3rd Annual Turco Memorial Walk to End Polio Now

As part of Rotary International’s pledge to eradicate the polio virus from the world, the Rotary Club of Wakefield will sponsor the 3rd Annual Turco Memorial Walk to End Polio Now on Saturday, May 19, from 8:30 to 10:00 am.

The Walk will take place on the William C. O’Neill Bike Path at the Main Street intersection and can proceed in either direction, toward Peace Dale or Narragansett.  “There are no registration fees, no distance requirements, and no age limits for this event,” explained Rotarian Jennifer Martin of Wakefield who is helping organize this year’s Walk. “We‘re asking only for folks to come out to recognize that while polio no longer exists in the United States, it is still present in other parts of the world. The reality is that if polio exists anywhere, no child is truly safe from the virus. We hope this Walk will help raise awareness as well as donations to support our efforts to End Polio Now,” said Martin.

Walkers, bike riders, skaters, runners, and stroller riders are all welcome to participate. Rotarians will be stationed at the Main Street Bike Path to share information about the End Polio Now campaign, accept donations, and pass out stickers or pins, depending on the level of donation. The rain date is the following day, Sunday, May 20, at the same time.

“Those who are not able to join us on the Walk, but who still want to support the campaign, are encouraged to send their donation to The Rotary Club of Wakefield, P. O. Box 382, Wakefield, RI 02880,” said Martin.  For additional information on the End Polio Now campaign, or the Vincent Turco Memorial Walk, contact Deedra Durocher at 401-789-7713.

The Walk also honors Dr. Vincent (Bob) Turco who was a member of the Wakefield Club for 51 years.  Perhaps because he was afflicted with polio before his first birthday, Dr. Turco went to medical school and specialized in Podiatry. In addition to his private practice, he was active throughout his life in many areas of the community until his passing in 2009.  “Vin Turco exemplified the “Service Above Self” motto of the Rotary,” explained Gene Corl, President of the Wakefield Club. “He was very proud of Rotary’s effort to work to eradicate polio throughout the world, so we are very pleased to honor him with this community awareness and fundraising Walk in his name.”

A highly infectious disease, polio still strikes children mainly under the age of five in countries of Africa and South Asia. Polio can cause paralysis and sometimes death. As there is no cure for polio, the best protection is prevention. For as little as 60 cents worth of oral vaccine, a child can be protected against polio for life.  

Rotary International, a humanitarian service organization with nearly 34,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas, made the eradication of polio its top worldwide philanthropic goal in 1985. Working with the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, over 6 billion dollars have been invested worldwide and instances of polio have been reduced by 99%. The First ever World Immunization Week took place this year from April 21-28 and vaccinated an estimated 394 million children from polio and other vaccine preventable diseases.

Remarkable progress has been achieved in the fight against polio. Since 1988, the number of polio cases has been reduced from over 350,000 a year to just 47 as of April 18, 2012. The Americas were declared free from polio in 1994, the Western Pacific region in 2000, and Europe in 2002. Since India has not recorded a case of polio for 14 months, the World Health Organization counts only three remaining countries as endemic – Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. The government of Pakistan has increased efforts to stop polio, even in high risk war-torn areas, be convincing religious leaders to encourage a suspicious population to inoculate their children with the vaccine.