KH Hair in Newark has dyed a 77-year-old Rotarian’s hair purple in support of the Rotary Club’s END POLIO NOW campaign.
77-year-old Bill Wood, Foundation Chair of The Rotary Club of Louth, visited the Stodman Street salon where he underwent the transformation to help raise awareness and funds for the campaign, which aims to completely eradicate Polio from the world by 2026.
Rotary International launched Polio Plus in 1985 when there were 350,000 cases of the disease in 125 countries. Since then, Rotary has worked closely with the World Health Organisation and, today, there are just a handful of cases in Pakistan and Afghanistan. However, Bill says, there is still much to do. “There have been delays in immunising 25 million children as a result of the COVID pandemic,” he explains. “So Rotary is working on END POLIO NOW and has pledged 150 million dollars in the next three years which the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match 2:1 with 300 million. As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio, so it must be eradicated to completely avoid a global resurgence of the disease.”
Bill, who had a friend at school who contracted Polio, says his family wondered what on earth he was doing. “They thought I was mad,” he says. “But I had a great time in the salon and it feels good to do something that is having a positive effect and getting results in the fight against Polio. I’d rather have purple hair for a week than a year,” Bill jokes, “But it’s all for a good cause. Even though it’s a bit of fun, there is a very serious aim behind it.”
The Worldwide Rotary movement through its Charity R I Foundation has helped to immunise children all over the world. It has immunised 3 billion children and contributed 2 billion US dollars. Stylist, Ashleigh, applied ‘Color Fresh Create Pure Violet’, the purple colour which represents the dye that is applied to children’s little finger when they have received their life-saving polio vaccine. “The dye is applied in under-developed countries to represent their inoculation where, very often, there is an absence of medical records.” explains Bill.
Louth Rotary has a membership of 39 individuals who work together to support local and international projects either directly through voluntary service or through fundraising. The 24th of October was World Polio Day and, to support Bill, many members of the club painted their nails purple. The Group also planted 4000 purple crocus corms on a public plot on the corner of Kidgate and Church Street, Louth.
KH Hair Newark applied the colour free of charge and is further supporting the cause by selling crocus pin badges and notelets which are available in the salon.
Anyone wishing to support Bill and Louth Rotary can donate via this link: https://rb.gy/zu5qg
