For Rotary clubs around the world, including in Butler County, World Polio Day is special.

World Polio Day, observed on Oct. 24, marks the 99.9 percent reduction in paralytic polio cases in the world.

“A lot of people don’t realize we’re very close to eradicating it (polio) worldwide,” said Mike Patsy, president of the Cranberry Township Rotary Club-Sunrise.

Rotary International is hosting its fourth annual live streaming of its World Polio Day event on endpolio.org. Patsy said the township Rotary Club will share the event on its social media pages.

“We want to get the word out to everyone and educate the public,” he said. “Most members of Rotary are aware of it, but the general public is not aware of it.”

More than 1.22 million Rotarians around the world in 35,188 clubs have committed to raising and donating more than $1.5 billion to date to the End Polio Now campaign. The only other disease that was eradicated from the world was smallpox, making public health history in 1979.

One such survivor of polio is Zelienople resident Tom Grant.

“It’s very important personally to recognize that there is still work to be done to eradicate it,” Grant said.

Grant, president of the Zelienople Rotary Club, has been living with polio since September 1953.

He was 17 years old and played for the Ridley Township High School football team in Delaware County, Pa., when he was diagnosed.

Rotary’s chief role is fundraising, advocacy, raising awareness and mobilizing volunteers to eradicate polio.

The Grants are co-chairmen the Rotary District Committee on Polio, which plans to raise money and awareness for polio.

They also do charity work with ShelterBox USA and volunteer for Rotary International.

Since 1985 Rotary Clubs have been focused on ending polio. For every $1 Rotary collects, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gives $2.

“This is sort of a peak experience for us,” Marie Grant said of World Polio Day. “One of the things that really drew Tom to Rotary in the first place was their mission to eradicate polio.”

Although Grant survived the debilitating disease, he now suffers from post-polio syndrome. The condition has caused Grant to use braces to walk.

Progressive muscle weakness, fatigue and a gradual decrease in the size of muscles are some syndromes of post-polio syndrome, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

“Most people are not aware of it,” Grant said of post-polio syndrome. “Polio survivors just don’t talk about it so much.”

The Grants have been married for about 23 years.

They hope to visit all 42 Rotary clubs in District 7280 to educate people about polio and the struggles survivors face with post-polio syndrome, for which there is no cure.

The district includes clubs from Pine-Richland School District in Allegheny County in the south to Erie in the north.

Patsy said Tom Grant will be a featured speaker at the Rotary Sunrise club in the near future.

“It’s to let people know what Rotary has done to help eradicate polio,” Grant said.

For information on Rotary’s campaign to end polio, visit www.endpolionow.org.