Bob and Tom Zengeler Reach Another Historic Rotary Milestone
Northbrook, IL, July 25, 2017: The Zengeler family just reached another historic milestone with their support of Rotary International. Bob Zengeler, the former President of Zengeler Cleaners, became a charter member of Libertyville Rotary 55 years ago. Tom Zengeler, Bob's son and the current President of the family-owned company, is a charter Member of Libertyville Rotary - Sunrise. That chapter was formed in 1987, giving Tom 30 years of service. Combined, the two Zengeler leaders have been active Rotarians for an impressive 85 years.
Why does one family have such strong support for Rotary International? "Rotary International is a wonderful example of the type of organizations Zengeler Cleaners loves to support," said Tom Zengeler. "One of the hallmarks of Rotary is that they continuously look for new ways to improve the well-being of people throughout the world. One high-profile example was their leadership in the fight to eradicate polio worldwide - a three-decades long year battle that has brought the world closer and closer to eradicating this debilitating disease."
That effort recently received a giant boost from the Gates Foundation. "Going forward, the Gates Foundation will match two-to-one, up to $35 million per year, every dollar Rotary commits to reduce the funding shortfall for polio eradication through 2018," said Jeff Raikes, the foundation's chief executive officer. "If fully realized, the value of this new partnership with Rotary is more than $500 million. In this way, your contributions to polio will work twice as hard."
The joint effort, called "End Polio Now - Make History Today," comes during a critical phase for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The estimated cost of the initiative's 2013-18 Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan is $5.5 billion. Funding commitments, announced at the Global Vaccine Summit in April, total $4 billion. Unless the $1.5 billion funding gap is met, immunization levels in polio-affected countries will decrease. And if polio is allowed to rebound, within a decade, more than 200,000 children worldwide could be paralyzed every year. Obviously, Rotary and the Gates Foundation are determined not to let polio make a comeback.
Rotary clubs are actively involved with service a little closer to home, as well. The two Libertyville chapters have dozens of active, concerned members who share a strong belief in service. For example, Libertyville Rotary Sunrise is a long-time supporter of the annual Coats for Vets drive. In 2016 alone, they collected 4,128 coats and jackets along with gloves, scarves and other winter apparel with a retail value exceeding $400,000.00. The donated items were then inspected, repaired as needed, then cleaned and delivered to the VA hospital in North Chicago. This is just one of the many projects spearheaded by the two chapters.
Rotary International is a 110-year old worldwide organization that provides humanitarian service, encourages highly ethical standards in all vocations, and works to build goodwill and peace in the world. Approximately 1.2 million Rotarians belong to more than 35,000 clubs in more than 200 countries.
A picture of Bob and Tom Zengeler is enclosed. For more information about Zengeler Cleaners' community involvement, contact Tom Zengeler, President, at (847) 272-6550, ext.14 ... or visit Zengeler's website at www.zengelercleaners.com. For more information about Rotary International, visit www.rotary.org. Zengeler Cleaners has stores in Deerfield, Hubbard Woods, Northbrook, Northfield, Winnetka, Long Grove and two stores in Libertyville.