As many of you may know, I have combined my love for motorcycle riding and service with a charity ride called RPM, which stands for Rotary Polio Moto. The sole mission of this Fundraising and Fellowship Motorcycle Ride through Rotary District 5930 is to end polio forever.
    A growing group of Rotarians and non-Rotarians collect donations from individuals and organizations willing to rid the world of this destructive disease. For the past three years, we have traveled 800 miles a weekend, throughout South Texas collecting funds that go to the Rotary International Polio Plus foundation for polio eradication and we have been  double matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation each of those years. So basically, for every $100 donation turns into $300 to eliminate polio. In the last three years, with the help of Rotarians of District 5930 and Bill and Melinda Gates, we have raised over $100,000!
     
    This year is no different! Although we were halted by the beginning of the spread of the coronavirus in March we are going to be back at it again in October. We are gearing up to ride again October  Lavaca and Victoria.  We are given a police escort as we make our way to the Knights of Columbus Hall in Alice Texas, where we are met by a large group of Rotarians and other service oriented individuals.  We stop at Freer, for a Rattle Snake show before hearing back to home to Laredo. I must confess that the hardest thing about the ride, is not all the time on the motorcycle nor is it the miles.  The hardest part for me is moving on to the next stop.  You see, at each of these stops are several of my friends, and Rotarians that I get to see only a few times a year.  All I want to do is catch up with what has been happening in their lives since we last saw each other, be it at another Rotary event, training or last year’s RPM.  Each stop is loaded with these wonderful friends who have taken time from their weekend to meet our group, and turn in to us funds they have raised for this cause.  It means a lot when your friends rally around your cause and not in a small way. The secret (don’t tell Cat, my wife) is that I came up with this ride, because I wanted to have a motorcycle adventure (tame as it is) which I would be sure I would get Cat to agree to.  So I appealed to her Rotarian and came up with  a mini motorcycle adventure, with a purpose and for a great cause.  In light of the Corona 19 virus, it is clear that polio must be eradicated so that it will not spread beyond the two last remaining countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.  This fight must continue until the world is polio free.
    • Mike Dickerson, The Laredo Rotary Club
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