Rotary celebrates World Polio Day

If you see the Rotary club logo projected on the courthouse tonight, you may be wondering why.

Rotary members in Newnan count among millions who mobilize on World Polio Day to raise public awareness, raise funds and support to end polio – a vaccine-preventable disease that threatens still children in some parts of the world.

The celebration of World Polio Day will be broadcast live from Philadelphia. The program will highlight the progress made in the eradication program and the work that remains to be done to eliminate it completely.

Since Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative 30 years ago, the incidence of polio has dropped by more than 99.9%, from About 350,000 cases a year to only 22 in 2017.

The global effort has reduced the number of reported polo cases by 99.9%, according to Rotary International. So far this year, only 20 new cases have been reported: 15 in Afghanistan and five in Pakistan.

To support this progress and protect all children from polio, Rotary is committed to raising $ 50 million annually to support global efforts to eradicate polio. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match Rotary's commitment to 2: 1.

The Rotary Club of Newnan raised $ 9,876.98 and, in the match against the Gates Foundation, Newnan's Rotary Club raised $ 18,458.98, which means that the club has vaccinated nearly 18,500 children.

"The Newnan Rotary Club is committed to contributing to the eradication of polio," said Newnan Club President Cathy Wright. "When you have members and family members who have been affected by this disease, it's easy to want to make sure that future generations will never have to experience what they're experiencing. did."

The club aims to raise $ 1,000 by next June to vaccinate 3,000 children with the Gates Foundation match.

Rotary International has donated more than $ 1.8 billion to end polio since 1985.

Without full funding or political commitment, members felt that crippling disease could return to previously polio-free countries, putting children at risk.

The Rotary Club of Newnan is a community service organization focused on "service above self". The club meets weekly at Noon on Friday at Newnan Country Club, 1356 US-29. Customers are always welcome.