The Power of One Idea:   Rotary District 6440 Takes to the Streets to End Polio

The Power of One Idea: Rotary District 6440 Takes to the Streets to End Polio

World's Largest Polio Walk brings Rotarians, students and community members together at Rotary International headquarters on World Polio Day

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EVANSTON, IL — One idea can start a movement. One person can inspire a club. One club can rally a community. And together, those individual actions can help change the world.

That is the message Rotary District 6440 Governor Rick Reigner will bring to Evanston on Saturday, October 24 — World Polio Day — as Rotarians, Interact students, families and community members gather for the World's Largest Polio Walk, a powerful demonstration of Rotary's decades-long commitment to ending polio.

"The power of Rotary has always started with one idea and people willing to act on it," said Reigner. "On World Polio Day, we have an opportunity to turn thousands of individual steps into one unmistakable message: we will keep moving forward until polio is gone."

The District 6440 event will take place at One Rotary Center in Evanston, home of Rotary International. Participants will begin gathering at approximately 9:00 a.m., with a brief program beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the walk stepping off promptly at 10:00 a.m.

A morning of purpose, connection and action

Before the walk, participants will gather in the Sunken Garden at One Rotary Center for activities designed to build awareness and engage the next generation in Rotary's fight against polio.

Plans include purple pinkie painting, music, social media and live-streaming activities led by Interact students, opportunities to hear personal connections to polio, and End Polio Now wristbands for participants.

The purple pinkie has become an international symbol of polio eradication efforts because children in many countries have a finger marked with purple dye after receiving the oral polio vaccine.

At 9:30 a.m., Reigner will welcome participants and share the vision behind the World's Largest Polio Walk and the scope of the effort.

He will be joined by leading voices in Rotary's polio eradication work, including Carol Pandak, who will discuss developments in the effort to eradicate polio; Mike McGovern, who will address the worldwide campaign and the challenges that remain; and Past District Governor Lyle Staab, who will highlight District 6440's participation and encourage continued support for polio eradication.

Representatives of the Blane Foundation are also expected to participate in the program and help launch the walk.

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Eleven Rotary clubs walking together

The event brings together Rotarians and supporters from throughout Chicago's North Shore and northwest suburbs.

Participating clubs include Evanston, Evanston Lighthouse, Evanston Nouveau, Wilmette, Winnetka-Northfield, Northbrook, Glenview Sunrise, Glenview, Deerfield, Park Ridge and Skokie Valley.

At 10:00 a.m., walkers will leave One Rotary Center in groups of approximately 20 to 25. The groups will be released in waves along the Evanston route, creating a visible demonstration of communities coming together around a common purpose.

Volunteers and Interact students are expected to help guide participants along the route.

The walk is only the beginning

The effort will continue after walkers return to One Rotary Center.

From 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., supporters can continue the World Polio Day celebration at Sketchbook Brewing Company's Skokie taproom. During the event, $1 from every pint sold at the taproom will support polio eradication efforts. Four-packs purchased at either the Skokie or Evanston taproom will also help support the campaign.

For Rotary District 6440, October 24 is about far more than completing a walk. It is about demonstrating what becomes possible when individuals, clubs and communities unite around a single goal.

One idea. One person. One step. Then another.

Together, those steps become a movement.

And on World Polio Day, Rotary District 6440 will walk with one purpose: End Polio Now. To join us or for more details: rotary6440.org/events/worlds-largest-polio-walk-2026/