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Rotary welcomes cyclists to gear up on Oct. 25 to help ‘End Polio Now’

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end-polio-wendy-web
Rotarians around the world have volunteered to eradicate polio since 1988. Pictured here are Wendy Gross, a member the Rotary Club of Naperville, and Naish Shah, a member of Rotary 4:44. During Sunday’s Soup’s On to benefit local initiatives to help fight hunger and homelessness, patrons also learned that internationally, the world is “this close” to ending polio.

If you attended Rotary Soup’s On at Naperville Central High School on Oct. 19, you might have been greeted by Naish Shah as he was stationed at the entrance to the large dining hall, promoting “End Polio Now” to numerous folks who seemed puzzled by his display.

More than one attendee said, “I thought polio had been eradicated.”

The confusion is all the more reason for the Rotary Club of Naperville / Downtown to host a training “bike ride” event Saturday morning, Oct., 25, beginning and ending at Quigley’s Irish Pub in downtown Naperville.

The service organization is calling the casual event “Ride for Awareness for Miles to End Polio.” Though polio has been eradicated in the United States since 1979, that’s not the case worldwide.

Any cyclist who would like to participate is invited to join other riders at 10AM for a 10-mile tour to help heighten awareness to “End Polio Now,” an initiative that dates back to 1988 when Rotary International and other global health organizations took on the charge to eradicate the crippling disease worldwide.

goodbyepolio
Now when you see this bumper sticker, you’ll get the message.

The idea was set into gear during a recent weekly Wednesday Rotary meeting held at 4:44PM at Hugo’s Frog Pond in Main Street Promenade in downtown Naperville.  Numerous 4:44 Rotarians are experienced cyclists and one of them, Naish Shah, also works for Rotary International where he recently became a member of the 2014 RI Staff “Miles to End Polio” team training to ride 104 miles in the El Tour de Tucson on Sun., Nov. 22.

“I am so proud of this project,” said Lynda Reilly, current president of the Rotary 4:44.  “I thank Naish for allowing our club to take part in supporting this polio elimination cause.  We are behind him.”

Organizers of Saturday’s event want to help promote the team from R.I. in Evanston led by Rotary General Secretary John Hewko. The team is riding in the popular tour that again will meander the perimeter of Tucson with a goal to raise more than $1 million for polio.  Shah aims to raise $10,o00 on his own. Funds raised will be matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

“As a member of the Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown and an employee of the Rotary International headquarters, I’ll be joining this team,” Shah explained.  “Inspired by Rotary’s motto of ‘Service above Self,’ I joined Rotary International and the local Rotary Club of Naperville-Downtown in 2013 to do this kind of event aimed at fundraising and awareness raising.”

Though many concerted efforts are in progress and eradication is anticipated, polio continues to be endemic in Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan, where the urgent need to inoculate every child younger than age 5 remains essential.

World Polio Day is Oct. 24

The Naperville bike ride is timed a day after World Polio Day  on Fri., Oct. 24, when Rotary International also plans to heighten awareness with numerous special programs and seminars.

For more information about the Rotary Club of Naperville/Downtown and how the community can support Naish Shah’s ride in El Tour de Tucson, visit www.rcndowntown.com.

If you don’t ride a bike, come to Quigley’s for coffee and donuts at 10AM Saturday and/or join the group for good conversation and BLAQ, Buy Lunch at Quigley’s. Since Saturday’s short casual ride is free of charge and not a sanctioned ride, cyclists must participate at their own risk and pace.

Quigley’s Irish Pub is located at 43 E. Jefferson Avenue in downtown Naperville.

The Rotary Club of Naperville / Downtown is one of four Naperville Rotary clubs. Though every club has a variety of different projects to help meet unmet needs in the community, all Rotary Clubs are focused to End Polio Now via the Rotary Foundation.

RELATED STORY ONLINE IN THE DAILY HERALD / Naperville Rotarians continue fight against polio

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PN Editor
PN Editor
An editor is someone who prepares content for publishing. It entered English, the American Language, via French. Its modern sense for newspapers has been around since about 1800.

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