Purple Pinkie Day is an initiative of the Rotary International Club’s Polio campaign to help eradicate polio worldwide. Vermilion schools J.R. Robson, VES, St. Jerome’s and the Outreach school took part on February 23.

The day was organized by the Rotary Club and students lined up to have their little pinkie finger painted with ink along with making a small donation in support of the cause.

This year was the hundredth anniversary of The Rotary Club, a global network of community volunteers and is one of the largest influential international humanitarian service organizations worldwide.

According to the Rotary International website Polio has been 99.9 percent eradicated worldwide since the first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. This is one last push to destroy the disease for good.

Polio has been eradicated in all except for three countries in the world, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan; almost ending Polio worldwide.

Dawn Riley and other volunteers spoke with the children at VES informing them about the Polio disease and how the funds they donated go to buy vaccines for unfortunate children.

Polio has no cure. It is a crippling and potentially fatal disease, and children under the age of 5 years old are at the greatest risk.

Through one of the world’s biggest immunization programs; Polio is easy to prevent by vaccination that costs a small amount. When a child is vaccinated, they have a purple stamp put on their little finger – giving them a Purple Pinkie. The Purple Pinkie campaign with your support can help make the pain and life-limiting effects of Polio a thing of the past.

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