24 October is World Polio Day! Are You Ready?
As World Polio Day approaches, Rotary needs your help to amplify its message about eradicating polio to protect the world’s children from a devastating disease.
Rotary has made tremendous progress since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched:
Rotary has made tremendous progress since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched:
- A 99.9% reduction in cases of illness caused by wild poliovirus
- 3 billion children immunized
- 125 countries where polio was endemic reduced to two — Afghanistan and Pakistan — with the virus contained in just a few districts and provinces
But even just one case still represents one child’s life forever changed by polio.
That’s why Rotary members must remain tenacious and keep our promise: We won’t stop until we know that no child will ever again experience the paralyzing effects of polio.
Let’s use World Polio Day to advocate for the support we need to make history by eradicating polio. Together, we end polio!
Let’s use World Polio Day to advocate for the support we need to make history by eradicating polio. Together, we end polio!
Get involved
Take action this World Polio Day by hosting virtual and community events, creating fundraisers, and talking about the importance of polio eradication on social media.
Plan
If you haven’t started planning your World Polio Day action, now is the time! Visit the World Polio Day Resources page for tips and tools your club can use to help achieve a polio-free world.
For some great background information and suggestions on what you can do for World Polio Day, check out Past Rotary International President John Germ as he his team discuss why it is so important for Rotarians to share the story of Rotary's role in our quest to drop to zero; and, learn about ideas and resources that your club and district can leverage to put together a successful event.
Post on social media
Use the materials on the World Polio Day Resources page to spread the word about World Polio Day and the importance of polio eradication. Don’t forget to use the hashtags #EndPolio and #WorldPolioDay!
Register
Register your club’s participation in World Polio Day to show how you’re taking action to eradicate polio. As a special incentive this year, the districts with the highest percentage of clubs that register a World Polio Day action will receive a special thank-you message from RI President R. Gordon R. McInally.
However you decide to get involved, register your club’s action. No effort is too small or too big to share.
Fundraise
Use Raise for Rotary to start a World Polio Day online fundraiser. All contributions will go to the PolioPlus Fund. The top Raise for Rotary World Polio Day 2023 fundraisers will be featured on My Rotary.
| Start a fundraiser |
Rotarian Jason Browne partnered with Raids of Love, a community of gamers dedicated to doing good, to host “Gamers to End Polio” charity streams on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Kick. They raised over US$4,000 for PolioPlus and also educated viewers on polio and Rotary’s PolioPlus initiative. Learn more about this fundraiser by watching the first Voices of Members video.
Join the PolioPlus Society
Become a member of the District 7030 PolioPlus Society by committing to contribute US $100 (or more) annually to the TRF PolioPlus Fund. This year you also have the chance to be recognized as a PPS Champion and your club can participate in the PPS Club Challenge
World Polio Day Task
Lastly, make sure and register your World Polio Day activities with Zones 33/34 as part of the 2023-2024 Public Image Citation. Visit ElevateRotary.org and you can upload photos, reference social media posts and describe what your activity entails and accomplished