Rotary members in Kelowna are taking action on World Polio Day to raise awareness, funds, and support to end polio, a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.
There are two events that anyone can participate in to help support the cause on Thursday, Oct 24. The first is an event at Mission Tap House from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at 3110 Lakeshore Road, Kelowna. Rotarians and the public are invited to purchase a burger and beer combination for $30 with $10 going to Polio Plus.
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The Rotary Club will also be meeting at Executive House on 737 Leon Street at 6:30 p.m. The second event is the screening of the movie Breathe, a film about a polio survivor, directed by Andy Serkis. Attendance is by donation.
Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem-solvers who unite and take action to create lasting change in communities around the world.
When the Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative more than three decades ago, polio paralyzed 1,000 children every day. Rotary has made great progress against the disease since then. Polio cases have dropped by 99.9 per cent. Rotary has helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries.
“We are looking forward to raising awareness of the need to take the final steps to ending polio across the globe,” said Susan McIntyre, President of the Rotary Club of Kelowna Sunrise.
So far, Rotary has contributed more than $1.8 billion to eradicate the disease worldwide. It costs $3 on average to fully protect a child against polio.
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