How Rotary members in State College are helping to end polio
Rotary members in State College are taking action during World Polio Day on Oct. 24 to raise awareness, to raise funds, and to support to end of this paralyzing disease. Though eliminated in the Americas in 1994, polio is a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.
One way you can help is to join State College/Downtown Rotarians at Boal City Brewing on Thursday for “Pints Against Polio!” from 5-7 p.m. Two dollars from every pint sold will be donated to the Rotary Foundation’s PolioPlus campaign.
The money Rotary raises to fight polio is matched 2 to 1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, boosting the donation to $6 per pint toward Rotary International’s polio eradication campaign. In total, $150 million is contributed every year to sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine.
Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. Most know it as poliovirus. The virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine — one which Rotary and our partners used to immunize over 2.5 billion children worldwide.
The world has made huge strides against polio with cases down 99.9% over the last four decades. With renewed global attention and commitment, we can finally beat polio, but the last stretch is the toughest.
Polio anywhere is a threat everywhere, and Rotary members from the State College/Downtown Rotary Club have long worked to end the paralyzing virus, which will be only the second human disease ever to be eradicated. Until we end polio forever, every child is at risk.
Rotary has contributed more than $2.7 billion to fight polio and countless volunteer hours since launching its PolioPlus program in 1985. In 1988, Rotary joined in partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to form the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, later joined. When the initiative launched, there were 350,000 cases of polio every year. Today, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9%. Visit Rotary.org and endpolio.org for more about Rotary and its efforts to eradicate polio.
How can local Rotary clubs have an impact? Rotary International brings together a global network of local community leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Through Rotary International, we are connected with 1.4 million members from more than 46,000 Rotary clubs across the world. By taking action together, our service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in our own communities to working toward a polio-free world.
Who are the State College/Downtown Rotarians? We are community leaders and hardworking professionals striving to make Happy Valley and Centre County better than ever. You have probably seen our members volunteering in the community. We are the folks who run the Ice Cream Fest every August and who co-sponsor the no-cost fresh produce market for Centre County residents each summer. And we work with area nonprofit agencies throughout the year to help support programs for children and families in the region. We are People of Action. You can learn more by visiting our website: downtownstatecollegerotary.org.
Join us Thursday to raise a glass and help us in the fight to end polio worldwide!