Don Logan still remembers the quarantine sign that was posted on his home’s front door when he was a child. Fear swept through BC as parents tried to prevent their children from contracting polio.
A member of the Rotary Club of Powell River, Logan will speak at a fundraising dinner later this month about what it was like and how he feels about being a polio survivor.
Keynote speaker for the dinner is Brian Finley, Rotary District 5040 End Polio Now chair and past president of the Rotary Club of Squamish.
“To eradicate a disease like polio will be an amazing achievement,” said Finley. “It will be Rotary’s gift to the world.”
Remembering a school friend who needed calipers and crutches to walk, yet remained cheerful and optimistic, inspired Finley to be an advocate for polio eradication. Inspiration also came from meeting polio survivors such as Ramesh Ferris, Gabor Gasztonyi and several others in his hometown of Squamish.
“Polio is Rotary’s number one humanitarian priority,” said Finley. “We are so close, yet there is still much to do. I hope, through my role in Rotary, that I am able to make a contribution and help us get over the finish line.”
Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure but it can be prevented through immunization.
Co-organizers for the local event are Jill Ehgoetz from Rotary’s evening club and Rod Wiebe of the sunrise group.
“Each year, Rotary clubs are asked to set a goal for the End Polio Now program,” said Ehgoetz. “This is in addition to any fundraising we do for local projects. We help the global and our local communities wherever we can.”
Ehgoetz added that the synergy provided by two clubs adds to the success of the event.
Another member of the Powell River clubs, Jan Gisborne, is a polio survivor who travelled to India and Nigeria to immunize children against the crippling disease. She served for many years at the district level, chairing End Polio Now. She has shared her personal experience, both with the disease and as a Rotarian administering vaccines in two countries.
Last year Powell River had a special dinner in October to celebrate Nigeria being declared polio-free and, therefore, the entire African continent.
“The reason given for Nigeria being able to deal with its recent Ebola crisis better than its neighbours was because of the infrastructure set up for polio eradication,” said Gisborne.
October 24 is World Polio Day, which Rotary established more than a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a polio vaccine.
Since 1985, Rotary has led the initiative to eradicate polio and has been joined over the years by the World Health Organization, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF and governments around the world.
When Rotary started its campaign, 350,000 children contracted polio in a year. In 2015, only 75 cases were confirmed worldwide, resulting in the slogan, “We are this close,” to complete eradication.
“Only two countries have never stopped the poliovirus transmission: Afghanistan and Pakistan,” said Gisborne. “Until it is completely gone, it could spread again, including to North America. We are only a plane flight away and must remain vigilant.”
This year, the two Rotary clubs are hosting the End Polio Now fundraiser dinner on Wednesday, October 26, at Brooks Secondary School’s Great Hall. Future Chefs’ Café students will prepare the dinner. As the event is close to Halloween, guests are encouraged to wear masks of any type and a costume if they wish.
Tickets can be purchased from Rotarians or at the Peak office. A percentage of the $40 for each ticket can be used for a taxable donation. Cocktails will be served at 6 pm, followed by dinner at 6:30 pm.
“Every dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication from events like ours is matched two-to-one by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,” says Ehgoetz. “Our Canadian government also contributes to the needed funding.”
