Walnut Rotary to hold Oct. 8 cookout to benefit eradication of Polio

A portion of the proceeds from the Walnut Rotary Club’s Oct. 8 cookout will go toward helping eradicate polio around the world, according to President Jan Pistole.

The cookout will offer pork chop sandwiches, brats and hot dogs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Veterans’ Memorial in Walnut. Donations will be accepted.

“Polio is a paralyzing and potentially fatal disease that still threatens children in parts of the world,” Pistole said. “It can strike at any age, but children are particularly susceptible to its ravages. While incurable, the disease is completely preventable through the administration of vaccine.”

October 24 is World Polio Day, established by Rotary International to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, the developer of a polio vaccine. The day is meant to raise awareness of the ongoing threat polio poses to the world.

In 1985, Rotary International launched its PolioPlus campaign the first initiative to tackle global polio eradication through the mass vaccination of children. Since the program’s inception, Rotary has contributed more than $2 billion and countless volunteer hours to immunize more than 3 billion children in 122 countries.

“Walnut Rotary has long been committed to the PolioPlus and End Polio Now campaigns,” Pistole said. “Two of our members, Deborah Quinn and Christine Cummings, ventured to India to help immunize children. That “Service Above Self” is representative of our entire Club.”

“As long as a single child has polio, all children are at risk,” Pistole said. “Walnut Rotarians want to ensure that our children grow up never knowing the menace of polio. Our donation to End Polo Now will help provide operational support, medical personnel, laboratory equipment and educational materials for health workers and parents.”

The Rotary Club of Walnut meets six times a month at the Walnut Café. For further information on how to become a member of Rotary, contact Pistole at jan@sunsetridgemx.com.