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Steen talks polio trip

ELKINS — The Rotary Club of Elkins witnessed a presentation Monday by Jon Steen, chief human resources officer at Davis Memorial Hospital, about his Polio Plus Rotary trip to India.

Steen traveled with Rotary to help immunize the children of India against polio. Steen also helped the local community and Rotarians from multiple countries across the world to build a dam for the people of the Indian town, which had no source of clean drinking water.

After more than a year of hard work, the dam was completed and providing water for the people. It stands close to 15 feet high and 50 feet long, officials said.

Steen said in parts of India there is a lack of waste removal, a clean water supply and access to basic necessities that we take for granted in our everyday lives. He said the local people showed a determined work ethic and a great deal of kindness toward the Rotarians.

Steen spoke of the diversity and the culture of the local people, along with the Rotarians from Canada, France, Germany and Russia, as well as America. The Rotarians shared headpieces, music, food, culture and religion with the Indian people.

Steen also spoke of the class system India has and the disparity between upper-class citizens and lower-class. The lower classes in India are most affected by polio and other diseases, due to the lack of quality healthcare and sanitation.

The polio vaccination was a life-altering gift Steen and other Rotarians gave to the children to change the entire course of their lives, Steen explained.

“Polio was everywhere. They called the infected ‘crawlers’ and treated them like insects,” he said, explaining Rotarians did everything they could to help. Steen said his heart went out to those infected.

Steen described the different Hindu religions and temples he witnessed during the course of his trip. Steen said he talked with some of the worshipers to better understand the culture and their practices.

“The dedication by the Hindu culture is something to admire,” Steen stated. Many people travel for miles, walking for weeks just to reach a shrine to worship and leave offerings, he noted.

Steen said the eye-opening experience of the journey was a Rotary event like no other, and was a great example of what Rotarians can accomplish.

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