Rotary Clubs join global effort to end polio now
LAHAINA – On Saturday, Oct. 26, West Maui Rotarians will join Rotary Clubs around the world in holding special events dedicated to raising money toward the effort to eradicate the dreaded disease polio from the face of the Earth.
Eight Maui Rotary Clubs will be at places of business around Maui, along with students from seven island high schools, and host “Trick or Treat to End Polio Now” collection events.
To support this effort, look for Rotarians and local high school students dressed in Halloween costumes at the entrances of Safeway in Lahaina and Kahului; Long’s Drugs in Kihei, Kahului, Wailuku and Pukalani; and inside Fernando’s Restaurant at Queen Ka’ahumanu Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 26.
Students will be holding collection jars and accept any and all contributions to support this campaign.
Maui’s eight Rotary Clubs aim to collect at least $400 each during the event. The Rotary Club of Lahaina will also host a golf tournament on Oct. 26 and contribute proceeds to this effort.
According to Hawaii Rotarians, “We are this close. If we don’t end polio now, the disease could rebound, and more than 200,000 children worldwide could be paralyzed every year. Please patronize these places of business on October 26th and open your wallet and heart to support ‘Trick or Treat to End Polio Now.’ ”
Every participant in the Rotary Club of Lahaina Golf Tournament will receive a prize and be eligible to compete for cash awards of $10,000 and $5,000.
The tournament will be held Saturday on the Kaanapali Kai Golf Course with check-in at 7 a.m. and shotgun start at 8 a.m.
Participating golfers, playing in a scramble format, will have the opportunity to earn cash prizes at each of the four par-three holes on the course.
A hole-in-one on holes three or 14 will earn $10,000, and a hole-in-one on holes six or 11 will earn $5,000. The golfer closest to the pin on each par-three hole will earn a cash award.
In addition, every golfer will receive a prize for participating, and every player will be invited to an after-golf luncheon at Paradise Grill, Kaanapali, at no extra cost.
A few spaces for golfers are still available. Golfers will pay $100 for an 18-hole round, with net proceeds funding the Rotary Club’s student scholarship program and Rotary’s global effort to eliminate polio.
Teams of four golfers may sign up together, or individuals can register and be teamed with other golfers by the Rotary Club of Lahaina.
For more information, or to sign up to play in the Rotary Golf Tournament, contact Rotary Club of Lahaina Treasurer Rick Nava at (808) 298-3953 or rick@msimaui.com, or visit www.RotaryClubofLahaina.org.
Since 1985, more than two billion children have been immunized by Rotarians against the crippling disease, and all but three countries have been declared polio-free.
Scores of Hawaii Rotarians have traveled abroad to administer the polio vaccine, and Rotary International continues to work with global partners to finish the job.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is now matching two-to-one Rotary’s contribution up to $35 million per year through 2018.
For information on this effort, contact Rotary Assistant Governors Joanne Laird at 757-0981 or Hugh Chare at 268-2741.