ECU Rotaract’s Annual “Costumes for a Cure” - A Fight to the Finish to End Polio Worldwide
Next week, ECU Rotaract Club will be holding their annual “Costumes for a Cure” fundraiser for PolioPlus. During this event (held on Oct. 29th and 30th), ECU Rotaractors will dress up in their craziest Halloween costumes and collect donations from ECU faculty, staff, and students. While polio is no longer common in the United States, it is still present in several countries around the world. Therefore, this event is not only intended to raise money to end polio, but to also draw attention that this disease still exists.
Every fall semester, Rotaract focuses its fundraising efforts on PolioPlus. Starting out as a regional project a few decades ago, PolioPlus has grown into a world-changing operation with one main goal – eradicating polio from the planet. So far, only one disease has ever been eradicated: smallpox in 1980. Now, polio is expected to be the 2nd ever eradicated disease, and it is expected to occur within our lifetime.
While polio is incurable, crippling, and potentially deadly, a small, $0.60 vaccination can permanently protect children around the world. Because of Rotary International, UNICEF, and several other sponsors, over 2.5 billion children have been vaccinated for this disease. Today Rotarians are acting fast to rid polio in the last 3 countries that remain endemic– Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Thanks to Rotary International and these sponsors, the world is now 99% polio-free.
However, the fight is not over yet. Polio has once again returned in several other countries, and if we don’t act fast this life-crippling disease could come back worse than before.
Just one dollar can save the lives of almost two children. If you don’t see Rotaractors on the days of “Costumes for a Cure” but would still like to contribute, please stop by Horace Mann, room 127D (Dr. Robert Newcomer’s office).
To learn more please visit: www.endpolionow.org
Thank you for your time, and we hope that together we can give the world hope!
Linzi Thompson
ECU Rotaract Club
President, 2014-15