Elgin Rotary Clubs join in proclaiming Oct. 24 as World Polio Day
The Elgin Breakfast and Elgin Noon Rotary clubs are proud to announce the City of Elgin declared Oct. 24 as World Polio Day in Elgin.
During the Elgin City Council meeting, Mayor David Kaptain read the proclamation aloud with some members of both clubs present.
Because of the Rotary's tireless efforts, 16 million people are walking today who would have otherwise been paralyzed.
In 1985, Rotary launched PolioPlus and spearheaded the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which today includes the World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to immunize all the children of the world against polio.
Polio cases have dropped over 99.9 percent since 1988, and the world now stands on the threshold of eradicating this dread disease.
If polio isn't eradicated, within 10 years, as many as 200,000 children could be paralyzed by it each year.
A polio-free world will save the global economy $40-$50 billion in health costs within the next 20 years. Polio eradication will be one of history's greatest public health achievements. You can be a part of it by supporting your local Rotary Club or visit www.endpolio.org to find out other ways.
About Rotary
The Elgin Breakfast Rotary Club meets at 7:15 a.m. Thursdays at the Grumpy Goat Restaurant, 875 Sports Way, Elgin. Come join the club for breakfast!
To learn more about the Elgin Breakfast Rotary Club, visit www.facebook.com/ElginBreakfastRotaryClub/ or www.elginbreakfastrotary.com.
The Elgin Noon Rotary Club meets at 12:15 p.m. Mondays at Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago Northwest-Elgin, 495 Airport Road. To learn more, visit rotaryclubofelgin.org or www.facebook.com/RotaryClubofElgin/.
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.2 million members of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work impacts lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. For more information, call Alan Kirk, Elgin Breakfast Rotary Club's past president, at (847) 815-4895.