Rotarians riding in El Tour raised nearly $800,000 towards their challenge to End Polio Now, #RidetoEndPolio. As of Saturday, internationally Rotarians have raised $8.3 million of their $10 million goal.
Since 1988, cases of epidemic polio have decreased 99% and is now found in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Twilight Wish Foundation’s team rode in the 55 mile event. A beneficiary of El Tour, the charity focuses on making wishes come true for low-income seniors and veterans. Wishes are granted using a pink wand with music and are always a surprise.
“We’ve been in Tucson almost 11 years,” said Rose Muzzy, who heads the Doylestown, Pennsylvania-based Foundation here in Tucson. “We send some veterans for the Honor Flight and pay for wishes here during the year. We’ve granted teeth (to a woman who was using her sister’s teeth!), and reunited families.”
Muzzy’s daughter, Lisa Mach, was the leader of the El Tour riding team.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) team consisted of more than 2,000 riders from all over the country. Those who participated in JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes, raised more than $8,000.
