Rotarians around the world participate in and administer a broad
range of humanitarian and educational programs and activities
designed to improve the human condition and advance the
organization's ultimate goal of world understanding and peace.
Programs range from scholarships and cultural exchanges to
opportunities for service at the local, national and international
levels.
One of the programs is Interact—a Rotary-sponsored service club for
people ages 14-18. The program gives young people an opportunity to
participate in fun, meaningful service projects while developing
leadership skills and meeting new friends.
Through service activities, Interactors learn the importance of:
-
Developing
leadership skills and personal integrity;
-
Demonstrating
helpfulness and respect for others; and
-
Advancing
international understanding and goodwill.
Programs can be school or community based and are required to carry
out at least two service projects annually — one serving the school
or community and another promoting international understanding.
Each Interact club is sponsored by a local Rotary club whose members
offer guidance, but Interact clubs are responsible for planning,
financing, organizing, and executing their own projects.
The first Interact club was formed in Florida in 1962 and had 23
members. Today, 6,605 Interact clubs in 101 countries have an
estimated 151,915 members.
You can
find more information at Rotary International’s site:
www.rotary.org/programs/interact/index.html
Club
members also work with Rotarians in support of various Weymouth
Rotary Club events including the Eddie O’Rourke Christmas Trimming,
Food Pantry Drives, and the Pancake Breakfast.
In addition, Interact plans to work with the Appalachia Service
Project (ASP) for the third time this year. Members will be
going to Guyan, West Virginia during April school vacation to help a
low income family fix up/repair their home. This work will
include repairing the roof and the scraping and painting of the
home. The trip will also include visits to Baltimore, Maryland
and Washington, DC.
Past
projects have included working with ASP in Jonesville, Virginia and
Chavies, Kentucky. Members assisted ASP in working on an
addition to an existing home, adding a new floor with joists on
another home and repairing/scraping/painting the home of a disabled
person.
Rotary Interact has an international component as well. This
year members will raise funds for Safe Passage and its educational
mission to teach the indigenous population of Mayans in Guatemala
City, Guatemala. Interactors plan to make a second trip to
Guatemala and serve in its school as their international service
project in April, 2008. Members made their first trip to
Guatemala during our 2006 February vacation.
CLUB INFORMATION
Meeting Schedule:
Interact meets
every other Monday in Room 3058 at WHS during the school year.
Interact Members:
There currently 30 active
members who attend bi-monthly meetings and sign-up for monthly
service projects.
Faculty Advisors:
Joanne Curran,
WHS Rm 3058
joanne.curran@weymouthschools.org
Tom Healy, Chapman Middle School, Rm 209 thomas.healy@weymouthschools.org
Weymouth Rotary Club Advisors:
Robert Petrelli -
rjpetrelli@mtvernonmortgage.com
Judy Haglof -
jhaglof@sovereignbank.com
