Charter Sponsors of District 6440

Rotary Clubs of: Arlington Heights, Barrington Breakfast, Cary Grove, Lake in the Hills & Wilmette Harbor

Mark & Suzanne Gibson, Paul & C.J. Metivier and Rick & Helen Rivkin,

 

Rotary Club of Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates

John & Julie Clark and Lyle & Ann Marie Staab

 

 

RILEE- short for Rotary Iron Lung Education Exhibit - has lived a life of great humanitarian service.  Her first life was dedicated to saving lives by breathing for polio patients ; in her second life, she served as an exhibit at the G.Whiz Children’s Museum in Sarasota, FL;  and now will enter a third life as a mobile museum serving northern Illinois.

Charter Sponsors have funded RILEE’s preparation for her third life of service: her custom trailer, her graphic design, her insurance, her license, her care and feeding.

Inspired by the trailer designed by Roger Frank, Upper Eden Rotary Club, England and  featured in the Rotarian Magazine in February 2017, the quest began to secure an iron lung for District 6440 and with collaboration with Districts 6450 and 6420, the project came to fruition.

The Iron Lung Task force emerged to tackle the puzzling challenges of how to display RILEE, how to make her available to clubs and how to care for her.  Thank you to Donald Brewer DG 6440, Scott McAdam, DG 6450, Steve Kuhn,DG 6420, Suzanne and Mark Gibson, Kat Beringer, Paul Metivier, Rick and Helen Rivkin, Carol Wells, Linda Borton, Sarah Oliver.

It is our ardent desire that RILEE will spark an emotional connection between our youth—the post polio generation—and  Rotary’s signature international project, polio eradication and inspire donations to the End Polio Now campaign.

RILEE has two salient messages to deliver:

•   As long as one child is diagnosed with polio, every child in the world is at risk, and

•   Immunizations must continue for at least three years after the last diagnosed case.

RILEE is now ready for display at your Rotary events.

Reserve Now.

Complete and submit the reservation form