BAR HARBOR -- In honor of World Polio Day on October 24, the Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club will host Purple Pinkie Day as a part of Rotary International’s 36-year mission to eradicate the crippling disease polio.
The Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club and community volunteers will be painting the town purple on October 24! Club members will paint pinkies for $1 to promote polio awareness. We will gather at the table between The First National Bank of Bar Harbor and Bar Harbor Banking and Trust on Main Street in Bar Harbor from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. We will greet guests visiting our island (The Norwegian Gem docks that morning!), sharing news about Rotary and its efforts to eradicate polio, painting pinkies purple, and encouraging people to go to businesses painting the town purple for the day with special promotions.
Businesses include the Thirsty Whale who will donate $1 per pint of beer, Siam Orchid who will donate $2 per appetizer and $2 per drink, Pat’s Pizza who will donate $1 per pizza, the Mount Desert Island YMCA who will donate $10 per new membership, and Acadia Perk who will donate $1 for each Blueberry Macchiato served.
A highly infectious disease, polio causes paralysis and is sometimes fatal. As there is no cure, the best protection is prevention. For as little as US 60 cents worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life. After an international investment of more than $9 billion, the successful engagement of over 200 countries, and 20 million volunteers, polio could be the first human disease of the 21st century to be eradicated.
Since Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the incidence of polio has plummeted by more than 99.9 percent. To sustain this progress, and protect all children from polio, Rotary has committed to raising $50 million per year over the next three years in support of global polio eradication efforts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will match Rotary’s commitment 2:1. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to previously polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk.
Rotary has helped to immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries. This is made possible by thousands of Rotary clubs around the world including thousands of dollars raised and donated by the Bar Harbor (MDI) Rotary Club.
About Rotary
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.4 million members of more than 46,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from helping families in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. Visit endpolio.org for more about Rotary and its efforts to eradicate polio. To learn more about the Bar Harbor (MDI) Club, visit mdirotary.org
