Attendees were invited to “fill the purple piggies” to donate to eradication efforts, raising several thousand more dollars for the campaign to eradicate polio.
Earlier in February, Wakefield Rotarians Carla Dale, Barbara Worley, and Jim Fitzgerald and his wife Ellen attended the Rotary District 7930’s World Peace and Understanding Dinner to get an update on Rotary’s international efforts to end polio. Held at Spinelli’s in Lynnfield, the Chair of the International PolioPlus Committee at Rotary International, Mike McGovern of Maine, was the Keynote Speaker. His presentation, titled, “Navigating the Polio Vaccine During Turbulent Times” updated the local attendees on how Rotary and its international partners are moving through mixed feelings on vaccines. The event raised over ten thousand dollars to support eradication campaigns world-wide.
Rotarian Jim Fitzgerald said, “Keynote speaker Mike McGovern gave those in attendance hope and the assurance that Rotary forges onward in the global quest to eradicate Polio.” He added, “Having acknowledged that a degree of anti-vaccination sentiment exists in today’s society, it has not diminished Rotary’s resolve to improve lives through each vaccine administered to those who otherwise would remain susceptible to contracting this debilitating disease. ”
According to Rotary’s polio educational website, “Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 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 $10 billion to the effort.”
The Wakefield club has also raised over fifty thousand dollars towards for polio eradication and commemorates World Polio Day each October.