Ada Sunrise Rotary's Pacas & Polio event at The Lot raised $301 on Saturday, bringing the club's End Polio Now campaign to $537.32, more than $1,600 with the Gates Foundation's 2-to-1 match. The online fundraiser remains open through June, and the club hosts polio survivor Jerry Lout at its October 23 meeting ahead of World Polio Day.
ADA, Okla., Oct. 17, 2026 — Ada Sunrise Rotary raised $301 for polio eradication Saturday afternoon at Pacas & Polio, a community event held at The Lot, 720 E. Main St., where families met alpacas from BMK Acre and donated to Rotary's PolioPlus Fund.
Visitors gave $5 for a photo with the alpacas and $1 for a temporary alpaca tattoo, with every dollar going to End Polio Now. Combined with $236.32 raised so far through the club's online campaign, Ada Sunrise Rotary has collected $537.32 toward its $3,500 goal for the Rotary year.
Every contribution to PolioPlus is matched 2-to-1 by the Gates Foundation, meaning the club's efforts to date have put $1,611.96 toward eradicating polio worldwide. Rotary estimates that $3 is enough to protect a child from polio for life.
Ending polio has been part of Ada Sunrise Rotary's mission since the club was founded. Rotary International launched its global polio eradication effort in 1985, when the disease paralyzed an estimated 350,000 children each year. Working alongside the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Gates Foundation, Rotary has helped reduce polio cases by more than 99.9 percent. The disease remains endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The club's online fundraiser remains open through the end of the Rotary year in June. Donations can be made at raise.rotary.org/en-GB/project/end-polio-now-with-ada-sunrise-rotary.
On Friday, Oct. 23, the day before World Polio Day, Ada Sunrise Rotary will host guest speaker Jerry Lout, who will share his personal experience with polio. The meeting begins at 6:45 a.m. at the Aldridge Ballroom, 200 S. Broadway, and the public is invited.
Ada Sunrise Rotary thanks BMK Acre for bringing the alpacas, The Lot for hosting, and everyone who came out to support the cause.
Check out our photo album from the event!
