The Rotary Club of North County San Diego - Route 78 celebrated its first-ever World Polio Day on October 12, 2019. The program was also billed as a Purple Pinky Mini Fundraiser.
At the beginning of the program members read a Proclamation from the San Marcos City Mayor and Council Members declaring a World Polio Day in San Marcos and urging people to donate money for polio eradication. Program organizer, Maria Reyes shared facts on Polio with members in the segment: What's Your Polio I.Q.? A short informative film, Thanks, Rotary, featuring Rotary's International's lead in polio eradication and immunization around the world followed.
The featured guest speaker, Ms. Carole Shipley, a polio survivor who resides in San Marcos was the highlight of the program. She infused personal anecdotes in recounting her personal journey with polio, revealing how when her first two iron lungs malfunction, the doctors noticed she could breathe on her own. Her story was both poignant and funny, reflecting her personal triumph over adversity. Ms. Shipley is an accomplished woman. She earned her B.A. in European History with a minor in Library Science from SDSU. Afterwards, she worked with KCST 39TV and finally landed a plum job at the Athenaeum Music & Art Library in La Jolla where she worked for 28 years before retiring.
The program was capped off with opportunity drawings as well as a prize for guessing the amount of money in the Club's "Jamoncito, Jr." - a Mexican piggy bank full of coins for polio. The Club raised approximately $700 for the fight against polio!
