While the ladies were busy wrapping presents in preparation for the Christmas sleigh runs leading up to Christmas, and for Santa to give to children in hospital on Christmas Day, Bryan Clinton and President Norman were planting crocuses in Barming Parish. These are purple crocuses planted in support of the Polio Eradication Initiative; purple because when each child receives their immunisation, they dip their little finger into purple dye to show they have been immunised, hence the purple crocuses.
The money raised in the purchase of the crocus corms adds to the fund for the initiative and, providing Rotary raise more the US$50m in the year, the Gates Foundation will match this two to one.
In November 2007 Rotary International entered this unique partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Rotary is the main private sector donor to polio eradication as Rotary members have contributed more than $2.7 billion dollars and countless volunteer hours to the fight to end polio.
Rotary International is the world’s first and largest humanitarian service organization with a global network of 1.4 million members in more than 170 countries. Through its PolioPlus programme, established in 1985, Rotary was the first to have the vision of a polio-free world.
For more information on the Initiative please visit: https://polioeradication.org and click ‘Who We Are”, or visit https://www.endpolio.org/fighting-polio-wherever-it-s-found.
