My son got a routine childhood immunization recently. It took a fraction of a minute. The cost was negligible. The biggest decision was which bandaid to get (camo got the nod).

For 1.5 million children every year, inability to receive vaccinations against preventable diseases results in death. That’s one child every 20 seconds. One child whose death could have been prevented by something we know how to do.

When I participated in Rotary International’s End Polio Now “World’s Biggest Commercial” (the “this close” campaign to demonstrate how very close we are to eradicating polio), little did I know that my favorite app, Charity Miles, would soon be partnering with Shot @ Life to encourage people to walk, run, and cycle in order to raise awareness and funds to give even more children worldwide access to vaccines for conditions such as pneumonia, diarrhea, measles, and polio.

Rotary International “End Polio Now ” We Are “This Close”

The #VDay10K, a partnership between the United Nations Foundation and Charity Miles, encourages walkers, runners, and cyclists to use the free Charity Miles app to attempt to raise $10,000 for the UN Foundation Charities of Shot @ Life, Girl Up, and Nothing But Nets by 2/28/13.

February 28 is just four days away.

You know how a lot of childhood immunizations require “boosters”? Let’s look at it this way. Many Charity Miles supporters have taken the first “shot” at raising the bulk of this $10,000. Now we can all band together for the “booster” that seals the deal. A booster would ensure a child is truly inoculated against a threatening disease. A walk/run/cycle booster would be good for you, me and these children.

Charity Miles founder Gene Gurkoff said it well when this campaign kicked off:
“We don’t want people to open their wallets, just tie up their sneakers.”

Four more days! Let’s:

Walk four miles, enough to donate a polio vaccine through Shot @ Life.

Protect a child from malaria by cycling miles toward nets through Nothing But Nets.

Run a mile, five, or 10 and provide a week of education for a girl with every single mile through Girl Up.

My kids are fortunate. Getting immunizations is a routine for them, a bit of a nuisance but something that becomes an afterthought when the camo bandaid is tossed in the trash can.

Let’s go an extra mile for kids who are not so fortunate.

Four More Days.