Dear Fellow Rotarian,

After hosting the 21st European Golf Championship, 1995 and the 39th World Rotary Golf Championship, 2002 in Portugal, now once again the 39th European Rotary Golf Championship will take place from 18th- 21st June 2013 in Cascais/Estoril, Portugal.
Two Rotary Clubs, the Rotary Club Porto-Douro (District 1970) and the Rotary Club Cascais-Estoril (District 1960) have formed a committee and already begun working on the organization and logistics necessary to make this event a success.
The funds raised will be donated to a charitable activity having an impact on a national level.
The fact that this tournament will take place the week before the International Rotary Convention, taking place in Lisbon from 23rd to 26th June 2013, means this European Championship will be open to all Rotary golfers coming to Lisbon for this event.
Reservations at the Estoril Golf Course (www.clubegolfestoril.com) and at the Belas Golf Course (www.belasgolf.com) have already been confirmed.
We have also negotiated special rates for the event at two hotels: Hotel Palácio***** (www.palacioestorilhotel.com) and Hotel Inglaterra**** (www.hotelinglaterra.com.pt) with the possibility of extending your stay to attend the Convention at these same favorable rates. In addition, it is both easy and quick to get from these hotels to the Convention venues.

The prices are as follows:

Single with buffet breakfast
Hotel Palácio*****                  -            € 190
info@hotelestorilpalacio.pt

Hotel Inglaterra****             –              € 80
geral@hotelinglaterra.com.pt

Double with buffet breakfast
Hotel Palácio*****                -            € 200
info@hotelestorilpalacio.pt

Hotel Inglaterra****            -              € 90
geral@hotelinglaterra.com.pt

Reservations can already be made directly with these hotels quoting reference code “IGFR 2013”.
As usual there will be free transfers from the hotels to the golf courses concerned and programmes of activities for non-players accompanying golfers.
Although final bookings can only be made in mid-2012, we have already decided to accept provisional registrations. Provisional lists, which will be drawn up on a first come first served basis, will allow us to evaluate logistical needs in advance.
The first 100 provisional registrations will benefit from a 10% discount on the cost of the final registration fees (excluding hotels). This discount only applies to registrations which have been confirmed and paid in full by 31st December 2012.

The price of the registration will not exceed € 800 for golfers and € 600 for non-playing guests.
A pre tour trip is also being organised for the week 10 to 16 June 2013 starting in the city of Oporto (Cultural Capital in 2001/ Historical Centre – World Human Heritage Site – UNESCO 1996) during which you can play golf, eat well and take train and boat trips to the wine region of the Alto Douro (World Human Heritage Site – UNESCO 2001), where the grapes that give rise to the famous Port wine and excellent table wines are grown. After visiting and staying in the Centre of Portugal, the pre tour trip will end in Estoril in time for participants to have a practice round prior to the start of the European Championship.
For a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 50 participants on the pre tour trip the package is expected to cost € 1,500 per person including accommodation in double rooms in 5-star hotels, all meals, transfers, green fees and visits (7 days, 6 nights). For single rooms there is a supplement of € 400.
We look forward to seeing you here in Portugal in 2013 and would be grateful if you could tell us what you would like to take part in by replying by email to the questions enclosed to  igfr-portugal@mail.telepac.pt

With the best wishes for 2012 with plenty of golf,
Regards,
Fernando Oliveira

What do you love about Lisbon? from Lisbonlovers on Vimeo.

The World Health Organization has officially removed India from the list of polio-endemic countries. Ghulam Nabi Azad, India’s minister of Health and Family Welfare, made the announcement at the Polio Summit 2012 in New Delhi on 25 February. Azad said that he had been informed of WHO’s action by its director-general, Dr. Margaret Chan.

“It is a matter of satisfaction that we have completed one year without any single new case of polio being reported from anywhere in the country,” said Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the summit, which was organized by the government of India and Rotary International. “This gives us hope that we can finally eradicate polio not only from India but from the face of the entire mother earth. The success of our efforts shows that teamwork pays.”

