MARTIN (November 23) - Recently, a Walter Zeller Fellowship was posthumously awarded to Christie Ricketts of Martin for her dedication to the Kiwanis International Organization. Ricketts served as President of the Martin Kiwanis Club this past year, 2019-2020. The award was bestowed to her mother, Linda Deboard.
Each Zeller Award makes saving the lives of 699 unborn babies and their mothers possible through the organization's global tetanus elimination. The three shots, which cost $1.80, will protect an expectant mother and all her children throughout her child-bearing years.
Kiwanis International has partnered with UNICEF in trying to rid the world of Maternal Pre-Natal Tetanus through the Eliminate Project. When the organization partnered with UNICEF, there were 39 countries in the world affected by tetanus.
Today, that number is down to 12 remaining countries. If a child is born with tetanus, he/she will die an excruciating death within a matter of days.