On September 11, the Rotary Club of Fort Saskatchewan is holding a fund raising event Walk to end Polio. Rotary as a whole, has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years, and has made incredible progress in the fight to rid the world of it forever. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary has helped to reduced polio cases by more than 99.9 percent. It’s crucial to eradicate polio from the last two countries where it remains endemic and to keep other countries polio-free.
“If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year. That is unacceptable,” states Stew Hennig, Walk committee chair. “Anyone wanting to participate as a walker/runner can contact us at fortsaskrotaryclub@gmail.com. Our goal is to raise $5,000 with each participant raising a minimum of $100.”
People can participate in a fun walk of 1, 2 or 5 kms or a fun run of 5 or 10 kms. We will also be accepting donations if people do not want to actually walk or run.
We’re close to eradicating polio, but we’re not done yet. We still need funds to continue immunization and surveillance efforts. Your gift will get us closer to the finish line.
