Polio Challenge

Weekly Elixir – Rotary Club of Parry Sound

…for the week of October 19, 2009

Polio Challenge –

Westborough (MA) Rotary Club hoping to raise awareness of forgotten disease

By Scott O'Connell/GateHouse News Service
The MetroWest Daily News
Posted Oct 19, 2009
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Westborough Rotary Club - PO Box 840 Westborough, Massachusetts, 01581 USA

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Next weekend the Westborough Rotary Club will be out in full force to raise awareness of a deadly disease.

On Oct. 24, Rotary Club volunteers will raise funds throughout town for Rotary International's "World Polio Day." The event is also known as "Purple Pinkie Day" in reference to the practice of dipping children's pinkies in purple dye to signify that they have been immunized for the disease.

The polio vaccine has eradicated the virus in most of the world, including the U.S. But polio is still rampant in some countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, which has led Rotary International to continue the fight to wipe it out completely.

"The saying is that polio is only one airplane ride away," said Carol Burtt Borglund, who serves on the Westborough Rotary Club's Board of Directors.

Polio is a highly contagious viral infection that was widespread up until the creation of a vaccine by Jonas Salk in 1955. Though harmless to the majority of the population, in some cases it can cause paralytic polio, which can lead to muscle paralysis and even death in the victim.

Because the disease was all but wiped out in America several decades ago, Burtt Borglund said many younger people are unaware that it still poses a risk.

"There is a whole generation that doesn't even know what it is," she said. "There are even some parents who don't know they have to give the polio vaccine (to their child)."

Since 1985 Rotary International has campaigned to fight the remaining traces of the disease, contributing nearly $800 million to the cause. For World Polio Day, Westborough Rotary Club volunteers will be at the Verizon store and Roche Bros. supermarket at Bay State Commons, both Stop & Shops on Lyman Street and Rte. 9, Tatnuck Booksellers on Lyman Street, the town transfer station and other locations throughout Westborough to spread the word about polio. They will hand out informational pamphlets and give out simulated inoculations by dipping people's fingers in purple dye.

The local Rotary Club is also hoping to collect money this year as part of Rotary International's fundraising efforts. Last year the Rotary Club contributed $500 - "We're definitely hoping to increase that," Burtt Borglund said.

As an extra incentive, Rotary International is hoping to raise $200 million by 2012 to meet the challenge of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has pledged to contribute an additional $150 million should the organization reach its goal.

Burtt Borglund said the Westborough Rotary Club has high hopes for this year's local fundraising efforts.

"We didn't have a visible campaign last year," she said. "We didn't feel we did our best. This was a challenge."

The Rotary Club is one of the town's largest fundraising organizations; it donates $10,000 annually to graduating seniors at Westborough High School and raises $30,000 each year at its spring festival.

"We exist for the purpose of raising money so we can give it away," Burtt Borglund said.

This month, however, the organization is turning its attention to more international matters.

"Polio still exists," she said.

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WESTBOROUGH Rotary Club – Their website: http://www.westboroughrotary.org/

Join Us for Lunch. The Rotary Club of Westborough meets weekly for fellowship, lunch, and an informative and interesting presentation from a guest speaker.

Meeting Time: Wednesday 12:15 noon to 1:30
Meeting Location: The Chateau Restaurant - Rte 9 Westborough, MA. 01581

Note: Time is important to everyone and meetings begin and end promptly. Our luncheon charge is $15.

From: http://www.town.westborough.ma.us/Public_Documents/index -

Westborough is a classic New England town with a population of about 18,000 residents. It is located at the cross roads of the Mass Pike and Rt. 495 so it provides an ideal location for both residents and businesses.