Rotary polio fundraiser raises nearly $3 million
Rotary International trustee Stephanie Urchick hoped the first Western Pennsylvania Million Dollar Dinner would live up to its name, and by all accounts it has. The event, to be held Nov. 12 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe, already has raised more than $2.8 million for the Rotary Foundation, which helps to alleviate global issues such as polio, poverty and illiteracy.
The dinner also will honor the late Lou Piconi, who lived in Upper St. Clair and formerly served as Rotary trustee and vice president.
“This event is actually a tribute and a celebration at the same time,” said Urchick, a member of Canonsburg-Houston Rotary Club who helped organize the dinner.
The event, which is black tie optional, will include social receptions, dinner with wine and auctions to benefit the Rotary Foundation. It will be held in coordination with three Rotary districts in Western Pennsylvania.
Net proceeds from the dinner will go toward Rotary’s PolioPlus foundation, and according to Rotary, as little as 60 cents is needed to buy a vaccine dose.
Urchick said that while polio is a thing of the past in the United States, it is still an issue in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.
“It’s not something we talk about very often because we haven’t seen polio in more than 60 years, but when Rotary started in earnest to work on this project, polio was in over 125 countries, and now it’s down to three,” Urchick said. “It brings home how important it is for us to get rid of this disease.”
John Hewko, general secretary of Rotary International, will be one of the guest speakers at the dinner. He said Rotary’s corporate initiative to eradicate polio is unique, but not out of place in Southwestern Pennsylvania, since the doctor who discovered the polio vaccine in 1952, Jonas Salk, hailed from the University of Pittsburgh.
“This represents the first time in history that a nongovernmental organization … took on the task of eradicating a disease from the face of the Earth,” Hewko said. “Pretty audacious move by Rotary. It’s truly extraordinary.”
Today is the last day to make dinner reservations. A dinner ticket is $100, but additional donations are welcome. To reserve a spot, call Urchick at 724-747-5055.