Posted by Susan Hammond

SCORING ONE FOR POLIO

Thanks to kindhearted participants and generous sponsors, the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville’s “PolioPlus Challenge” Charity Miniature Golf Tournament scored a hole in one with raising $2,431 for the fight against polio. This event, which was held on the morning of August 19 at Webb’s Miniature Golf in Mayville, NY, featured 12 foursome teams competing for great prizes, a putting contest, a silent auction, an informational display about polio, refreshments and lots of laughs.
 
The winning team in the mixed category of participants was The Mayville Frogs, a family consisting of Jim, Judy, Michael and Joey Parker of Mayville, NY. Their team score of 187 for the eighteen holes of fun miniature golf earned them a gift certificate for 9 holes of golf for 4 players at Chautauqua Point Golf Course. Another victorious team was The Old Winners, whose score of 221 earned them the top spot in the all-male category. These putters included Rotarians Tracy Bennett, Mike Harrington, Doug Richmond and Jim Wakeman, hailing from Westfield, NY and North East, PA, and they kindly donated their prize back to the event.
 
Other top team results in the mixed category of players were as follow: 2nd place - The Pin Masters of Westfield, with a team score of 188; 3rd place tie - The Eradicators of Bemus Point and Westfield, 189 and The Mulligans of Westfield, 189; 4th place - The Sunsetters of Westfield, 196; and The Happy Hour Gang of Westfield and also Winchester, VA, 217. Other teams included H.I.O., Los Golfitodoros, All in the Family, Team Hamels, Thunderbirds and The Luther’s.
 
Stiff competition in the side event of the putting contest for the highest number of holes in one with 5 putts resulted in a playoff between Carson Swanson, a 10-year-old from Westfield and Jim Wakeman, a senior player from North East, PA. Swanson’s excellent putting skills earned him the victor’s spot and a prize of 4 rounds of golf at Chautauqua Point Golf Course.
 
Jim Wakeman, who is the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville Foundation Chair and PolioPlus Challenge Chair, served as the event chair for this charity miniature golf tournament. He said, “Thank you to all of the participants and sponsors for making this event a success. Also, special recognition is given to Webb’s Miniature Golf for letting our Rotary Club use the course at a very reasonable rate.”
 
“Of course, the real victors from this event are the 23,000 children who will be able to receive polio immunizations so that they will not be crippled,” Wakeman stated. “The funds raised at this event will be matched at the local level and then matched 2:1 after being donated to the PolioPlus Fund of Rotary International. The motto of The Rotary Foundation is Doing Good in the World. Certainly, everyone who contributed to and/or participated in this event helped to do some good.”
 
The Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville gratefully acknowledges the following hole sponsors: Chautauqua Sunrise, J.B. & Linda Dunn, Pinehurst Golf Club, Sue Hammond & Jim Wakeman, Mark Forbes, Baran Vineyards, Jack’s Barcelona Drive-In, Tom & Janese Berkhouse, Jim & Jane Mead, Landmark Acres Antiques, David & Sandy Brown (2 holes), Rotary Club of Greater Jamestown, Tracy S. Bennett, CPA, Tom & Judy Marsh, Johnson Estate Winery, Pete & Carolyn Bills, Stephen P. Zanghi, Attorney at Law, Parkview Café, Dave Davison, Lake Shore Savings (2 holes), Brocton Interact Club, Community Bank, N.A., Gateway Ophthalmology, PLLC and Plantrol.
 
In addition, a big thank you is extended to the following general sponsors:  Webb’s Miniature Golf, Tops Friendly Market of Mayville, KeyBank, J.B. & Linda Dunn, Joe Wakeman, and David & Marissa Troxell. Also, event prizes and silent auction items were generously donated by the following: Jack’s Barcelona Drive-In, Portage Hill Gallery / Donald Dowling, Chautauqua Point Golf Course / Steve Elliott, Pinehurst Golf Club / Mary Swanson, KeyBank, Janese Berkhouse, Carolyn Bills and Sue Hammond. Also, various individuals made personal contributions to help in the fight against polio.
 
The Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville sends its gratitude to all of the participants, sponsors and donors who supported this benefit event. The crippling disease of polio affects not only children, but also adults. Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that affects polio survivors years after they recover from the initial acute onset of the poliomyelitis virus. PPS symptoms appear mainly as the new weakening of muscles that were previously affected by polio and also of muscles that had seemed to be unaffected.
 
Symptoms include the slow progression of muscle weakness, unusual fatigue, muscle atrophy and pain. Though PPS is rarely life-threatening, if untreated it can lead to acute respiratory weakness resulting in underventilation, difficulty with swallowing, and pneumonia. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 440,000 polio survivors in the U.S. may be at risk for post-polio syndrome.
 
Researchers are unable to determine an exact rate of PPS prevalence. It is estimated that the condition affects 25% to 60% of polio survivors. To date there is no known way to prevent the progression of PPS. Physicians recommend that those who are afflicted follow a healthy lifestyle, such as getting proper sleep, maintaining a well-balanced diet, following an exercise program and avoiding unhealthy habits, such as smoking or overeating.  
 
Polio is a highly infectious disease that invades the nervous systems and can cause paralysis in a few hours. It is also a totally preventable disease. This year only six new cases of polio have occurred, and these were found in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. Given how mobile our global population has become, it is important to immunize children everywhere in order to eradicate this disease. One dose of polio vaccine costs 60 cents, which is about half the price of a candy bar in our country. 
 
To date the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville has raised $8,741.78 towards its goal of $10,000 by the spring of 2018. An anonymous local foundation has kindly offered to match 1:1 all funds up to $10,000. When the funds are then submitted to the Rotary PolioPlus Fund, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have generously committed to matching the funds 2:1.
 
Therefore, every dollar that this Rotary Club raises for its PolioPlus Challenge will generate $6. Community support is vital to this campaign. Watch for upcoming details on this Rotary Club’s next PolioPlus Challenge charity event.