ONE STEP CLOSER:
THE WALK TO END POLIO
Via di Francesco, Italy
September 8 - October 5*
Join us as we get #OneStepCloser to ending polio!
On September 8th, 2022, members from the Rotary Club for Global Action will be joined by Rotarians from around the world in Florence, Italy as they walk to end polio on Italy's famed via di Francesco. The walk begins in Florence, travels through Tuscany and Umbria to Assisi, and will end in early October in Rome. along the way, walkers will be raising awareness and money to help end polio once and for all!
Can't join us for the walk in person? Be sure to scroll down for more information on how you and your clubs can join us virtually as we get #OneStepCloser to ending polio!
WHY POLIO?
Your support of #OneStepCloser helps Rotary provide the Polio Vaccine to every child in the world.
Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 30 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.
As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary has:
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Reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project in the Philippines in 1979
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Helped immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 countries
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Contributed more than $1.8 billion toward eradicating the disease worldwide
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
Learn more at EndPolio.org
THE STORY
Rotarians Helen Hankins and Mike Mauser from the Rotary Club for Global Action are long time supporters in the fight against polio. In 2016, they raised more than $45000 for the Rotary Foundation when they walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain.
This year, Helen and Mike are at it again! Joined by Jim Ludwick from the Rotary e-club of District 5190, this year they have set their sites on the Via de Francesco in Italy, a 327 mile trek that will take them from Florence to Rome via Assisi. Along the way, the group will be meeting Rotarians from around Italy, promoting PolioPlus, and hoping to raise more than $75000!!!
Interested in joining the walk? Click here to learn how you can participate!
Via di francesco
Learn about this iconic hike and the cities along the way!
GET
INVOLVED
Whether you want to join the walk, start your own fundraiser to support or just donate, here is how you can get involved!
FOLLOW
ALONG
See where our team is at, and follow them in real time or check on their progress as they walk.