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Neighbors | Submitted .The Boardman Rotary Club drew a purple “X” on their pinkies for Polio awareness. The club wishes to eradticate polio completely.
Members of Boardman Rotary walked into their weekly meeting on Oct. 24, and were asked to give Polio the pinky.
Each Rotarian that entered the room received a purple ‘X’ on their finger, symbolizing an important message that Rotarians across the globe hold near and dear to their hearts – eradicating polio once and for all.
October was Polio Awareness Month and Oct. 24 was Polio Awareness Day. Polio is, as the World Health Organization describes it, a highly infectious viral disease common amongst children. However, the disease is treatable with a vaccine. It is also Rotary International’s primary objective.
Rotary first began the End Polio initiative with a project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Since then, Rotarians have worked to reduce polio by 99.9 percent, immunizing 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. Last year, only 37 cases of polio were reported in just three countries – the lowest in history.
In Boardman, the community Rotary club raised $562 for the PolioPlus Fund in just fifteen minutes. Club members bid in a white elephant auction full of small items, with the closeness to eradicating polio as the driving force.
The donation from Boardman Rotary will be tripled by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, making the total donation $1,686. Each donation helps the PolioPlus Fund obtain and transport vaccines and receive materials needed to end polio once and for all.
For more information, visit the Rotary International End Polio Now website at www.endpolio.org.
Boardman Rotary meets on Tuesdays at 12:15 p.m. in the Rotary Room, located inside the LaRiccia Family Community Center at Boardman Park.