 5,900 promotions in 136 countries, from a sponsored run to a book auction. The proceeds will be used to vaccinate children. For 54 cents a child is protected for life.
The actions are bearing fruit. The number of polio cases has decreased by 99 percent and the disease only occurs in Afghanistan and Pakistan. At the same time, it is precisely those last mile that are the most important. Until the virus has completely died out, there is still work to be done, also for the approximately 500 Rotary clubs in the Netherlands.
A colorful homegrown initiative is the tulip bulb campaign, where Rotary members buy a box of tulip bulbs for € 15.00 – whether to plant them in their own garden, give them as a present or pass them on for the same price. € 9.70 of each box goes to charity. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation triples that to € 29.10.
Rotary member Monique Vreeburg is chairman of the social childcare sector association. “I immediately ordered a box of tulip bulbs for the garden. They are too good to give away ”, she laughs. “At the moment polio no longer occurs in Africa. A great result that we have been able to achieve together. ”
“After more than ten years of membership, I still enjoy going to our meetings and other activities,” continues Monique. “The club feeling and the commitment to various charities appealed and still appeals to me. I also find the members and speakers from various sectors interesting. You enrich and broaden yourself with this. “
Youngest member Adrie den Dulk owns Den Dulk Brand-resistant. “I usually buy five boxes,” he explains. “They are fun to give as a gift and we support an important cause with them. I find membership in Rotary very educational. The interaction with members from professional groups that I would otherwise not encounter gives me a completely different view of the world. ”
Last spring, the tulips bloomed in the Netherlands as well as in Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the United States. Adrie is proud of it. “Thanks to my Rotary membership, I can give back a lot of good things to society. The network of friends of like-minded people really enriches my family and me. ”
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