The Rotary Club of Lloydminster is looking to amp up its support for polio with a new local campaign.
Rotary heard a presentation by Rotary Foundation committee members Richard Young and Barry Davis.
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This year’s international commitment totals $16,400, with $2,000 going to Kiva. Kiva has helped over 5 million people in over 80 countries.
“Through KIVA microloans, our club has invested $30,057 over 10 years,” said Young. “Loans that empower farmers to buy seeds, women to open market stalls, students to pay tuition and families to build a better future.”
Rotary has also supported ShelterBox this year, giving $2,400.
“Another area we give in is to Shelter Box,” said Young. “To date, we’ve donated $9,455, which provides emergency shelter and supplies for families who’ve lost everything in disaster or conflict.”
Other projects supported by rotary year this include, $3,000 going to the Rotary Foundation, $2,000 to Polio Plus and $7,000 to international projects.
Polio continues to be a focus for rotary, as a new campaign is being launched looking to match the $2,000 already given.
“Our ask is that we all try and match, individually. We’re going to try to match our club donation of $2,000,” said Davis. “We’d like to see $4,000 in total.”
While polio continues to be on the edge of eradication, a setback has caused more cases to
pop up.
“In early 2024, the Taliban decided that it was not in their interest to allow door to door polio vaccination anymore,” he said. “So, we’ve gone at the end of 2024, there’s 99 cases.”
A pair of Rotarians will be hitting the open road to fundraise for polio. Lee Harmon and Winston Conyers are longtime friends and both from District 5050. They’ll be travelling throughout the country with MissVicki, a refurbished 1931 Model A Ford to raise awareness, advocacy and funds for polio.
“It’s privately owned by Lee Harmon, who’s a Rotarian from Washington State and he’s been using that vehicle since 2018,” said Davis. “He and his wife travelled across China into Europe with it. He began raising money for polio.”
Their fundraising goal is $200,000 USD and rotary is expected to hear a presentation from Harmon in the future.
Polio cases dropped down to 12 cases in all of 2023 with a resurgence in cases in 2024, up to 99 total cases in the two remaining endemic nations of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Rotarians were also informed at the Nov. 10 meeting that the school they supported in the Philippines survived the typhoon and was being used by families as shelter.
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