(Fremont County, WY) – Rotarians in the Rotary Clubs of Lander and Riverton, in a friendly challenge to recognize World Polio Day on October 24th, recently contributed $1,783 to support the worldwide campaign to eradicate polio.
Lander Rotarians contributed $1,416 and members of the Riverton club donated $367 for the first-ever challenge, according to a press release emailed to County 10.
With the $2-for-$1 match promised to The Rotary Foundation by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the two Rotary clubs generated more than $5,300 to aid in the campaign to end polio.
Worldwide, Rotarians have contributed more than $2.1 billion and thousands of volunteer hours since 1985 to spearhead the efforts to wipe out polio, a viral disease that has crippled millions of children around the world.
On average, it costs $3 to fully protect a child against polio. Partly as a result of efforts like this, the number of polio cases worldwide has been reduced by 99.9%.
So far in 2021, only two wild poliovirus cases have been detected — one in Pakistan and one in Afghanistan. Rotarians have been joined in this campaign by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, and other international organizations.