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ECU Rotaract Club – the collegiate division of Rotary – will be raising funds for PolioPlus during their annual Costumes for a Cure fundraiser. This event will occur on Oct. 30th and 31st as Rotaractors dress up for Halloween and ask for donations from ECU faculty and students. Just one dollar can save the lives of almost two children. If you don’t see Rotaractors on this day but would still like to contribute, please stop by Horace Mann 127D (Dr. Newcomer’s office).
 
We’ve all heard of people wanting to save the world, but Rotary International is doing just that – saving the world from polio that is. Starting out as a regional project, PolioPlus has grown into a world-changing operation with one main goal – eradicating polio from the planet. A feat of this size has only ever been accomplished once, back when smallpox was eliminated in 1980.
 
While polio is an incurable, crippling, and even deadly disease that has been eliminated from the United States, its presence is still common in several countries around the world. Fortunately with a small, $0.60 vaccination, young children can become permanently protected.  Because of Rotary International, UNICEF, and several other sponsors, over 2,000,000,000 children have been vaccinated for this disease. Today Rotarians are acting fast to rid polio in the last 3 countries that remain endemic– Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Thanks to Rotary International and several other sponsors, the world is now 99% polio-free with an astounding 193 polio-free countries. 
 
However, we are not there yet. Polio has once again returned in several other countries, and if we don’t act fast this life-crippling disease could come back worse than before. 
 
To learn more please visit: www.endpolionow.org 
 
Thank you for your time, and we hope that together we all can give the world hope!
 
Linzi Thompson
Vice-President
 

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