WORLD POLIO DAY

This October marks 95 years since Jonas Salk, developer of the first safe and effective polio vaccine, was born. Saturday, 24 October, is World Polio Day – a perfect opportunity to join the fight to end the disease.

Rotarians are raising $200 million to match the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s $355 million in grants by 30 June 2012. Here are some ways you can help:

1. Organize a club fundraiser, such as an auction, a walkathon, or a purple pinkie project. Rotary clubs are each being asked to contribute at least $2,000 annually for three years. Get more ideas.
2. Order reprints of the illustrated Amazing Stories of Polio! for new and prospective club members, and for local schools and libraries, at shop.rotary.org. For bulk orders, call 847-866-4600.
3. Arrange a screening of The Final Inch at a theater. This Academy Award-nominated, 38-minute documentary follows health workers, including Rotarian volunteers, as they immunize children in India. The DVD is available at www.thefinalinch.org.
4. Create a link from your club’s Web site to the Rotary International YouTube channel, which includes videos and public service announcements on eradicating polio, or embed one of the video on your Web site.
5. Make an individual donation to Rotary’s $200 Million Challenge.