End Polio Now

The Rotary Clubs throughout the world are raising the money to
completely eradicate Polio.

This is an ongoing programme and we now need an effort to
eliminate the last few pockets of the disease.
Inevitably the last few areas are difficult to access, both territorially and politically.

The Rotary Club of St Ives held a collection to raise money for the 'End Polio Now' campaign at Tesco's St Ives over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
This campaign to eliminate the scourge of polio from the planet by immunisation has been spearheaded by Rotary over the past 30 years in conjunction with the World Health Authority & more recently supported by the Bill Gates Foundation. Since its inception, the number of cases of polio worldwide has fallen from millions per year with many resulting deaths as well as permanent paralysis, to just a few hundred cases in 2013. A final effort is now required for completion of the work. This is of vital importance as this potentially lethal, highly infectious disease could easily reach epidemic  proportions again & even return to our shores. Remember those horrific photographs of children's wards in the UK filled with young polio victims in the 1940's & 1950's on 'iron lung' machines supporting their paralysed breathing muscles?
One lady who generously donated to this collection at the weekend recalled her father dying in one of these epidemic's, leaving her & her sister orphans & her mother a widow.
The collection was well supported & a total of £565.12 was raised. The Rotary Club of St Ives always welcomes new members. Please contact President Vic Wallis, TEL: 01736 448927, email vicwallis@talktalk.net
Pictured are left & right Rotarians Peter McNeil & Richard Machell & in the centre Rotarian & Councillor Linda Taylor. 

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On the grass verges of the approach road to St. Ives, The St. Ives Rotary Club have planted hundreds of crocuses in the grass.
This makes a cheerful entrance into the town in the spring and helps to publisize our efforts to help END POLIO NOW.

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At the 2013 Rotary District Conferance, some youngsters from the local 'Youth Speaks' competition made a fantastic speech about 'END POLIO NOW'.
Use this link to see a video of the speech.
The first speaker is Vala Salah from Moumt Street School, Plymouth
(Salah only left Kazakhstan, 3 years ago!)
The second speaker is Molly Clemens from Crowan School, near Camborne.
The third speaker is Eva Edgeworth-Anderson from Humphry Davy School, Penzance.
The quality of the speakers is outstanding!
 

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