Byesville Rotary fights polio with Pints for Polio Event

Pictured: Shana Fair, President Elect Byesville Rotary, and Jessica Fulton, co-owner of the Wagon Wheel, say, “The best way to fight polio is buy a pint and share a meal with friends.”

Join Byesville Rotary at their Pints for Polio event at the Wagon Wheel in Buffalo on Wednesday, March 13, at 5:00. “Pints for Polio is a party with a purpose,” said Melinda Yerian, chair of the event. “Participants will join Bill and Melinda Gates, Rotary International, members of the Byesville Rotary Club, and the Wagon Wheel staff in eliminating polio from the world.” 

A $5.00 donation gets you an exclusive Pints for Polio mug which The Wagon Wheel is going to fill with the beverage of your choice for free. You will pay regular drink prices for each refill and the Wagon Wheel will donate another $1 to Polio eradication. Each one of those dollars will be matched 2 to 1 by Bill and Melinda Gates. Your $5 donation turns into $15 to help eradicate Polio!

You don’t even have to raise a sweat to get into this fight—just raise a mug and enjoy your drink with the great steak 2 for 1 deal offered by the Wagon Wheel on Wednesday nights. You can also have an opportunity to win the 50/50 being held by the Byesville Rotary.

Why do Rotary members care about eliminating polio? Why should you care? There are several good reasons. One—no one wants to see kids or adults paralyzed or killed by this contagious disease. Two--exposure to the polio virus can be just one plane flight away. Travel to a foreign country or contact with someone who had traveled out of the country can expose you to this disease. Three—we are lucky; we have eliminated polio in the United States. That means we no longer see the terrible things this disease can do. It also means we do not give our kids the polio vaccine. They are no longer protected if they are exposed to this dangerous, crippling disease that puts kids in wheelchairs, in braces, or on crutches. Kids under 5 years old are the most likely to get polio. Polio can be prevented, but there is no cure.

Yerian said that last year this event raised $700 which was matched by $1400 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for a total $2100 toward the fight against polio. Efforts like this Polio Plus event have helped reduce polio cases by 99.9% since 1979. So far, polio has been eliminated in 122 countries. There are 3 more to go before polio can join smallpox on the “Disease eliminated” list.

Connect with #ByesvilleRotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com , Twitter or Facebook—Byesville Rotary. The club meets 7:30 am, Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Walk-ins are welcome at the club’s meeting. #6690