The March of Dimes

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, by the time of the Great Depression, paralytic poliomyelitis was one of the most feared diseases known, much as with AIDS today. The author points out that the success of the March of Dimes is greater than other health campaign, such as the Christmas Seals. The March of Dimes as a symbol was well-known and widely accepted as the mechanical means through which the public could support campaigns. The paper relates that, after the defeat of polio by the Salk vaccine, the March of Dimes was redirected to other health problems, such as stem cell research.

From the Paper:

"Alarmed by decades of worsening polio epidemics and the devastating toll it was taking on America's young people, Roosevelt, established the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in January 1938, emphasizing the nationwide significance and non-partisan character of the polio crusade. Believing that the war on polio should be led and directed by one national body, yet, as a private organization without access to government funds, Roosevelt realized that a new approach to fundraising would be needed. It was clear that the Birthday Balls would be insufficient to finance the Foundation and its work, since they rarely raised more than a million dollars a year, with over half remaining in the communities in which it was raised and the rest applied to financing the Warm Springs operation."

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