Since its founding in 2004, Athletics for Education and Success (AFES) has worked to reach as many youth and families as possible, providing support wherever it is needed. Its programs include youth sports, after-school and summer programs, mentoring, housing assistance, food pantries, shoe giveaways and bedding programs. AFES has also stepped up for families in times of crisis, including helping a family who lost everything in a house fire.

Today, AFES serves 57 children through its programs, 67 through its summer program, and approximately 150 young people through its Jr. NBA basketball league. AFES isn't only for children from troubled homes--every young person can benefit from having a caring adult in their corner. 

Destiny Clayton is helping carry that mission forward through her work with the AFES Mentor Program. The Mentoring Program's goal is simple: help young people move in the right direction and remind them that they matter. Mentors meet with students at least once a month, providing encouragement, guidance and, perhaps most importantly, letting kids know that someone cares about them.  AFES' Mentor Program is licensed. The hope had been for the program to access grant funding as a licensed agency; sadly, federal funding for such programs was pulled this year. In spite of this, AFES is continuing the program. If you can help, whether financially or by becoming a mentor, please do! 

The Saturday “Messenger” contained a picture with two Rotarians, John and Mary Kay Daniel.  The staff of Daniel Pharmacy was pictured as a celebration of 63 years of serving the needs of the Fort Dodge community.  The family practices the principles of the Rotary 4-Way Test in how they operate their business.  Kudos to the Daniel family.

The October “Rotary Magazine” is devoted totally to Polio, past, present, and future.  It is fitting that this edition precedes the October 24th World Polio Walk that our club will be a participant.  In the modern era Polio has become a nearly forgotten disease that once affected millions.  It is becoming more difficult to find people who remember the “scourge.”  Therefore, our club will aid Rotary International in providing a worldwide emphasis that Polio still exists and our eradication effort is not quite complete.  To that goal the “Rotary Magazine” highlights recent efforts to immunize children in Pakistan by using both native workers who are assisted by people who carry examples of what Polio can do to the human body and its bones.  As quoted in the magazine RI states that the wild strain of Polio is eliminated in all but two countries - Afghanistan and Pakistan, in an area that is hard to reach and is controlled by traditional Islamic families skeptical of all things western.  But the good news is that last year Pakistan had reduced the number of new cases to 17, and from January to October of this year that number is 3.  Google states in a search that the number in Afghanistan in 2026 is 32.  

Fort Dodge can still count older individuals who have the signs of Polio deformities acquired as children prior to the immunization efforts beginning in 1955.  Your eBulletin editor remembers when a child was diagnosed with Polio in rural Nebraska prior to the vaccines all children were confined to their homes/farms and schools closed until the parents were somewhat assured the virus had left the area.  As a young child it was a very scary time, but the quarantines of my parents kept me from the disease.