MIDDLESBORO— The Christmas season is in full swing: shoppers are looking for a bargain, outside lights are twinkling on houses, people are purchasing that perfect live tree and radio stations are playing those familiar Christmas carols. Another way to tell that the season has arrived is the annual pancake breakfast sponsored by the Middlesboro Rotary Club this Saturday, December 5 at the St. Mary’s Episcopal Church’s Guild Hall (north of the city parking lot). Each year, the Middlesboro Rotary sponsors a pancake breakfast to raise funds for their far-reaching and life-changing causes.

In 1979, The Rotary Foundation funded the first Health, Hunger and Humanity Grant project, with a goal of immunizing six million children in the Philippines against polio. James L. Bomar, Jr., then the Rotary International president, signed an agreement with the country’s government to begin the immunizations and on September 29, 1979, he administered the first drops of vaccine to a Philippine child. The US $760,000 effort set the stage for Rotary’s decades-long commitment to the eradication of polio.

It seemed like a daunting task. Would it be possible to say good-bye to polio forever? Do small town clubs like Middlesboro’s make that much of a difference? Can you as a community help? Yes, yes and yes! A polio-free world is Rotary’s gift to children everywhere and they are almost there. Over two billion vaccinations later, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating polio forever. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given a challenge grant to Rotary worldwide in the amount of 200 million dollars. Every Rotary club in the world is challenged to raise $6,000 over the next three years.

For just five dollars per person, it’s all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage with limitless beverages. Tickets may be purchased from any Rotarian or may be purchased at the door. Breakfast will be served from 7 a.m. until noon.

Someday, no child will need a polio vaccine. Someday, polio will be gone forever. With your help, we can make “someday” into “someday soon”.

Information for this article was taken from The Rotarian and The Rotary International website. To make a donation for this cause, visit www.rotary.org/endpolio. Tabitha Webb is a Staff Writer for the Middlesboro Daily News. She may be contacted at twebb@middlesborodailynews.com.