Club's End Polio Campaign recognised

The Rotary Club of Billericay has just been recognised with District and International awards for its dedication to the End Polio Now campaign.

When it comes to supporting a major Rotary cause, our Club never flinches from the battle. Particularly in the fight against polio. Many people don't realise that Rotary, the world's largest voluntary service group, is instrumental in the campaign to eradicate Polio worldwide.  Rotary's involvement started in 1979 with just one Rotarian in one club deciding he wanted to rid his area of Polio, and this grew to eradicating the disease in the whole of the Philippines, and its adoption by Rotary International in 1985, when it launched PolioPlus, the first and largest internationally coordinated private-sector support of a public health initiative, with an initial pledge of US$120 million.

This global campaign has seen the number of countries with endemic Polio worldwide drop from 125 to just 2 -- Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the number of infected children has dropped by 99.99% from 350,000 a year in 1988 to 37 in 2016 and only 21 in 2017.

The Rotary Club of Billericay raises contributions to the End Polio Now campaign, dedicating funds every year to the campaign, and last year under President Mike Sinclair, making it one of the beneficiaries of our Soapbox Derby, with £3000 donated to the cause.

At a packed District Council Meeting in Writtle on January 17, the club was awarded the District's "Buck Bucket" and a bottle of Buck's Fizz by past District Governor Ken Buck.  This is awarded to the club with the greatest number of members, known as "sustaining Members", who gave USD100 or more to the End Polio Now campaign in a given year.

In addition, Immediate Past District Governor announced that the Rotary Club of Billericay was also the club with the highest per capita contributions to Foundation in its District, receiving a "No. 1 Club in District" pennant to that effect - and also receiving a letter of appreciation from the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation  which stated it was one of a few clubs worldwide in which:

• Every member gave USD100 to End Polio and
• Every member gave USD100 to Foundation for its other charitable causes.

Finally, it was also the recipient, along with approximately 10 other clubs in the District, of an International Certificate of Appreciation for its financial support to the "End Polio Now: Make History Today Campaign".

Good deeds do get their reward!