Welcome to Rotary Roar

Football. Fellowship. Fun. And a world without polio.

Our 2nd PolioPlus Football Fellowship

Another Roaring Good Time!

On July 18, 2026, Rotarians from Districts 7080 and 7090 once again teamed up for Rotary Roar – an evening of PolioPlus fellowship at Hamilton Stadium.

Once again this year, the event was a sellout. Our 80 guests arrived with enthusiasm for both the evening and the game, many sporting End Polio attire.  Speaking of the game, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Toronto Argonauts 24–23, hanging on to their one-point lead in the final seconds of the game. Oskee-wee-wee!

The evening was co-hosted by Elaine Richard, along with Past District Governor Frank Adamson, End Polio Co-Chairs for District 7090, and Badar Shamim, Polio Chair for District 7080. The pre-game and halftime programs were packed with great speakers and PolioPlus content.

As District 7090 PolioPlus Society Coordinator, Elaine celebrated the success of our new PolioPlus Society, which welcomed 108 members in its first year.

Once again, we were honoured to welcome special guest Valarie Wafer, Past Vice President of Rotary International and Co-Chair of the International PolioPlus Committee. Valarie provided an update on the work being carried out by Rotarians and our partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and delivered a powerful message: we are closer than ever to eradicating polio worldwide, but the final push requires all of us to remain committed.

Another keynote speaker joining us again this year was Thie Convery, Arch Klumph Society member, founding Chair of the STamp Out Polio (STOP) satellite Rotary club, and the inaugural member of District 7090’s PolioPlus Society. Thie reminded us that we made a promise to the children of the world to eradicate polio from the face of the earth:

“Although we are 99.9% of the way there, we stop when – and only when – we get to the end (whenever that might be)!”

The evening also featured presentations highlighting District 7090's cycling and fundraising events: Bike the Benchlands, by Chair Dale Hatch of the Rotary Club of Lincoln; Tour de Dundas, by Chair George Eastwood; Participate for Polio, by Organizer Frank Adamson; and Paddle for Polio, by Organizer PDG Scott Marcin.

The evening concluded with an announcement of the winners of a silent auction featuring a Hamilton Tiger-Cats jersey and a pair of tickets to the October 24 (World Polio Day) Tiger-Cats game. (Stay tuned for details!) As was done last year, all proceeds from the auction will be donated to Rotary International’s PolioPlus Fund.

We would like to thank the Hamilton Stadium staff for their support of our event.  A very special thank you goes to our returning Event Sponsor, Anderson's Electronics Inc., and our new sponsor, Joe Apps Technology Support.

And, of course, much appreciation goes to our organizers: District Governor Joanne Serkeyn, AG Hamilton Cluster Cathi MacDonnell, PDG and End Polio Now Coordinator Zone 28 Region 35 Lisa Bishop, PDG Frank Adamson, Badar Shamim, and Elaine Richard.

Rotary Roar 2025: A Roaring Good Time!