Gulf Beaches Rotary says goodbye to Chuck Coward
The Gulf Beaches Rotary club says THANKS! to President Chuck Coward, and welcomes Harry Black, President 2009/2010 at their annual Rotary Installation dinner held on July 11th at the Coward home.
President Chuck led Rotarians thru an active year, in which the “small but mighty” club gifted many charities; All Children’s Neonatal Department, a Doorways Scholarship, and Eckerd College Search and Rescue Team, to name a few. The club’s largest gift was to the Treasure Island Recreation Program, which shared the proceeds from the Annual Tennis and Gulf Challenge at Treasure Bay.
Proudly, the members of Gulf Beaches donate to the “EVERY ROTARIAN EVERY YEAR” program, as well as the Polio Plus/Bill and Melinda Gates Challenge Grant.
Since 1985, Rotary Clubs across the planet have donated funds to fight polio. When the program began, there were 350,000 polio cases in 125 countries. Now in 2009, with the help of the Gates Challenge Grant of $355 million, and the pledge from Rotary to raise $200 million, the resulting $555 million will directly support immunization in developing countries, where polio continues to infect and paralyze children robbing them of a future.
Polio is still active in Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Bill Gates says” if we have the fortitude to see this effort through to the end, then we will eradicate polio” from the world. For as little as 60 cents worth of vaccine, a child can be protected for life. Polio has been the world’s greatest cause of disability.
Chuck Coward, former City Manager of Treasure Island, is now the City Manager of Indian Rocks Beach. Harry Black manages The Island Inn on Treasure Island.
