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Rotary supports Cycle to Walk

by Ruth Kuchinad, BEL Rotary

As the Olympic Games opened this past week, on the auspicious date of 08.08.08, another Olympic athlete of a different stripe was continuing his amazing journey hand-cycling across Canada.

Ramesh Ferris, crippled by polio from childhood arrived at Peterborough’s Holiday Inn with his team and a noisy police escort on Thursday, August 7.

They were greeted warmly by members of Bridgenorth-Ennismore-Lakefield (B.E.L.) and Peterborough-Kawartha Rotary Clubs, who donated $500 and $1,000 respectively to Cycle to Walk.

Ramesh, a polio survivor from the Yukon Territories, began his cross-Canada tour from Victoria, B.C., headed to Cape Spear, Newfoundland, a 7,200 km pedal.

On arriving in Peterborough, with cane in hand, Ramesh graciously dismounted from his specially designed bike and proceeded to greet all the onlookers individually.

Everyone then heard about his adventures coming over the mountains and across the prairies, stopping at schools and service clubs. He was so excited by the showing of support from the people of Peterborough area, Mayor of Peterborough Paul Ayotte and Rotary District 7010 Governor Tom Bennett, coming together to end polio.

Ramesh is doing this Olympic event to raise $1,000,000 for polio eradication, education and to support the rehabilitation of polio survivors.

He said, “We have had a prevention program for polio for 53 years, but children continue to die and be paralyzed.”

Ramesh’s efforts coincide nicely with Rotary Foundation’s $100 Million Challenge, a three-year fundraising commitment, to match the $100 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Rotary’s program, which has eradicated polio in all but four countries in the world, believes that the biggest obstacles to eradicating polio are the underfunding of the global initiative and insufficient political commitment in affected countries.

Rotary International believes the primary source for additional funds can and should be governments of polio-free industrialized countries.

To find out more about how you can help please go to: Ramesh’s Cycle to Walk efforts at www.cycletowalk.com and Rotary International’s PolioPlus work, at www.rotary.org.

For other information about the local Rotary Clubs, please contact Ruth Kuchinad at rkuch@nexicom.net or 292-1292. 

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