Help eradicate polio one pint at time at Rotary Club of Greater Bend’s 13th annual pub walk on Saturday, October 19.
“Pints for Polio” is a highly successful pub tour event held annually as a creative way for people to enjoy a variety of craft beers while helping in the international fight against polio. The brainstorm of club member (and polio survivor) Cort Vaughan, the event blends one of the region’s favorite pastimes with an awareness campaign about this important issue that has afflicted millions around the globe. Says Vaughan, “Polio is only a plane flight away, so polio anywhere is a risk to children everywhere.”
For $40, participants receive a commemorative stainless-steel cup and a stampable map for six-ounce craft beer pours at more than a dozen local breweries. Check-in takes place at Deschutes Brewery’s Public House in downtown Bend from 12-2pm, and the pub tour runs until 4pm at pubs downtown, on Galveston Ave., and in other locations around Bend.
With event expenses underwritten by our generous sponsors, one “Pints for Polio” ticket vaccinates approximately 200 children. RCGB thanks our sponsors for making that possible, including signature sponsors, Loan Depot/Chris Raven Mortgage and ASI Wealth Management. Additionally, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match donations 2:1, so a $40 ticket actually raises $120 in the fight against polio.
Polio is a highly contagious disease that occurs most prominently in children and can cause permanent paralysis. Rotary International clubs have been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years, and their goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever. Rotary members have contributed more than $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect nearly three billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $10 billion to the effort.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free.
To purchase tickets, visit pintsforpolio.org.
About Rotary Club of Greater Bend:
The Rotary Club of Greater Bend (RCGB) is a local service organization affiliated with Rotary International that has been serving the Bend community since 1976. With more than 100 active members, RCGB Rotarians regularly participate in hands-on service projects throughout Central Oregon. Rotary members are people of action dedicated to our community, who proudly live by Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self.”
