In honour of World Polio Day, which is widely recognized on October 24, the Sunrise Rotary Club of Cranbrook is sponsoring two events this week as part of Rotary International’s 26-year mission to eradicate polio, the crippling childhood disease.

On Wednesday, October 24, members of Sunrise Rotary will be at the Tamarack Mall from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. raising awareness and funds for the global push to end polio.

On Friday, October 26, Sunrise Rotarians will be at the Kootenay Ice home game at the 2nd Street entrance from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. prior to the game.

Over the past two years, Cranbrook’s Sunrise Rotary Club has raised more than $10,000 for polio eradication through fundraisers such as Pedal for Polio and individual club member donations.

As part of Rotary’s most recent campaign to match a $355 million challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $200 million by June 2012, the humanitarian service organization is close to reaching its goal, with more than $180 million raised to date. The funding will provide critical support to polio eradication activities in parts of Africa and South Asia.

Since 1985, Rotary has contributed more than $1 billion and countless volunteer hours to the protection of more than two billion children in 122 countries.    The disease remains endemic in four countries — Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan – although other countries remain at risk for imported cases.

A highly infectious disease, polio causes paralysis and is sometimes fatal.  As there is no cure, the best protection is prevention. For as little as 60 cents worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life.  After an international investment of more than $8 billion, and the successful engagement of over 200 countries and 20 million volunteers, polio could be the first human disease of the 21st century to be eradicated.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is spearheaded by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).  It includes the support of governments and other private sector donors.

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide to provide humanitarian service and help to build goodwill and peace in the world. It is comprised of 1.2 million members working in more than 34,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic regions.

Rotary invites the public to support the polio eradication initiative by visiting www.rotary.org  or www.endpolionow.org

Sunrise Rotary Club of Cranbrook

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