What could be better? Enjoy a morning walk or run in Edmonton’s river valley and the satisfaction of knowing that you are supporting a campaign to eradicate a disease that once crippled or killed thousands of children annually in Canada and around the world.
And receive everyone’s favourite treat—a freshly-baked cinnamon bun!
That’s what awaits participants in the inaugural Rotary Club of Edmonton Cinnamon Bun Fun Run on Saturday morning, August 10.
All the proceeds from registrations will support Rotary International’s goal to eradicate polio worldwide.
Participants have the option of registering for a five or 10 km run or walk. There is also a 1K Little Cinnamon Bun Kids Run. The runs and walks will all begin and end at picnic site #1 in Kinsmen Park, 9100 Walterdale Hill.
The registration fee for the adult runs or walks is $50 until the end of July, $55 after that. The registration fee for the 1K Little Cinnamon Bun Kids Run is $20.
When you register, you will be given the opportunity to make a tax-deductible donation to the campaign to eradicate polio. You will immediately receive a receipt for your donation.
As a partner with Rotary International in its campaign to eradicate polio, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will donate an additional $2 for every dollar raised by the Cinnamon Bun Fun Run..
Polio is a highly infectious disease, mostly affecting young children, which attacks the nervous system and can lead to spinal and respiratory paralysis, and in some cases, death.
Many who survived the disease faced lifelong consequences. Deformed limbs meant they needed leg braces, crutches or wheelchairs, and some needed to use breathing devices like the iron lung, an artificial respirator invented for treatment of polio patients.
In 1985, Rotary International made polio eradication worldwide a top priority. In 1988, Rotary was a founding member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).
In 2007, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation came on board, with a commitment to donate $2 for every dollar that comes from Rotary fundraising.
Since the launch of the PolioPlus campaign, the number of cases has dropped by 99.9 percent. In 1988, approximately 350,000 children in 125 countries were infected annually. Today, there are only a few cases in just two countries. Canada was declared polio-free in 1994.
It is estimated that more than 19 million cases of polio have been averted since the polio eradication initiative was launched.
While the day when polio is eradicated is close, an extra effort is needed to ensure the goal is realized soon. Until the world is completely polio-free, the possibility exists that the disease could re-emerge anywhere in the world. Right now, a new outbreak in Canada is only an airplane ride away.
Add your support to ending polio now by registering today to participate in the Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview’s Cinnamon Bun Fun Run.
We’ll have a cinnamon bun waiting for you.
Click the button below to register for the Cinnamon Bun Fun Run on Saturday, August 10:
