Members of the East Central University Rotaract Club will dress in their craziest Halloween costumes and collect donations for PolioPlus during its annual “Costumes for a Cure” fundraiser on Oct. 29-30.
Costumed members of the ECU Rotaract Club will 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,” said Linzi Thompson, president of the ECU Rotaract Club. “This event is not only intended to raise money to end polio, but to also draw attention that this disease still exists.”
Each fall semester, Rotaract focuses its fundraising efforts on PolioPlus. Beginning as a regional project a few decades ago, PolioPlus has grown into a world-changing operation with one primary goal – eradicating polio from the planet.
“Though polio is incurable, crippling and potentially deadly, a small 60-cent vaccination can permanently protect children around the world,” Thompson said.
Because of Rotary International, UNICEF, and several other sponsors, more than 2.5 billion children have been vaccinated for this disease, according to Thompson. Rotarians are acting fast to rid polio in the last three countries that remain endemic – Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. Thanks to Rotary International and other sponsors, the world is 99 percent 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,” said Thompson. “Just $1 can save the lives of almost two children.”
Those who don’t see the costumed Rotaractors on the days of “Costumes for a Cure”, can still contribute by going to Dr. Robert Newcomer’s office, room 127D, in the Horace Mann Building.
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