Oct. 24 marked the beginning of Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign.

Oct. 24 is the birthday of Dr. Jonas Salk, the scientist who spearheaded the development of the first polio vaccine.

In 1955, more than 10 million children received one or more injections of the Salk vaccine. Within one year, polio cases and deaths in the United States had been nearly halved, which continued and made polio eradication a possibility rather than a dream.

In 1985, Rotary International and several other partners came together to advocate for a world where no child would live in fear of being paralyzed by polio and live with heavy braces on their legs, or in an iron lung assisting chest muscles to move for every breath. The organizations have raised millions of dollars and provided millions of volunteers to cover the globe to personally immunize the world’s children.

Rotary has been joined by the World Health Organization, the Gates Foundation, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to form the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. There are only two countries in the world with active polio cases – Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Rotary Club of Jamestown is taking part in a 90-day challenge to take at least one 10-minute walk each day. This is the local club’s way to support their goal to eradicate polio in the world and support the Rotary Club of Jamestown. Starting Oct. 24, donors can pledge to donate $1 to End Polio Now for each day they purposefully walk 10 minutes or more. At the end of 90 days (January 21, 2025), those participating are asked to donate a 50/50 split between End Polio Now and the Rotary Club of Jamestown; ultimately the percentages people choose to donate is up to them.

Donations can be sent to the Rotary Club of Jamestown Community Service Fund (R.C.J.C.S.F.) End Polio Now, c/o Joni Blackman, Foundation Chairman, PO Box 732, Jamestown, NY 14702.