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By DAN PODEHL
[email protected]
Tuesday, December 03, 2002 Page: 10A
Patti Whipple has always wanted to publish a cookbook.
However, there was always just one slight problem.
~ “~Who would have known me,” joked the Tunkhannock resident and Rotary
Club member.
~ After recognizing the predicament, Whipple decided to tweak her fancy and
concoct a book for the benefit of PolioPlus. PolioPlus is the commitment
Rotary International made in 1985 when it launched a campaign to inoculate all
of the world’s children with the goal of living in a polio-free world by 2005,
which is the year the Rotary will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Once making the decision, Whipple enlisted the help of others from Rotary
Club District 7410, by sending letters to all 45 club presidents in the
district asking for recipe submissions. District 7410 includes 10 counties:
Luzerne, Wyoming, Tioga, Bradford, Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike, Monroe, Carbon
and Lackawanna.
The response for the book, titled “Sow the Seeds of Love, Cooking with
District 7410,” was tremendous, Whipple said.
The book includes chapters of appetizers/beverages, soup and salads,
vegetables, main dishes, breads and rolls, desserts and miscellaneous dishes.
Outside of district Rotary members’ submissions, Whipple received
contributions from the Rotary International president’s wife from Thailand;
Carol Sherwood, the wife of U.S. Rep. Don Sherwood, R-Tunkhannock; and
President George W. Bush’s wife, Laura.
“Her recipes had a bit of Texan flavor,” Whipple joked.
Something working in favor of the fund-raiser is the timely fashion in
which the book was released.
“We started collecting the recipes in July and the book was done by the
last week of October,” said Whipple of the book, which costs $10 and includes
290 recipes. “The book has been available since the first week of November, so
that was kind of a surprise, because we thought we would get it a couple weeks
before Christmas. It was nice to have it before Thanksgiving so we got a
double whammy with the holidays.
“It went a lot quicker than I thought it would. It was a lot of fun to put
together.”
Whipple was also pleased to include each individual that submitted an
entry.
“I did not want to leave any recipes out that were submitted, so there are
variations of the same food in the book,” Whipple said. “I wanted to give
everyone credit that made a submission.”
Thus far 1,000 copies have been ordered and Whipple also said an order for
500 more books has been placed.
As for polio and the fund-raising aspect, Rotary International got involved
in 1985 when the developer of the oral vaccination, Dr. Albert Sabin, issued a
challenge to the club to raise money for the cause.
The club set a three-year goal of $120 million, and ended up surpassing the
mark by raising $246 million – permitting the Rotary to expand its role in the
fight against polio, which it shares with the World Health Organization,
UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
With such success, never more has the project’s goal been so close as only
eight countries in the world remain uncertified polio-free, said District 7410
chairman Dick Wagener.
“I think we will see the last child with polio by 2005,” Wagener said. “I
really think so.”
Wagener also added, while the very last case should be treated in 2005, a
three-year surveillance time period must be included for a country to be
declared polio-free.
The only countries still battling the virus are located primarily in the
Middle East and parts of Africa. The virus is highly contagious and is one
that children are most susceptible. Those who survive are left paralyzed, in
most instances, from the waist down.
To date Rotary International has raised more than $500 million for the
cause and – more importantly – has been a primary source of volunteer
manpower, equipment and organizational skills, Wagener said.
It’s that kind of commitment that leaves Whipple with a confidence that the
world will be polio free come 2005.
“It’s a big push right now,” Whipple said. “It’s good to make such an
effort, because there are only eight countries left in the world with polio.
It’s working.
“In 1985 there were 180,000 cases of polio,” Wagener added. “Last year
there were just 488 cases.”
Info: If you would like to join the Rotary or purchase a cookbook, visit
your local club. If you don’t know the location call 822-5426.