Suffield Rotary Champions Global Effort: End Polio Now International Day

Each year on October 24, communities around the world unite for End Polio Now International Day, raising awareness and support for the ongoing effort to eradicate polio.

Polio, a highly infectious disease that once claimed hundreds of thousands of lives annually, has been brought to the brink of extinction through decades of international cooperation, scientific ingenuity, and unwavering community engagement. Yet, until polio is eradicated everywhere, no child is truly safe. The Suffield Rotary Club joins Rotary International and partners worldwide in the historic mission to end polio forever.

Polio eradication became Rotary’s flagship cause in 1985 with the launch of the PolioPlus program. At the time, polio paralyzed 350,000 children each year. Rotary envisioned a world where every child would be safe from this crippling disease and began a campaign to immunize children everywhere.

Today, thanks to Rotary and its partners—including the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and UNICEF—polio cases have been reduced by 99.9%. Only a handful of countries remain where wild polio virus persists.

The Suffield Rotary Club has been a steadfast supporter of polio eradication since the inception of the campaign.

Their efforts start at home in Suffield, Connecticut, where local action is woven into the fabric of the community. But the reach extends far beyond town borders— thanks to Rotary’s global network, every dollar raised, and every voice amplified in Suffield contributes to immunizing children across continents and protecting future generations from polio’s threat.

On October 24, Suffield Rotary will join thousands of clubs in over 200 countries to shine a spotlight on polio eradication.

Suffield Rotary invites all residents to be part of this historic movement. There are many ways to get involved: Suffield Rotary along with the Interact Club at Suffield High (student organization of Rotary) will be collecting spare change in locations around town and at SHS that will be sent directly to Rotary International’s End Polio Now Campaign. If you have a jar of change sitting on a counter or on the mantle, please consider donating it to this worthy cause. For more information or to donate your change please contact any Suffield Rotary member or email: ndonais@snet.net.