Jay Elliott: A Pie for Polio? Sure!

Rotarians are committed to fighting Polio and other devastating diseases around the world. 

On Feb. 7, 2024, Rotarian Jay Elliott took a pie on the face administered by Rotarian Susan Byrd, for a price: donations to the Rotary Foundation’s Polio Plus Fund.

“We are committed to increasing our giving and creating more awareness to help finish the job of END POLIO NOW,” agreed Letitia Estep, President, Rotary Club of Marlin.

In 1985, Rotary launched its PolioPlus program, the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication through the mass vaccination of children. Rotary has contributed more than $1.7 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. In addition, Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by donor governments to contribute more than $7.2 billion to the effort.

Polio exists today in just TWO countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Just 37 polio cases were confirmed worldwide in 2016, which is a reduction of more than 99.9 percent since the 1980s, when the world saw about 1,000 cases per day.

Rotary’s commitment in October 2022 was to raise $50 million per year over the next three years, with every dollar to be matched with two additional dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These funds help to provide much-needed operational support, medical personnel, laboratory equipment, and educational materials for health workers and parents. Governments, corporations and private individuals all play a crucial role in funding.

Rotary Club of Marlin keeps giving because we are ‘this close’.