Rotary Club continues charitable efforts
Photo by Jo Ann Stroud
Wills Point Rotary Club member Herschel LyBrand showcases an iron lung that was once used to treat polio before its eradication in the United States. Rotary International annually contributes to efforts to eliminate polio throughout the rest of the world.
The Wills Point chapter of Rotary International continues to be among the most active organizations in the area, working hard in efforts to better both the local community and world at large.
Among Rotary International’s primary missions is the eradication of polio worldwide. Information provided by the Rotary Club notes:
“Only two countries - Pakistan and Afghanistan- have never stopped the paralyzing disease polio. If we can root the virus out of there last two strongholds, polio is poised to be only the second human disease ever eradicated, after smallpox. Experts hope to see the last case of polio in these countries in 2016, bringing the opportunity tantalizingly close.
“However, experts warn that $1.5 billion in additional funds are urgently needed to ensure we have the resources in place to finish the job. Rotary, a global organization comprised of nearly 34,000 clubs across the world, including Wills Point, made polio eradication it's top priority in 1985. When the initiative started, more than 350,000 people were stricken by polio every year - nearly 1,000 new polio cases every day. Since that time, cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent.”
In existence for nearly 80 years, the Wills Point Rotary chapter also works hard to make a difference locally with a variety of projects.
