St. Louis Man Travels On a Rikshaw to Houston to Raise Funds

MEDIA CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Joan Hecker

Rotary Club of St Louis

314.520.3564 or joanH@rotarystl.org

ST. LOUIS MAN TRAVELS ON A RICKSHAW TO HOUSTON TO RAISE FUNDS TO ERADICATE POLIO

(St Louis, MO) – June 8, 2022 – When St. Louisan and Rotarian Ralph Zuke learned how close the world was to eradicating polio, he decided to draw attention to the effort and raise $20,000 by riding a rickshaw from St. Louis to Houston for the 2022 Rotary International Convention.

“Twenty-two cases is a really low number,” Zuke says. “But zero is the only acceptable number. I’m hoping we’ll be down to zero soon for so many reasons,” he says. “But one is, there are a lot of hills between here and Houston.”

Zuke had done the same for Rotary’s 2018 Convention in Toronto. If any cases of polio had remained by the time the Rotary Convention in Houston rolled around in 2022, Zuke had pledged he’ll do the ride again.

So on May 3, 2022, Ralph Zuke, member of the St. Louis Civilians Satellite Rotary Club, set off on his homemade ‘Barcalounger Rickshaw’ for a 31-day journey to Houston to raise funds for Rotary’s PolioPlus program aimed at eradicating polio. The disabling and life-threatening disease is easily preventable by the polio vaccine.

A retired high school health teacher and carpenter, Zuke fashioned his 113-pound rickshaw out of a 1950s-style recliner. Zuke arrived in Houston on June 3, to attend Rotary’s 113th annual international convention, taking place June 4 – 8, 2022 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Along the way, he collected donations for the cause, giving rides, and meeting local elected officials, Rotary clubs and others, sharing the story of Rotary’s quest to eradicate polio. He cycles all day and rested in the homes of Rotary members along the way or motels sponsored by local Rotary clubs.

When Brenda Wagner, his club’s president at the time, suggested before his first ride that a regular bike wouldn’t attract much attention, Zuke decided to use a rickshaw fashioned with a recliner. He already had the rickshaw, which he had built for a fundraising project several years ago.

But first, Zuke, 52, checked in with his doctor, who told him he needed to get in shape. “Round wasn’t the right shape,” he jokes. During the 10 months leading up to the ride, he trained by riding about 2,500 miles.

On his prior 22-day trip, he had aimed to raise $22,000 — symbolizing the 22 cases of polio reported in 2017. With pledges from Rotarians and people he met along the route, Zuke raised just under $24,000. The 2-to-1 match from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation brought the total to nearly $72,000.

Along his 703-mile trek, Zuke offered his Rotarian host families and other people short rides in the rickshaw, sometimes pulling 50 or 60 passengers in a day. “It was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had,” he says. “I met the most incredible people.”

Zuke’s ride took him through urban neighborhoods and along cornfield-lined country roads. A large sign with a QR code on the back of the recliner led people to a website that provided information about what he was doing, allowed them to follow his journey online, and suggested they donate to End Polio Now.

About Rotary International:

For more than 30 years, Rotary has been the driving force in the effort to end polio worldwide, having launched its polio immunization program, PolioPlus, in 1985. With its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rotary has achieved a 99.9 percent reduction in polio cases, with just six cases of wild polio reported in 2021 compared with 350,000 a year in the late 1980s. Rotary members have contributed $2.4 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Today, just two countries continue to report endemic transmission of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan. With the infrastructure Rotary International helped create to end polio, the international non-profit organization has built a lasting global health legacy that is now used to protect millions of people from other diseases such as COVID-19.

#EndPolioNow

About Rotary Club of St Louis:

Rotary Club of St Louis was the 11th club founded by Rotary International in 1910. For over 100 years, Rotary Club of St Louis has been actively involved in supporting a variety of organizations in the Greater St Louis region, contributing over $1 million towards improving lives in our community.

The mission of Rotary Club of St. Louis is to create a network of community and business people to accomplish the common goal of making a difference in the Greater St Louis region and the world, by contributing their time, talent and financial resources.

For Rotary Club of St Louis membership & event information, please visit our website at www.rotarystlouis.org, and like us on Facebook and LinkedIn. You may also contact Executive Director, Joan Hecker, at 314.520.3564 or joanH@rotarystl.org

About Ralph Zuke:

Ralph's Ride is a fundraiser for End Polio Now. We're trying to raise $20K to help toward the eradication of polio. Please donate whatever you can. Don't have to break the bank. Here is the link to the fundraiser: https://raise.rotary.org/Raffi-Andonian/challenge?

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