2 Rotarian Pilots Fly Around The World To End Polio, Raise 3 Million Dollars

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Two pilots, both Rotarians from the United States have flown around the world on a 1977 single engine Cessna aircraft to raise three million dollars to support Rotary Foundation’s decades long campaign to end Polio. As the plane landed in Iowa there was excitement as Rotarians gathered to welcome the little aircraft and its accomplished pilots Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels.

“Polio is still prevalent in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Once these two countries are cleared of polio we don’t have to worry if our kids would survive” said Captain John Ockenfels, one of the two pilots tto tellmystory.in He added “It’s a threat even if one country has the virus. We have a population that moves in flights, cars and trucks and we know how the virus moved from one country to another during the pandemic”.

The pilots flew 25000 miles and landed in 21 countries. While most flights were of five to six hours duration, the longest was between California and Iowa, 2500 miles away that took nearly 19 hours. Talking about that during their India visit, Peter said “We will fill 280 gallons of fuel against the normal 90 gallons”.

The Gates Foundation matches giving them 2 dollars for every one dollar the duo raises. Peter and John spent a lakh dollars from their pocket so the entire funds raised would go to the Rotary Foundation. Though they initially targeted raising one million dollars they soon revised it upwards to 3 million USD following overwhelming support. In Chennai many Rotarians generously contributed listening to John as he explained the cause and the mission. Past District Governor J Sridhar said “Chennai is always a top giver when it comes to the cause of Polio. We can’t afford to be complacent although India has eradicated it”.

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