On World Polio Day, thousands of Rotary clubs around the world will hold events and fundraisers to recognise our progress in the global fight to end polio.
Poliomyelitis, or polio, is a paralysing and potentially fatal disease that still threatens children in some parts of the world. Poliovirus invades the nervous system and can cause total paralysis in hours. It can strike people of any age but mainly affects children under five. Polio can be prevented by vaccines, but it is not curable. Unlike most diseases, polio can be eradicated.
PolioPlus
For more than 30 years, Rotary and our partners have driven the effort to eradicate polio worldwide. Our PolioPlus program was the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication by vaccinating children on a massive scale. As a core partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary focuses on advocacy, fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and awareness-building.
Rotary members have contributed $1.9 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $8 billion to the effort.
Ride Like A Girl - raising funds for PolioPlus
On Sunday 15th September the Rotary Club of Wahroonga hosted the film Ride Like a Girl, at the Event Cinemas in Hornsby. Ride Like a Girl is the inspirational true story of Michele Payne - the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup. This event was in support of Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign.
.JPG "Martin McGrath")
Our special guest for this film event was Martin McGrath, one of Australia’s most experienced cinematographers who spoke about the film, working with director Rachel Griffiths, and the challenges and highlights of shooting the film.
