Rotary Club of Montecito gets moving to raise awareness and funds for polio eradication
Community invited to join free World Polio Day virtual event on Oct. 24.
Montecito, California – The Rotary Club of Montecito is joining forces with fellow Rotarians from across the Santa Barbara area to raise awareness and funds to eradicate polio globally.
This month, Montecito Rotary Club members will be biking, hiking and walking on local beaches and trails to increase public awareness and generate money for this important cause, both individually and in group events.
Community members are invited to join the effort, by participating in events and donating through the Rotary Club of Montecito's fundraiser page. Every dollar collected will be matched 2 to 1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for triple impact.
Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 30 years. The organization is a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and has reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since the initiative's first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
"Since Rotary and its global partners launched their polio vaccine efforts with children in 1988, polio has been nearly eradicated. But the work must continue," said Rotary Club of Montecito President Kati Buehler. "Without full funding, this paralyzing disease could return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk."
Santa Barbara-area Rotary Clubs will also be hosting a virtual, World Polio Day event on October 24th at 4pm. The event is free and open to the public. To register visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcocOmrpjIsGtecQY1o1iqPcOQiHbGA_5hH
Founded in 1953, the Rotary Club of Montecito supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational and cultural exchange programs. The club regularly participates in volunteer activities in Montecito, the surrounding community, and in countries around the world.
Rotary is a network of more than 35,000 Clubs in almost every country. The organization has 1.2 million members who come together to complete service projects to make positive, lasting change in their communities. Rotarians take action in five key areas: providing access to clean water and sanitation, supporting education, preventing and treating disease, supporting mothers and children and growing local economies.
For more information about the Rotary Club of Montecito and the fight for polio eradication visit MontecitoRotary.org. Non-Rotary members interested in participating in a polio eradication awareness event may email Kati Buehler buehlerkatirotary@gmail.com.
