Countdown to History
End Polio Now… That is the name of a campaign, begun by Rotary International in 1985, to rid the world of the debilitating disease polio. Since 1988 it has worked in partnership with the World Health Organisation, local agencies and, more recently, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Rotary in Harpenden have been a regular contributor to the campaign, donating a share of the money raised by our annual Quiz of Quizzes event. During the Covid pandemic, when we could not hold the quiz, we donated the proceeds from our virtual balloon race to the campaign.
Working together, the medical authorities in Pakistan and Afghanistan are making great strides in vaccinating children against polio. Only in those two countries does wild poliovirus remain endemic. Rotary in Harpenden will maintain their fundraising efforts in support
Find out more on the End Polio website.
Latest news
US$60,000 scholarship for post-graduate study
There is currently an amazing opportunity being offered by Rotary District 1260 (Beds, Bucks and Herts) and District 1130 (London).
Each Rotary club in these two districts can put forward one applicant to apply for a grant of up to US$60,000 for a postgraduate student to study in Melbourne, Australia, in 2026.
Lions score again
Harpenden Lions Club chalked up a 12th victory at this year’s Harpenden Quiz of Quizzes, staged by Rotary in Harpenden at St George’s School. The runners-up were Odds and Ends.
As well as giving quizzers a stimulating evening, the event has become noted for its interval hot suppers, produced by the renowned Godfrey’s and served at the quizzers’ tables.
For Shoebox read Friendship Box
Just a few of the many photos we have received from Rotarians in Lviv, a major city in west Ukraine, where our first Friendship Boxes, filled with educational and recreational items, were delivered in time for Christmas to children most affected by the war.