Champaign West Rotarians are asking your help to support Rotary International and its 20 year effort to eradicate polio once and for all.

Rotary raises funds to eradicate Polio

Champaign West Rotarians are asking your help to support Rotary International and its 20 year effort to eradicate polio once and for all.  Rotarians throughout the world are committed to matching the fundraising challenge presented by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to raise $200 million to match the $355 million in grants received from the Gates Foundation.   You can help Champaign West Rotary club members raise funds locally at the County Market on March 21 ^st and 28 ^th from 10.

Compared to this time last year, the number of new cases of polio has decreased but it is infecting people in more countries. By March 17, 2008, eight countries reported a total of 191 new cases of polio; this year, 151 new cases across 13 countries have been reported, including India, Kenya, and Afghanistan.

The "End Polio Now" campaign to forever eliminate the risk of polio focuses on "building ownership and securing high-level political commitment; helping communities understand immunization." *  It also coordinates and implements immunization campaigns to at-risk communities.

Bill and Melinda Gates have donated matching grants of $355 million to help Rotary International end polio. "As Rotary spread across the globe, so did the principle of Service Above Self," said Bill Gates. "Rotary provides the infrastructure for scaling up one of the best ideas that human beings ever had: that helping others is not just a duty -- it's fun and rewarding."

Each Rotary chapter across the world will be raising part of the matching funds, which must be done by June 12th, 2012. Champaign West Rotary Club will be at the County Market on Kirby and Duncan in Champaign from 10 A.M. to 2 P.M. on Saturdays March 21st and 28th.   In addition, a $5 contribution can also be made digitally by texting "polio" at 90999.

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* www.polioeradication.org