What is the Don’t Wait Vaccinate Committee?

Because of Rotary’s success in world wide eradication of Polio, Rotarians were asked to help with the improvement of infant immunization rates here in the United States. In the early 1990’s infant immunization rates against all childhood diseases including Polio for children under two in the USA was approximately 50%, one of the lowest rates in the entire world. Rotary International launched this program in 1994 under the name “PolioPlus USA.” The District 5340 “Don’t Wait Vaccinate” Committee was formed in 1994 and has been meeting monthly ever since. 

The Don’t Wait Vaccinate Committee is part of the San Diego County Immunization Initiative (I-3), a coalition of over 130 community and health service organizations whose goal is to raise immunization rates in children and adults. These combined efforts have raised rates in children under two from 51% in 1987 to 81% – 85% today. The effort is ongoing.

The Committee meets monthly at St. Paul’s Senior Home in Hillcrest. The room space and a continental breakfast is provided by Cheryl Wilson of the Downtown Rotary Club.

The purpose of the District Committee is to motivate and guide Rotary clubs in District 5340 to launch immunization projects in their respective communities. These are hands-on projects, usually with local clinics and schools. It is distinctly not a fund raiser.

Representatives from all D5340 clubs are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Each year at the Rotary Foundation Seminar a plaque is presented to the club which has helped the most in achieving our goal. The 2004 plaque was awarded to:

San Diego Uptown Sunrise

Current Participants

The Organ and Tissue Donor Committee
answers the question:

How can you save a life?

More than 1500 persons in the San Diego area wait for an organ transplant, people who could live, if an organ became available. While signing a donor card and placing the pink dot on your license served as an important symbol of your intent, it did not place you on any list or registry.

Starting on April 4th, Donate Life California will allow you to express your commitment to becoming an organ, eye and tissue donor. The Registry guarantees your plans will be carried out when you die. Your generosity can save up to eight lives through organ donation and enhance another 50 through tissue donation.

You'll give people a second chance to experience life's joys-childhood, attending college, building a career, having a family. Ultimately, your gift of life will touch countless more people-the recipients' friends, family and loved ones. You'll allow them to continue their cherished relationships.

However, the person who may be affected the most by your life gift is you. While deciding to donate, you'll learn more about yourself. You'll share your insights with your family and friends. And you'll realize you'll be doing one of the most caring and unselfish things in your life.

We can now do a pre-registration by going to www.donateLIFEcalifornia.org or www.doneVIDAcalifornia.org. All pre-registrations will be uploaded when the system officially goes live.

Your Organ and Tissue Donor Committee has been working with Lifesharing, the federally designated organ procurement organization for San Diego and Imperial Counties, to help arrange for them to bring the message to our Rotary Clubs on what you can do.

For more information about organ and tissue donation please contact Lifesharing through Sharon Ross at ssross@ucsd.edu or by phone at 619-521-1983.  You can also contact Mel Gallegos, Chair of the Organ and Tissue Donor Committee at givealife@prodigy,net or by phone at 858-486-0577.