Mt. Pleasant Noon Rotary raises $550 to fight polio

MT. PLEASANT - The Mt. Pleasant Noon Rotary Club is continuing to do its part to help eradicate polio.

The club participated in the citywide garage sales on Saturday and raised $550 to benefit PolioPlus, a foundation run by the international service organization. The local chapter sold kitchenware, clothing, books and toys at the Saunders Park Cabin.

Bob Griffith, a club member who helped with the sale, said he enjoys doing service projects with Rotary and helping out at community events.

Growing up in the 1960s, Griffith remembers knowing just a few older people who had polio.

'Polio was just barely around. I remember the big thing was getting the polio shot. I was in the first or second grade,” he said. 'By the 1960s, in the United States, it was pretty much gone. Worldwide, we just have Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.”

Kadie Johnson, a member of the local chapter who helped organize the event, said the decision to participate in the garage sale weekend was somewhat last minute.

Like other service clubs, Noon Rotary has had thas canceled several fundraising events in light of the coronavirus pandemic, including its annual barbecue. Johnson added that with the cancellation of the Old Threshers Haunted Rails, the annual Halloween event, the club will not be able to sell concessions on the grounds. The club member said Rotary usually raises a couple thousand dollars through the concession stand.

'We raise a lot of money during those fundraisers so this was kind of a last minute idea to hopefully raise some money for Polio Plus,” she said.

Items for the sale were mostly donated by club members and sold on a freewill donation basis. All proceeds from the sale went to PolioPlus, Johnson said. The club member said she was extremely happy to see the support of club members and community members who shopped at the club's sale.

'Not bad for a first try at something like this,” she said. Johnson added the club will continue to look for new ways to fundraise to benefit the organization's foundations.