Rs. 30 lakh in 90 days for End Polio Now

A special kind of magic that is unique to Rotary helped a dedicated team of Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors from RC Bangalore Down Town, D 3190, to mobilise around ₹30 lakh in just three months for the End Polio Now campaign.

Kicking off the collection drive in November 2017, the club members roped in Rotaractors from RVCE, an engineering college, and Interactors at MES Kishore Kendra and the Police Public School who trudged far and wide to mobilise funds and get the End Polio Pledge signed by the contributors. “We created an awareness on Rotary’s global efforts to end polio in and around ­Bengaluru. And the results are just unbelievable,” says Club President Raghu Allam. The End Polio Pledge Champion PDG Madhura Chatrapathy, along with her colleague PDG Srikanth ­Chatrapathy, started an online crowdfunding ­initiative on the social media platform Ketto which netted ₹1 lakh for the cause.

Multiprong approach

Following an appeal from Allam to “contribute whatever amount possible”, club members pitched in for the End Polio Now funding drive. “While Rotarians gave ₹1.5 lakh, we were able to add another ₹50,000 from ­Rotaractors and Interactors who went around shopping malls, college hostels and housing societies with enthusiasm to collect the money,” explains Allam. From the industrial sector, workers from four garment factories had pooled in ₹1.5 lakh and the real restate promoter Prestige Group donated ₹5 lakh for this cause. The balance amount of ₹50,000 was received from non Rotarians, thus making up the grand total of ₹10 lakh.

If you consider the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s commitment to match $2 for every dollar raised, this fund will swell to an impressive ₹90 lakh.
— Raghu Allam
President, RC Bangalore Down Town

This was donated to TRF Trustee Chair Paul Netzel at the Rotary-CSR conclave in Bengaluru. DG Asha ­Prasanna Kumar presented a cheque for ₹20 lakh — twice the club’s contribution — for the Polio Fund at the same podium.

Allam added that juxtaposed against the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s commitment to match $2 for every dollar raised, this fund will swell to an impressive ₹90 lakh.

The club members are jubilant that they were able to pull off this massive fund collection drive.