Mark Davis was one of 9,000 cyclists from around the world who participated in the bike ride to raise funds to eradicate polio.
Davis, who is director of Head Start at the Partnership for Community Action in Clarkston, was one of more than 9,000 cyclists from around the world who participated in the 30th annual El Tour de Tucson on Nov. 17 in Arizona.
Davis finished the ride in four hours and 45 minutes and raised more than $1,500 with support from his Rotary Club members and other Rotarians in Rotary District 6900.
He said it was a unique and incredible experience.
“I met people from all walks of life,” he said.
Cyclists completed distances of 42, 60, 85 and 111 miles and raised more than $400,000.
Rotarians have been involved in the global fight against polio for 20 years.
New cases of the disease have dropped to an all-time low. In 2012, there were fewer than 200 worldwide.
Only Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria remain polio-endemic.
Rotary International says a $700 million funding shortfall for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative threatens to impede progress against the disease.
The initiative also includes the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and governments around the world.
For more information about the End Polio Now campaign, visit www.endpolio.org.
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