The Rotary Clubs of San Marcos and Wimberley are jointly sponsoring Pints for Polio on October 24 to raise money for polio vaccinations. The event takes place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Middleton Brewers on RR12 between San Marcos and Wimberley. A $25 donation includes two beverages and snacks. Net proceeds from the event go to the Rotary Foundation in Chicago to fund polio vaccinations for children in developing countries around the world.
Since Rotary International began its polio eradication effort in 1979, more than 2.5 billion children have received vaccinations against polio in 122 countries. In the early 20th century, polio was one of the most feared diseases in industrialized countries, paralyzing hundreds of thousands of children every year. Polio was brought under control in developed countries by the 1970s, but continued to infect people, especially children, in less developed countries.
“It’s been great, meeting and collaborating with the Rotary Club of San Marcos toward our common goals,” said Chris Nichols, President of the Rotary Club of Wimberley. “I can assure you that the Rotary Club of Wimberley intends to continue working — as we have for the last 29 years — for the Polio Fund along with our literacy projects for local children.
“Americans don’t think much about polio today because we began vaccinating for it in the 1950s and it disappeared in the U.S. and everywhere in the Americas through the onset of the Covid pandemic, but polio is still a threat to children in developing countries,” said Peter Baen, San Marcos coordinator of Pints for Polio. He added that Rotary’s dream is to make polio the second major virus to be eliminated from the earth, as smallpox was years ago.
