CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — The Chambersburg Rotary Club announces its Polio Awareness Month events for October. The local service organization, chartered in 1920, is known for signature events like Chicken N’ Stuff and Trout Derby, as well as service projects like Read Across America.
• At regular club meetings in October, members and guests will participate in Purple Pinkies for Polio, or PPP. Named for the splotch of indelible ink dabbed on a child’s pinkie to show they’ve already been vaccinated, the PPP campaign raises money to fund those vaccinations. For a $1 donation, representing the cost to vaccinate one child against the paralyzing poliovirus, donors get a “purple pinky” — a symbol of the historic campaign to rid the world of this debilitating disease.
• On Oct. 22, the club welcomes the public to Coyle Library’s Conservatory at 5:30 p.m. to hear polio survivor Peter Mulford. A member of the Martinsburg Rotary Club, Mulford has been speaking about the dangers of polio for decades. For a donation, attendees can enjoy pizza from MOD Pizza and get a purple pinky or two. Registration is appreciated; readers may call 717-262-8077 or email [email protected].
• Oct. 24 is World Polio Day. Support eradication of polio by giving online at EndPolio.org.
Chambersburg Rotary president Kurt Widmann noted, “Polio is a paralyzing, potentially deadly disease that typically affects children under the age of 5. Since 1988, Rotary and its partners have reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent, and today only two countries still see small numbers of wild polio cases.”
The Chambersburg Rotary Club’s more than 60 members are known for being people of action and part of a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends and leaders who volunteer their skills and resources to solve issues and address community needs. On a local level, Chambersburg Rotary has provided thousands of dollars in student scholarships as well as grants to benefit a wide variety of local nonprofits through its charitable foundation.
To learn more about becoming a member of Chambersburg Rotary Club, visit chambersburgrotary.org or click here to fill out the online membership application.
