Commemorating World Polio Day 2026
Oct 22, 2026 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
The Rotary Club of the Caribbean Plus is honoured to host “Voices to End Polio: Virtual event featuring Stories, service, and the road to eradication” as we commemorate World Polio Day.
Featured Speakers Monica Bartley, Raj K. Jadoo and Adrean Russell. Each brings a unique perspective on raising awareness to Eradicate Polio.
Monica Bartley is a disability advocate and researcher with decades of experience advancing disability rights, accessibility, and social justice in the United States and Jamaica.
A former staff member of the Center for Independence of the Disabled, NY (CIDNY), she helped empower people with disabilities to become community advocates and leaders. Her work included promoting accessibility across New York City and advocating for voting rights, contributing to a significant federal civil rights victory for people with disabilities.
Ms. Bartley currently serves on the board of Disabled In Action and is recognized as a pioneer of the disability rights movement in Jamaica. She is also active in faith-based and social justice organizations, serving as a Deaconess in the New York Annual Conference and holding leadership roles within United Women in Faith.
Raj K. Jadoo is a distinguished Rotarian and humanitarian from Trinidad and Tobago whose commitment to polio eradication spans nearly four decades. A member of the Rotary Club of St Augustine since 1987, he has devoted 17 years of District 7030 leadership to PolioPlus, championing vaccination, advocacy and fundraising across the Caribbean.
His service has taken him from leading regional campaigns to participating in National Immunization Days in India, where he helped administer polio vaccines to children. A highly successful fundraiser for the End Polio Now campaign, Raj has received numerous Rotary honours, including being named a World Polio Hero in 2012 and receiving Rotary International’s Regional Award for Polio. He was also awarded Trinidad and Tobago’s Humming Bird Medal Silver for Community Service.
A Major Donor Level 3 to The Rotary Foundation, Raj continues to embody Rotary’s commitment to service and the promise of a polio-free world.
Adrean Russell is a longtime Rotarian and community leader in the Cayman Islands whose Rotary journey began through Rotaract. He served as President of the Rotaract Club of Grand Cayman and later as District Rotaract Representative for Rotary District 7020, supporting and strengthening Rotaract across the Caribbean.
Continuing his commitment to service through Rotary, Adrean has held several leadership positions within the Rotary Club of Grand Cayman Sunrise and served as Club President for 2025–26. A multiple Paul Harris Fellow, he has been recognized for his dedication to Rotary and The Rotary Foundation.
Throughout his years of service, Adrean has remained committed to developing young leaders, strengthening the Rotary family and creating opportunities for meaningful community engagement in the Cayman Islands and across the region.
For over three decades, Rotary International has led the global fight to eradicate polio — a mission that has become one of the most ambitious and successful public health initiatives in history. Through its End Polio Now campaign and partnership with the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), Rotary has helped reduce polio cases worldwide by more than 99.9%, vaccinating billions of children and preventing lifelong disability. Each year on World Polio Day, Rotarians and partners around the world unite to celebrate progress, honor health workers and volunteers, and reaffirm Rotary’s unwavering commitment to a polio-free world. Together, we are truly “this close” to making history.
Rotary Caribbean Plus is raising funds to help the worldwide eradication of Polio. You can help by contributing to our fundraiser here:
==>DONATE HERE <==
Polio is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis — sometimes permanently. It spreads easily from person to person, often through contaminated food or water. There is no cure, but polio can be prevented with vaccines. Thanks to vaccination efforts led by Rotary International and global health partners, polio has almost been wiped out worldwide. Only a few cases remain in two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the world is closer than ever to ending polio for good.
Learn more about #EndPolio and how you can contribute to the global eradication of this disease: https://www.endpolio.org/
More details of speakers and event agenda to follow.
Guests and prospective members are always welcome!
