World Polio Day is Monday, October 24. RCAA will commemorate this special day on Wednesday, October 26. Plan to join us in the Anderson Room on this day for a wonderful speaker and a variety of activities.

Let’s take a brief look at Rotary’s long history in the fight against POLIO.

In 1985, Rotary launched Polio Plus the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support of a public health initiative with an initial fundraising target of US 120 million.

In 1988, Rotary International and the World Health Organization launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. At that time there were an estimated 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries.

In 2006, the number of polio endemic countries drops to 4: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria and Pakistan.

In 2009 Rotary’s overall contribution to eradication reaches almost 800 million. Bill and Melinda Gates join the effort contributing 355 million and issuing a 200 million challenge grant to Rotary, which Rotary achieved.

2021 – Along with our partners Rotary has helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children against polio in 122 countries.

We have reduced polio cases by 99.9 % worldwide and we won’t stop until we end the disease for good.

Please join us in our efforts to continue this important fight to eradicate POLIO. Every Rotarian should be proud of this monumental effort to stop the spread of POLIO.

To make your tax-deductible donation, go to https://www.a2rotary.org/end-polio-now/

RCAA Polio Committee: Rosemarie Rowney, Norma Sarkar, Lois Stenger and District Polio Chair Anne Nauts