For many years, Lake Placid Rotarians have raised both funds and awareness to support the effort to end this crippling disease. Through local events, educational programs, and community outreach, the club continues to help ensure that every child, everywhere, can live free from polio.

When Rotary International launched the PolioPlus program in 1985, more than 350,000 cases of polio occurred each year in over 125 countries. Thanks to Rotary’s global partnerships with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, polio cases have dropped by more than 99.9%.

Today, the virus remains endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Yet polio anywhere remains a threat everywhere. If even one child goes unvaccinated, the virus can spread and return.

Rotary members around the world continue to lead this historic campaign. Rotary has contributed over $2.6 billion to eradicate polio, with each dollar matched two-to-one by the Gates Foundation. These funds pay for vaccines, transportation, cold storage, and the dedicated health workers who travel from house to house to reach every child.

The Rotary Club invites residents to take part in this effort. Learn more at endpolio.org, donate to the PolioPlus Fund, or wear purple on Oct. 24, the campaign’s signature color, to show support for children worldwide who deserve a polio-free future. Together, our community can help finish what Rotary started and play a part in ending polio for good.

If you would like to learn more about Rotary, visit rotarylakeplacid.org.