Rotary members in Dubois County are taking action in honor of World Polio Day to raise awareness, funds, and support to end polio; a vaccine-preventable disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.
In support of this mission, the Rotary Club of Dubois County is teaming up with the four McDonald’s locations in Dubois County. On October 24th, from 5 to 8 PM, the McDonald’s restaurants in Huntingburg, Ferdinand, and both Jasper locations, will donate 20% of Happy Meal proceeds to the local Rotary to help eradicate Polio.
For those who cannot visit a McDonald’s location on World Polio Day but still wish to make a tax-deductible donation to the cause of eradicating polio, contact the Club at rotaryclubduboiscounty@gmail.com.
Rotary has contributed more than US $2.7 billion to fight polio and countless volunteer hours since launching its PolioPlus program in 1985.
In 1988, Rotary joined in partnership with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to form the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, later joined.
When the initiative launched, there were 350,000 cases of polio every year. Today, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9%.
To sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine, Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1 for a total yearly contribution of US$150 million.
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