The Rotary Club of White Rock is calling on citizens to contribute to efforts to end polio, by donating to the Pennies and More for Polio Initiative this week.
World Polio Day is Wednesday, Oct. 24. Eradicating the crippling childhood disease has been a Rotary focus worldwide for 27 years.
The highly infectious disease causes paralysis and is sometimes fatal. As there is no cure, the aim is prevention through vaccination – something that costs about 60 cents per child.
“Once a child is infected with polio, it never goes away and revisits them in later life with crippling results,” said Jacqui Joys, president of the Rotary Club of White Rock.
“There are people living in White Rock who survived polio in the 1950s but are now suffering every day.”
Joys said that since 1985, Rotary has contributed more than $1 billion to the protection of more than two billion children.
“We are continuing to raise funds and want to stress that polio anywhere is a risk to children everywhere.”
The Canadian government, through the Canadian International Development Agency, has committed to supporting Rotary’s eradication initiative with $1 for every $1 raised by Rotarians and their supporters in Canada, to a maximum of $1 million.
The same promise has been made by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
To support the eradication initiative or for more information, visit www.endpolio.org