Community Raises over $16,000 to Eradicate Polio

Wenatchee Rotary raised more than $4,000.00 during October to aid in the eradication of wild poliovirus.

October is Polio Awareness Month, and the local service club celebrated with a “Treats No Tricks” fundraiser. The $4,343.20 donated by local Rotarians will be matched with $1,000.00 for the fundraiser’s corporate sponsor Au-to Mocha for a total of $5,343.20. All those funds will be matched two-for-one by the Bill & Melinda Gates’ Foundation, bringing the total contribution to $16,029.60.

The money, which is the equivalent of 26,716 polio vaccines, will help the Rotary International Foundation in its efforts to make the polio the second virus in history to be eradicated from the globe, the first being Small Pox.

More than 30 years ago, Wenatchee native Dr. Ed Cadman helped orchestrate this worldwide initiative, which has yielded a 99.9% drop in wild polio cases. Today, the virus only remains active in Pakistan and Afghanistan, after the historic announcement this summer declaring Africa polio free.

Top donors to the local fundraiser received sweet treats from Wenatchee’s own Cake Chic, Jodi Gerber, and Patty Stanford.

Press release provided by Wenatchee Rotary