On May 24, 2011, in a speech to 19,000 Rotarians, Bill Gates challenged the organization to make polio a disease of the present so it can become a disease of the past.
Over 25 years, Rotary International has contributed more than $1B to eradicate polio, and has teamed with the foundation to raise $555 million and help stamp out “the final 1 percent.” At Rotary’s annual convention of Rotarians from 160 countries, Bill urged members to keep the issue alive globally and with their local government leaders.