The Rotary Club of Stevens Point will commemorate Polio Awareness Day Wednesday, April 6, by hosting a noon luncheon at the Stevens Point Country Club, 1628 Country Club Drive, Stevens Point, for individuals who suffer from polio and family members of those who have been affected by polio.

The event is free to the public and encourages attendees to learn more about Rotary Club’s efforts to eradicate polio and increase awareness of post-polio syndrome.

Colin Munn, of Ministry Medical Group, will discuss physical therapy and post-polio syndrome. Also, attendees will be invited to share their polio story during the luncheon program or just sit back and listen to the program.

To register or for more information, email [email protected] or call 715-344-2556 and ask for Sara.

Once signed up in advance, check-in begins at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, April 6. The program begins at noon and is scheduled to end by 1:15 p.m.

The Rotary Club of Stevens Point Polio Awareness Day comes at an important time in the fight to eradicate polio, which would be only the second human disease to be eradicated, after smallpox. In September, the World Health Organization declared Africa’s last polio-endemic country, Nigeria, polio-free, leaving only two countries which have never stopped the virus: Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In 1988, when Rotary and its partners committed to eradicating the disease, polio paralyzed more than 350,000 children per year in 125 countries – or, more than 1,000 per day.

Since that time, the number of polio cases has been reduced by 99.9 percent, with less than 50 cases in two countries to date in 2015.

Members of the Rotary Club of Stevens Point have had direct impact with one member, a polio survivor and the spouse of a member. The Club has undertaken an awareness and education campaign focused on post-polio syndrome, a disease impacting those who have had polio in their lives. The Club and its members have been financial supporters of both Rotary International’s efforts to eradicate polio and the post-polio awareness campaign.

The Rotary Club of Stevens Point meets every Wednesday at noon at the Stevens Point Country Club. There are 61 members representing businesses and organizations from around central Wisconsin.

For more information, visit www.stevenspointrotary.org/ or www.facebook.com/rotaryclubstevenspoint.