Dowagiac Interact Club raises money to eradicate polio

When Dowagiac Union High School students shuffled into the lunchroom Friday morning, they were greeted by an unusual sight.

A group of around 20 of their classmates, wearing bright blue t-shirts with the Rotary International logo plastered on the front, were already standing in the lunchroom. Well, half of them were standing, that is — the other half were confined to wheelchairs.

That morning, members of the high school’s Interact club reached out to their classmates to collect donations for Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio. By the end of the three lunch periods, the club managed to raise more than $350.

By confining themselves to wheelchairs, both members and their classmates got a brief glimpse of what it would be like to suffer the crippling effects of the disease. The idea was devised by the members of Dowagiac Rotary club, some of which helped out during the event on Friday.

“We’re getting the word about polio out together, raising money and awareness for the cause,” said Club President Matt Cripe.

Each student was given the task of receiving at least $10 worth of donations from classmates or their teachers, while also distributing information about the disease. People who gave a donation had their pinkies marked in purple ink, similar to the mark that doctors leave on children who receive polio vaccinations across the globe.

Once a worldwide epidemic, polio has been driven out of all of but a handful of nations, including Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. However, until the disease is fully eradicated, every country is at risk of importing it.

The club members in attendance stressed these facts to the Interact students before the beginning of the lunch period.

“It’s important for them to learn at a younger age not only about the global community but about the epidemics affecting them,” said Rotary member Patti Badner.