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The Rotary Club of Bangor, Rotary Club of Bangor Area Breakfast, and Rotary Club of Old Town completed a unique fundraiser: Link to news video.
These three Rotary Clubs raised over $16,638 (which represents one mile of quarters) to help fund the efforts to end Polio world-wide with the Rotary Quarter Mile fundraiser.
One mile of quarters = 66,555 quarters.
= $16,638.75.
= $49,916.25 (2 to 1 match by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation).
= Vaccination of 83,193 children.
On Saturday, May 22nd, 2021, over 30 volunteers, representing the 3 area Rotary Clubs, arrived at the Old Town waterfront to participate in the Rotary Quarter Mile. The early morning started off with the cleaning of the paved walkway to ensure a smooth surface to lay out the quarters on. Rotarians then began the process of loading in the quarters into the change dispensing device. 8 rows were laid at a time around the circular walking path. Many Rotarians jumped in to help by placing quarters manually by hand to help speed the process along.
Over the next 3 hours, 66,555 quarters were strategically lined up around the track. It created an amazing visual experience showcasing the amazing fundraising efforts. Many community members stopped to inquire about the project and request more information on Polio Plus. Local media was also present to feature the project in their news segments. We were able to host live streams on Facebook for the event as well as share many images from the day across all social media platforms.
Upon the completion of the Quarter Mile, Rotarians were able to relax with a celebratory pizza party and great fellowship, something that was much needed after the challenges that COVID 19 has presented over the past 15 months.
The Rotary Quarter mile was a big success in not only raising funds for Polio Plus, but also creating an opportunity for fellowship, community education and cross club relationships.