Pennies are on the way out. Nevertheless, our pennies can still help with polio eradication. It’s time to go through your jars, cans, and couch cushions and bring them to lunch on Wednesday. We will be set up to weigh your pennies, reward you with a “purple pinky*” and announce the results from the podium.

The campaign will continue for the each of the coming Wednesdays leading up to our meeting on October 22 where we will hear from Matthew Boulton, Sr. Associate Dean from the U-M School of Public Health. He will update us on global polio eradication, immunizations, and more.

Some key points to remember about Rotary and polio:

• Rotary was one of the founding partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988.
•  At that time, there were 350,000 cases per year worldwide.
•  Over the years, 2.5 billion children in 122 countries have been vaccinated.
• As of September 15, only Pakistan (24 reported cases this year) and Afghanistan (four cases) remain endemic.
• The Gates Foundation has recently renewed its pledge for a 2:1 match up to $300 million.
• If eradication efforts were to stop, polio could resurge to 200,000 cases per year.
• World Polio Day is Friday, October 24.

I hope to see you Wednesday with pennies in hand (although a ziplock bagful would be easier to handle)!

* “Purple pinky” refers to the dye used to identify kids who have received their vaccination.