Rotary Celebrates Eradication Of Polio With World Polio Day October 24

The members of the Rotary Clubs of Lakewood Rocky River join are joining with 1.2 million Rotary members, in nearly 34,000 Rotary Clubs around the world, to celebrate the eradication of the crippling disease of polio. It all started in 1979 by Rotary with the administration of the first dose of an oral polio vaccine in the Philippines; 6 million children in the Philippines have been vaccinated. Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for 40 years, and the goal of ridding the earth of this disease is in sight.

Today, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic. During the last 40 years Rotary has helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. So far, Rotary members have contributed more than 1.8 billion dollars through a program called Polio Plus, which was established by Rotary International in 1985 to coordinate this effort. Individual Clubs contributed through fundraising activities, and members made donations to Rotary International to make this result possible.  

This is just one of the many community, vocational, youth, and international service projects of the Lakewood Rocky River Rotary Clubs.  Current projects include support of the Rocky River Assistance program, the Lakewood Charitable Assistance program and the Lakewood Community Service Center which help needy families in those communities. Scholarships are awarded annually to assist worthy students to pay their college tuition and vocational students are rewarded for their hard work in preparing for starting careers. The Clubs also provide personal and school supplies to impoverished children in Nicaragua.

There is a Club that meets for breakfast on Wednesday mornings and another that meets for lunch on Mondays. To learn how you can “give back” through service by joining with other men and women members of the Lakewood Rocky River Rotary Clubs, contact Kathy Berkshire, sloopyohio19@gmail.com,