Spencer, Iowa (NorthwestIowaNow.com) — Two Iowa pilots who have twice taken to the skies for one of Rotary International’s most ambitious missions were guest speakers at the Spencer Rotary Club meeting on Monday, November 17th.
Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels, both long-time Rotarians, have completed two massive fundraising flights to help finish the job of polio eradication. After circumnavigating the globe in 2023, they followed up with a 2025 “Circle the Atlantic” mission, covering 11 countries to keep the issue front-of-mind.
Teahen told us why they keep flying, even when the end of polio seems so close.
The flights have been a massive success, raising well over two million dollars. Every dollar donated to the Rotary Foundation PolioPlus Program gets matched two-to-one by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, effectively tripling the impact.
The money is critical now that polio remains endemic in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ockenfels stressed that every donation, no matter the size, helps in this final, expensive push.
The pilots emphasize that their goal for both flights was simple: to ensure one hundred percent of all public donations went directly to the PolioPlus fund. They paid for the entire cost of the travel themselves. That initial commitment was essential, as Ockenfels explained, due to early concerns about the scale of the venture.
With the success of both historic journeys, Rotary International and local clubs like the Spencer chapter are now fully engaged, recognizing that the extraordinary effort highlights the core Rotary value of “Service Above Self”.
