Polio Update - Purple Pinkie Project

Polio Update

I think many of you know or have heard about the "Purple Pinkie Project." In countries where polio is still a threat, when a child is given the two drops of polio vaccine, one of the polio volunteer workers paints the nail on the child’s little finger with a purple dye so that other Polio Plus workers will know that this child has already been given the vaccine. Rotary and Interact Clubs around the world have turned this into a way to raise money and awareness regarding polio and Rotary’s campaign to erase it. Has your Rotary Club or Interact Club held a Purple Pinkie Day event? It’s pretty easy. All you need is some sort of purple marking material (nail polish, a crayola washable marker, or even gentian violet). Print up some posters and flyers, set up the table, get your markers and some dollar bills for change, and most importantly while marking those pinkies talk about polio and all we are doing to eradicate it. A $1.00 donation will pay for two drops, enough to immunize one child.

On Monday, January 30 at the Mid Year Dinner in Portland, our DGN and his vice presidents, our DGE and his Presidents-elect, our DG and her presidents, PDGs, and guests had a chance to get their pinkies marked. For $1.00 they could get the basic purple mark. But for a mere $5.00 the got a very stylish purple nail with two small white drops representing the life-saving dose of vaccine administered by Rotarians and our health worker partners. We managed to raise $156 ($468 with the Gates match) to fight polio and had lots of fun doing it.

If you haven’t done a Purple Pinkie project yet, why don’t you give it a try?