Saving Lives With Interact

By Sarah Johnson

The Interact Club at Redwood is running a fundraiser to help cure Polio. All around the world people are affected by Polio, short for poliomyelitis, a disease that paralyzes. It weakens muscles causing people to not be able to move and do simple activities in life.

This disease spreads by feces from someone who has the disease. In third-world, non-sanitary countries, the disease spreads easily in food, water supply or by touch.

Joshua Arreola, ’20, is the Public Relations officer for Interact He says that they are planning to save $3,500. Joshua mentions that they want to have, possibly, the end result of ending Polio.

Countries like Nigeria and Pakistan are going to be helped this way. The money is going to help families afford the vaccine.

“It is overwhelming because each vaccine is only 10-13 cents” Arreola says, as he describes his feelings when he thinks about how many people he is going to help. He wanted to become a part of this because it is his way of helping the world.

The Treasurer for the club, Sierra Duncan, ’20, is also participating in the fundraiser. She says that it is an amazing experience. “Just the little amount of money it takes to help one kid, it’s crazy.”

Duncan says she “likes participating in lots of extra curricular activities.” She has participated in a lot of fundraisers. She lists a few such as a crab feed and reading books to elementary kids.

Not only is Redwood helping with this fundraiser, but the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is donating $2 for every one dollar we save.

Polio is disease that affects millions of people. Through this fundraiser, people at Redwood are helping people fight and eliminate this disease for good.