India’s last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal State on 13 January 2011. Before polio eradication can be certified in India, it must go two more years without another case of the disease. Polio remains endemic in only three countries: Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

Bivalent oral vaccine

Until 2009, India accounted for nearly half the number of the world’s polio cases. A chief factor in the country’s success has been the widespread use of the bivalent oral polio vaccine, which is effective against both remaining types of the poliovirus. Another has been rigorous monitoring, which has helped reduce the number of children missed by health workers during National Immunization Days to less than 1 percent, according to WHO.

Rotary International has played a major role in helping to stop the transmission of polio in India. Rotary has been a spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative since 1988, along with WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is also a key supporter of the initiative.

Sporting their signature yellow vests and caps, the nearly 119,000 Rotarians in India have helped administer vaccine to children, organize free health camps and polio awareness rallies, and distribute banners, caps, comic books, and other items.

Global support from Rotarians

“With the support of their Rotary brothers and sisters around the world, Indian Rotarians have worked diligently month after month, year after year, to help organize and carry out the National Immunization Days that reach millions of children with the oral polio vaccine,” says RI President Kalyan Banerjee, of the Rotary Club of Vapi, Gujarat. “As an Indian, I am immensely proud of what Rotary has accomplished. However, we know this is not the end of our work. Rotary and our partners must continue to immunize children in India and in other countries until the goal of a polio-free world is finally achieved.”

Robert S. Scott, chair of Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee, calls India’s achievement “a significant step towards a polio-free world – an example as to what can be accomplished no matter what problems need to be overcome. Rotarians of India are and should be proud of the key efforts they have made at all levels, without which the world would not be marking this milestone.”

Deepak Kapur, chair of the India PolioPlus Committee, also credits the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for its commitment to ending polio. To date, the Indian government has spent more than US$1.2 billion on domestic polio eradication activities. “We are fortunate that our government is our biggest advocate in this effort,” Kapur says.

Madalena Sena: The Profile

Was born, raised, lived and studied in Covilhã (Portugal), until the moment of joining the School of Technology of Tomar, where she completed a Bachelor of Technology and Graphic Arts. Initially she worked as a designer in a multinational corporation headquartered in Covilhã, where she receives an invitation to participate in this activity from Israel. Thus, in 1994, works in Tel Aviv as a designer/accouter.

Return to Portugal, one year later and joined the staff of Sonae, where she was responsible for store decoration and marketing for 5 years. In 1999 joins the team of the Journal of Fundão and runs the newspaper cartoons and illustrations together with pagination. In 2002 she moved to the University of Beira Interior, where she works and studies at the same time. Get the degree of Bachelor of Multimedia Design, and two years later, a master’s degree in Fashion Design.

Now she is finishing her PhD in Communication Design. She Works as a Technician in the Faculty of Arts, at UBI, where she is responsible for designing, planning and execution of all graphics for all events on Faculty of Arts. At the same time, she teaches Multimedia Design and supports workshops of Advertising and Public Relations. She´s several hobbies in: graphic arts, illustration, photography, video, web design and fashion design, have provided a dozen awards and honors in the areas of entrepreneurship and design and she holds two national patents in textile design.

On opeening session in Rotary International Assembley in San Diego, the theme for 2012/2013 is Peace trough Service, Paz através do Servir. This the theme for 2012-2013 that perfectly matches the Lisbon Convention theme:

Our challenge is to have in Lisbon a milestone International Convention ever.

Portugal loves challenges:

In the 15th century someone said that the world ended in cape of good oath, and we proved that there was a way to India.

In the 16th century we discovered Brazil, went to Asia, China and Japan, and spread our culture of tolerance, and sympathy to all people that we met.

Our Rotary Convention in Lisbon will be our harbor for peace, building new friendships and setting the path for Rotary’s success.

Luís Miguel Duarte

HOC Chair

The font and its positioning indicate the venue of the gathering and its organization, and in
the background are complementary items such as the date and description of the event.
The blue, yellow and white colors were chosen as they the Rotary colors and favor a
harmonious chromatic combination. The logo works well on a color background, with or
without framing or bottom. The result is equally positive in black and white monochrome as
well as gray scale.