Page 10 - Gears and Ears July 2013

From Rotary International

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Children in England sell crocus flowers to support the fight to end polio.

“…I’d like you to design a crocus for Rotary Day and the End Polio Now Campaign”. “No problem”, I said. I knew what a
crocus was. But the End Polio Now Campaign was a mystery. That was 18 months ago.

I’d been contacted by Lynn Mitchell, District Governor of 1120 in Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland. She had the
visionary idea of developing a fabric crocus buttonhole to raise awareness for Rotary and End Polio Now. Like the poppy for
ex-servicemen’s charities. The crocus was chosen as its purple colour matched the dye painted on the little fingers of children
to show that they have been immunised.
Lynn contacted me as I specialise in supplying fabric flowers to charities for fundraising. I started reading – of Rotary’s
tireless work over decades; of the incredible achievements; of the goal so close. Most of all I thought of the millions of children
now growing up healthy lives because of this great effort. Why was it all new to me? I’m well educated and informed. I
asked my friends and they didn’t know either. We’re all under 50 with no personal link to a polio sufferer, living in a polio free
country. I was humbled, but also outraged. If I didn’t know then millions of other didn’t either. Something had to be done.

I was introduced to another visionary Rotarian, Mike Parry, then District Governor of 1150 and End Polio Now Coordinator of
Zone 17 and together the three of us started to develop and promote the Rotary Crocus Campaign.

Our aim was to create a global fundraising event in the month leading up to Rotary Day on Feb 23rd. You see, the beauty of the
crocus is that it symbolises the story of the immunisation programme. It allows that story to be told in a way that the general
public can identify with and share. It puts Rotary at the heart of that story.

Trialled in 2012 and the Crocus was a great success raising US$40,000. In 2013 it was rolled out nationally and trialled in the
US, Canada, Nigeria and Australia raising some US$250,000. Now every Crocus buttonhole comes on an information card
which gives the wearer the 30 second answer to the question ‘that’s a nice flower, what’s it for?’

The Rotary Crocus is a simple idea and it works, all over the world. For Rotary Day 2014 our aim is for crocuses to ‘bloom’
on every continent. With your help, we can do this.

It is a pleasure for me to be working again with Rotary, an organisation whose ideals and value I share. As student I had been
a Rotary Foundation Scholar, but then lost contact as life intervened. Recently my reconnection has been completed as I’ve
joined the Rotary e-club of London Centenary.
You could say that I’m an example of the power of the Rotary Crocus to generate awareness, funds and new members too!