Dickenson County Herald

POLIO EMERGENCY DRIVE OPENS THURSDAY

Describing initial response to the polio emergency drive, which opened here Thursday, as "heartening," Mrs. Joe Kennedy, chairman of the Dickenson County chapter of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, urged intensified efforts and increased giving during the one-week drive.

There is no such thing as too much money when the health and welfare of our children is at stake, Mrs. Kennedy said. "People are giving today because they know that every additional dollar helps keep polio away from our own doors in the future. The money raised in this emergency drive is needed to pay for the medical care of the thousands stricken and those who will be stricken in this year of incredibly high polio incidence.

While we care for those stricken today, we cannot for an instant call off the search for the solution that will prevent such attacks in the future. We want to make sure, for the sake of our own children, that both jobs are done simultaneously and effectively.

Meanwhile the VIP (Volunteers in Polio) is carrying the appeal for funds directly into the homes of every member of this community. "All men and women of good will are urged to join the VIP ranks," Mrs. Kennedy said. "The help of more people is needed almost as urgently as their dimes and dollars to make sure our community goes over the top in this moment of financial crisis."

Funds raised in the emergency campaign will be placed in a special epidemic aid fund at National Foundation headquarters and will be available to all chapters whose March of Dimes funds no longer are available to pay for the medical care of current polio cases.