Bill Gates

Bill Gates is cofounder of Microsoft and cochair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with Melinda Gates and William Gates Sr. The Gates Foundation strives to expand opportunities for the world’s most disadvantaged people by collaborating with grantees and partners.

The Gates Foundation is working closely with Rotary International in the fight to eradicate polio. It recently awarded US$355 million in challenge grants to Rotary, which has pledged to raise $200 million in response. The resulting $555 million will support critically needed polio eradication activities.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

A human rights activist and the first black Anglican archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. He chairs the Elders, an international group of senior world leaders, humanitarians, and statesmen who seek peaceful resolutions to the world’s pressing problems. Tutu spoke at a Rotary World Peace Symposium in 2009 and signed a commemorative soccer ball in support of Rotary’s Kick Polio Out of Africa awareness campaign.

Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan

Her Majesty Queen Noor is an international public servant who promotes international exchange and understanding of Arab and Muslim culture and politics, Arab-Western relations, and conflict prevention and recovery issues. She spoke at the 2010 Rotary International Convention.

Jack Nicklaus

Also known as “the Golden Bear,” Nicklaus overcame polio as a teenager to become one of the greatest golfers of all time. He holds a record 18 major championship titles and has won 73 PGA Tour tournaments.

Dr. Jane Goodall

A world-famous primatologist, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation to protect great apes and their habitat. Goodall praised Rotary for its work to eradicate polio in her keynote speech at the 2009 Rotary International Convention.

Itzhak Perlman

The premier violinist of modern times, Perlman contracted polio at age four and overcame physical challenges to achieve international acclaim in classical music. He is the recipient of 15 Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence. In 2009, he lent his talent to the Concert to End Polio, a benefit performance for Rotary.

Amitabh Bachchan

A world-famous Indian actor who has won dozens of major awards throughout his career, Bachchan is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador focused on polio eradication and HIV/AIDS issues.

Zeynab Abib

Pop singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Zeynab of Benin sang in support of childhood vaccinations with her song “Sauvons la vie de nos enfants” (“Let’s save the life of our children”). She also participated in the launch of the Kick Polio Out of Africa awareness campaign.

Dan Maraya Jos

A well-known Hausa folk singer, Jos has participated in National Immunization Day kickoff events. He also recorded radio announcements encouraging Nigerian parents to immunize their children against polio.

Nwankwo Kanu

A soccer legend and member of the Nigerian national football team, Kanu uses his popularity to raise awareness for polio eradication. In a series of television and radio spots he tells fans, “I’ve scored many goals for my country, but there is still one more goal I want to score: I want to kick polio out of Nigeria.”

Calvin Borel

Borel is the first jockey to win the Kentucky Derby three times in a four-year span. He is a native of Louisiana, USA, where the Rotary International Convention will be held in May 2011.

Jackie Chan

This internationally acclaimed film star from Hong Kong is best known for his ability to combine comedic acting with amazing martial arts skills. In 2010, Chan threw out the celebrity first pitch at “Rotary Day at Wrigley Field: Strike Out Polio” before a Chicago Cubs baseball game.

Cherno Jobatey

Jobatey is one of Germany’s most well-known TV presenters. He is involved in charities focused on helping children and families.

Marvin Hamlisch

An American composer, Hamlisch has won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize.

A.R. Rahman

An Indian composer, producer, musician, and singer, Rahman received two Oscars for the movie Slumdog Millionaire.

Isabel Allende

Allende is a Chilean author whose books have been translated into more than 27 languages. Her book Daughter of Fortune was an Oprah's Book Club selection.

Archie Panjabi

Panjabi, an actress, has appeared in films including Bend It Like Beckham and The Constant Gardener. She can now be seen in the CBS television series The Good Wife.

Angélique Kidjo

Kidjo is a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter from Benin.

Ziggy Marley

This Grammy-Award winning reggae singer is also a philanthropist: He founded URGE (Unlimited Resources Giving Enlightenment), an organization to help underprivileged Jamaican children. He is the son of reggae legend Bob Marley.

Hany Salama

This actor from Cairo is immensely popular throughout the Middle East. He supported Rotary's efforts to end polio by participating in the 2010 Kick Polio Out of Africa celebrations in Egypt.

Eddy Merckx

A world-famous Belgian cyclist, Merckx is considered one of the most accomplished riders of all time.

Maria Cucinotta

An Italian actress best known for her roles in Il Postino and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough, Cucinotta attended a 2011 End Polio Now illumination at the Trevi Fountain in Rome to show her support for Rotary's fight against polio.