THIS WEEKEND: Wilmington Rotary Club To Hold ‘Polar Plunge’ At Silver Lake On March 25 To Raise Funds For Fight Against Polio

Below is a press release from the Wilmington Rotary Club:

WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington Rotary Club and Wilmington High School Interact Club will be holding a Polar Plunge Fundraiser on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at noon at Silver Lake.

The Plunge will be held in conjunction with Rotary International’s Commitment and Rotary District 7930’s pledge to support Polio Plus, the effort to completely eradicate Polio from the Planet. Polio primarily effects children under the age of five and can cause permanent paralysis or long term effects many years after contracting the virus.

Wild poliovirus cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries to 6 reported cases in 2021. Of the 3 strains of wild poliovirus, poliovirus type 2 was eradicated in 1999 and wild poliovirus type 3 was eradicated in 2020. As of 2022, endemic wild poliovirus type 1 remains in only two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Gates Foundation, The World Health Organization, and Rotary International have raised over 2.6 billion dollars to help provide vaccines, research and treatment around the world. The vaccine is provided to millions of young children, free of charge, every year.

The last case originating in the U.S. was in 1979.

Last year, Wilmington Rotary, 17 members of the WHS Rotary Interact Club and their supporters raised $3,000 to support this cause at the Polar Plunge in Gloucester. This year, consider joining us for a brief “Jump in the Lake” on March 25, 2023 for a great cause. Or, come by to support the effort and consider a donation to to Go Fund Me account below.

http://gofundme.com/f/m4ff6-whs-rotary-interact-polar-plunge

Arrival time on March 25, 2023 is 11:45am with the Plunge to take place at noon. Hope to see you there!

The Beach house will be open for changing following the plunge however the rest rooms will not be available.

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