The Rotary Club of Belleville will be joining other Canadian Rotary Districts and Clubs in the End Polio Now Tulip Campaign. All profits will be donated to Polio Plus and the money used towards the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to overcome the remaining challenges to end polio worldwide, including setbacks caused by COVID-19.
While polio cases have fallen 99.9% since 1988, polio remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and persistent barriers to reaching every child with polio vaccines and the pandemic have contributed to an increase in polio cases. Last year, 1226 cases of all forms of polio were recorded compared to 138 in 2018. In 2020, the polio door-to-door campaigns were paused for four months to protect communities from the spread of COVID-19. Program staff and over $100 million in polio resources were redirected to support pandemic response in almost 50 countries. Leaders from the two countries yet to interrupt wild polio transmission - Pakistan and Afghanistan, called for renewed global solidarity and the continued resources necessary to eradicate this vaccine-preventable disease. The Rotary Club of Belleville will be joining other Canadian Rotary Districts and Clubs in the End Polio Now Tulip Campaign. All profits will be donated to Polio Plus and the money used towards the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to overcome the remaining challenges to end polio worldwide, including setbacks caused by COVID-19.
These specially bred "End Polio Now" tulips come from Holland and distributed to Rotary Clubs in Canada by Vesey Seeds of PEI. The tulips come in boxes of 25 bulbs and sell for $25, all taxes and delivery included. All profits will be donated to Polio Plus. Locally, the Rotary Club of Belleville will be creating a garden in conjunction with the Rotary monument at Pinnacle and Station/North Front and will plant 500 tulips with signage promoting End Polio Now. Tulips are available to all Rotarians and an opportunity to beautify your own gardens at home. Approximately $12 or $13 per box is donated to End Polio Now Fund. Please contact Rotarian and Tulip Co-Ordinator Terrence Thomas by telephone at 613-961-7143 or by email at monkscell@outlook.com