At one time in this country polio was one of the most debilitating diseases that we had to deal with as a nation. Not only did it affect us, but it also terrorized the whole world.

Many of us remember and knew at least one child that was stricken with this sometimes deadly disease. Epidemics would strike whole communities.

In 1955 Dr. Jonas Salk developed a cure for this almost unstoppable disease. Although in the ’50s there was a mass inoculation effort in this country, the disease still ran rampant throughout the world.

In 1985 members of Rotary International, including the Conyers and Rockdale Rotary clubs, promised to raise $120 million dollars to help fight this curse of diseases, in three years time the Rotarians raised over $240 million and by 1994 the Western Hemisphere was declared polio free, in part because of the efforts of Rotary members.

This feat did not satisfy the Rotarians; they pledged to defeat polio in every country in the world. In 1995, 165 million children in one week were inoculated in China; in 1997, 134 million children in India were inoculated in one day. By then the Rotarians had raised over $500 million that allowed health workers to inoculate children and adults for pennies a shot. In 2009 the Bill Gates Foundation offered a $250 million grant to Rotarians if they would match it; they almost have.

Today polio is almost eradicated in most of the world with the exception of some cases in Pakistan, India, Nigeria and Afghanistan. The Rotary members are determined to soon have no case of polio to report anywhere.

We are proud of the Rotarians worldwide who have given to this great cause. We are even prouder of our own Conyers and Rockdale Rotaries who not only give to this great cause but everyday give back to our community with their money and volunteer time.

We salute the members of all civic groups in Rockdale County. They are truly our hometown heroes