A long time ago, (actually a year and three weeks after I was born), President Franklin Delano Roosevelt founded the March of Dimes, on January 9, 1938, with the goal of ending infantile paralysis -- Polio.
Thousands of people mailed cards and letters, each containing a dime, to the White House.
The theme "March of Dimes" was inspired by screen and radio star Eddie Cantor. Cantor's appeal collected more than $85,000 in what the press called "a silver tide which actually swamped the White House."
"During the past few days bags of mail have been coming, literally by the truckload, to the White House," Roosevelt said during his birthday celebration broadcast on January 30, 1938. "Yesterday between forty and fifty thousand letters came to the mailroom of the White House. Today an even greater number — how many I cannot tell you — for we can only estimate the actual count by counting the mail bags. In all the envelopes are dimes and quarters and even dollar bills — gifts from grown-ups and children — mostly from children who want to help other children get well. … It is glorious to have one's birthday associated with a work like this."
FDR's personal secretary Missy LeHand with 30,000 letters containing ten-cent contributions to the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis that arrived at the White House the morning of January 28, 1938. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
A "March of Dimes" funded polio research. And we all know the huge contribution that Rotarians made to the effort to End Polio. Pink ribbons have raised millions for breast cancer. An Ice Bucket Challenge did the same for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We need similar efforts that will translate into tangible progress to end Parkinson's Disease.
Unlike COVID-19 there is no downward trend in the curve of deaths from Parkinson's. But there are real things that turn the tide. And we need to start at the top. And that is the President. We want to flood the Whitehouse with Red Letters containing a dime, and these words:
DEAR MR. PRESIDENT
IN 1938 FDR AND MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS LED A MARCH OF DIMES TO
END POLIO.
TODAY PARKINSON'S IS THE WORLD'S
FASTEST GROWING BRAIN DISEASE,
AFFECTING 1.2 MILLION AMERICANS.
WE GIVE A DIME ABOUT
PARKINSON'S AND TOGETHER
WE CAN END IT.
My Rotary friends, if you are willing to mail a Red Letter to the White House I will get the pre-addressed letter into your hands. All you have to do is sign it, and perhaps add a personal note, and mail it.
If you can do that, just reply to this email... "I give a dime".
I thank you,
Maynard Gross
If you want to know more, or if you want to do more, I suggest starting at this web site: