'Rotary Day - Thanks for Life' is a project involving the clubs and members of Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland ("RIBI"), to highlight the humanitarian work of Rotarians with a number one aim of helping to eradicate polio throughout the world.
“Thanks for Life” celebrates one of Rotary’s great achievements over the last 25 years in eradicating Polio over most of the world. In 1985 this crippling disease – that mostly affects children under the age of 5 and is the world’s greatest cause of disability - was endemic in 125 countries. Today, this number has been reduced to four. Millions of children throughout the world have been given a future that they would not otherwise have had – and have good reason to say “Thanks for Life”. We have fought Polio into a corner. But whilst there is one case left in the world, a new epidemic is only a plane journey away. This is why Rotary (in partnership with the Bill Gates Foundation) has agreed to raise $550 million over the next three years to mount the final battle against polio. As always, we rely heavily on public support to achieve this victory.
RIBI has asked that as a lead-in to Rotary Day Rotarians involve organisations and schools in planting purple crocuses around their communities in September this year so that in February 2011 as many purple crocuses as possible are seen to remind all of us to give Thanks for Life.
Why purple you might ask? In India, one of the four countries remaining in the World with endemic polio, the government is committed to immunising every child against Polio; helped greatly by Indian Rotarians and by volunteers from around the world. The population in India is huge (at least 20 times that of the UK) and in the large cities no-one is even sure how many children there are in the poorer areas. So each child protected has a ‘pinky’ (a finger) marked with purple dye, so that those doing the immunisation can see which children on the streets and slum blocks are still to be immunised.
We in Andover Rotary Club want to widen the meaning of 'Thanks for life' in our community. Of course we want to give thanks for life for all those children alive today thanks to polio being largely eradicated, but there are many other people today who are saying “Thanks for Life” as a result of public support for Rotary projects.
For instance, the emergency Shelterboxes, that are frequently the first form of aid to arrive at the scene of a disaster, provide for the survival needs of people who have lost everything: shelter, clean water; basic tools and equipment. The UN reported that Shelterboxes saved up to 100 000 lives after the Kashmir earthquake a few years ago – and Andover has provided 117 Shelterboxes in the last five years representing donations of £62500. Every time such a calamity occurs, we are wonderfully supported by people locally, and often by our schools.
We will also be asking all people in the Andover area to join us in giving thanks for life generally. Whatever our problems, when we compare our lot with that of people in Haiti, Pakistan, the areas hit by the Tsunami and so on, we have a lot to be thankful for.
So Andover Rotarians are asking you to join us in planting purple crocuses this Autumn. We are looking to plant up, with the help of TVBC, public areas round the town, and are encouraging schools to join in. So far eight schools have confirmed that they will be joining us and by the 4th of October (the main planting day) there could well be more.
When they come into bloom in February they will recall the fight against Polio, and help us to share in giving “Thanks for Life” with people who have been freed from the threat of the disease. But more than that, we wish, via the local media and by briefing as many local schools as permit us (perhaps in Assembly), to say “Thanks for Life” to the people and schools of Andover for supporting Rotary projects so generously and enabling us to cause so many people all over the world to echo these words.
To find out more about 'Thanks for Life', please visit the RIBI website.
To find out more about 'End Polio Now' please scroll down this page and take the time to view the two Rotary 'Thanks for Life' videos - they are a real eye opener!
If you want to join in with Andover Rotary Club and TVBC by sponsoring and/or planting bulbs on 4th October 2010 then contact -
Or send us an email.
It is not too late for your School, Business or Organisation to join Andover Rotary Club and The Mayor of Test Valley in saying 'Thanks for Life' in February. You could hold a 'Thanks for Life' day. Suggest that everyone wears something purple and donates £1 to End Polio now. Each dose of Polio vaccine costs 20p. So by donating £1 that person would save five children from getting polio.
You could also encourage those at your School, Business or Organisation to grow -
For a minimum donation of £1 to Andover Rotary Club for their 'Thanks for Life' appeal each person would be given five crocus bulbs in early October to grow in a container of their choice; either for their own pleasure or to be judged on Thanks for Life day in February.
Crocuses will grow well in any kind of container by just filling it with potting compost, planting with the bulb 'noses' to the sky and covering them; remembering to water! They can choose anything they like such as Wellington boots, old saucepans and so on then just watching and waiting. They will be delighted when the green shoots come through, happy in the knowledge that their crocuses will have prevented five children from contracting polio.
Please contact David Perkin on 01264 710057 or send David an email and he will ensure you get the bulbs you need.
Judging location(s) will depend on the number of entries received.
About Us | Contact Us | Archived Pages | © 2006 - 2011 The Rotary Club of Andover, UK | Page last updated 16 September 2010
