World Polio Day recognized by Meadowbrook Interact Club

Pictured: Meadowbrook Interact students celebrate World Polio Day with Purple Pinkie event.

  

Byesville Rotary and Meadowbrook Interact (a Rotary service club for young people) recognized World Polio Day by raising money to help to end polio—a crippling disease that still threatens children in parts of the world today.

For over 30 years, Rotary has worked to make polio the second human disease to be eradicated. Smallpox was the first disease eradicated. Ten years ago, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation joined Rotary in the fight against polio. The money raised by Meadowbrook Interact and Byesville Rotary will be tripled by a 2 to 1 match from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The Interact club raised $50 dollars—that equals a $150 donation. Rotary club members were encouraged to write checks to PolioPlus—the Rotary committee leading the fight against polio. Club members added $300 to fight polio effort.

To date Rotary has donated $49.5 million to the fight against polio. The result is that worldwide polio has ended in 122 countries. So far in 2017, only 12 polio cases have been reported in 3 countries—Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria.

Why should we worry about polio in countries so far away? Until polio is completely eradicated, the disease could return to countries that are now polio free. No unvaccinated child or adult is safe from an infectious disease like polio. Dangerous, infectious diseases are just 1 airline flight away.

Meadowbrook Interact students hosted a Purple Pinkie Day to raise money. Each person making a donation had his or her pinkie finger painted purple. The purple pinkie has special significance in countries where vaccinations are being given. In order to keep track of which children have been vaccinated, the vaccinator paints indelible purple ink on the little finger nail of the child’s left hand. Before giving a child the polio vaccine, this finger is checked to see if the child has recently been vaccinated. If the child’s pinkie is not purple, the child gets the vaccine.

Connect with #ByesvilleRotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com , Twitter Byesville_Club, or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. 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

Meadowbrook Interact Club holds “Purple Pinkie” fundraiser

Meadowbrook Interact Club holds “Purple Pinkie” fundraiser to support Rotary’s effort to eliminate polio. Meadowbrook student Nate Snyder and Interact member Kaitlynn McConahay staff “Purple Pinkie” table during lunch period at Meadowbrook. Students making a donation will have a finger painted purple in imitation of the children receiving the polio vaccine have a finger stained purple to indicate they have been immunized.

RYLA attendees report experiences to Byesville Rotary

Pictured: Victoria Dunlap, Claudia Echard, and Matt Stemmer—Interact members, Rhonda Stemmer, Meadow Brook Interact Adviser.

Three Meadow Brook students who are members of the Interact service club attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) leadership conference this summer. Victoria Dunlap, Claudia Echard and Matt Stemmer shared their experiences at the 2 1/2 day event with club members. The students were sponsored by the Byesville Rotary

RYLA gives students from Guernsey County a chance to meet other students from central and southeastern Ohio while spending two and a half days learning about themselves, learning from others and having fun. The RYLA program gives young people an opportunity to explore and develop leadership skills with other students with similar potential.

The Meadow Brook students described participating in group learning activities, discussions, speakers, and interaction with peers. These hands-on activities helped the students to explore their own leadership styles and strengths, to learn skills that will enable them to be aware o their community’s needs, to learn how to work to meet the needs of their community, and to develop and appreciation for community service.

Victoria displayed the goody bag and the learning materials the students received at the conference. She described a learning activity which involved learning about the six pillars of character. Victoria pointed out that once the students were familiar with these concepts, they were asked to write and perform a skit that illustrated a character trait.

Claudia was interested in all the people she met. She was surprised that many of the conference attendees were not Interact members. She enjoyed letting these students know about Interact. Her roommate was an Interact member and also a Rotary foreign exchange student Claudia was excited to learn about this program which sends students abroad for a couple of months to a year.

Matt Stemmer described one of the last programs of the conference—a presentation entitled “Because I Said I Would. The speaker gave practical advice about how to keep a promise. Matt explained that when you make a promise, you write your promise down on a card and give it to the person you are making the promise to. When you keep your promise, you will get the card back.

Byesville Rotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com or https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. 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.

Pictured: Victoria Dunlap, Claudia Echard, and Matt Stemmer—Interact members, Rhonda Stemmer, Meadow Brook Interact Adviser.