Several Canton Interact Club members
Ms. Traub then introduced Interact members and officers Grace, Nathan, Sophia and Anna, who went on to describe their activities, accompanied by a slide show, presented in part, here.
Michelle introduced the early history of the Interact Club in Canton, turning the microphone over to Grace thereafter.
Grace described some of their activities including educating peers about the opioid epidemic, fundraising for programs like the African Education Partnership and others activities. An Ice Cream Social was one such fundraiser. She continued by saying "What is great about Rotary is we can quickly see the beneficial effects of our actions." Other activities included volunteering at Spirit Horse, a therapeutic riding center in Canton and "Zoom with Santa" to benefit local children at Christmas time.
Nathan Delgado then took the microphone to describe the Interact club's CIS Fright Fest,
and introduced Anna, who characterized their support for the African Education Partnership (AEP).
Anna described AEP in Nigeria and the effort to construct dormitories for students there.
She recently met the Bishop in charge of the school and he explained that several schools
were built in recent years.
Next up was Sophia who shared details of Interact's Winter Clothing Drive for indigent patients of Hartford HealthCare
and also an open mic night that was held on behalf of Guiding Light Orphans (GLO).
Regaining the microphone, and in conclusion, Michelle Traub noted Interact will hold another open mic night
on Wednesday February 9th, at the Maple Tree Cafe in Simsbury, also in support of GLO. All are welcome!
Alicia Canning complemented Michelle for the work she has done in leading the Interact club, emphasizing our pride in their work. Christine Lamadrid in attending a District governance event, learned that our Interact Club is among the more active and successful in the District. Michelle welcomed the Interact club's inclusion in any work the larger Rotary Club needs help with.
Assistant District Governor Dave Tedeschi
Dave Tedeschi, assistant governor of District 7890, commended Michelle and her students and added that the District is readying $1000.00 grants for District Interact Clubs. Dave indicated ours would be very competitive for one of these grants. Michelle revealed that a mental health project was newly on their radar and that she would look into the grant program.
In response to a question about how Interact members are recruited, Michelle responded that students are personally recommended by at least 2 teachers. Annually she sends the teachers a letter requesting their recommendations for appropriate candidates. Other students may join, but the nucleus are those that come highly recommended for their leadership skills.
Interact member Nathaniel Delgado
In response to a question by Christine Lamadrid about how we can best help them, Nathan responded that they would enjoy doing something on a local basis in collaboration with the "adult" club. Members present were enthusiastic about this suggestion. [Editor's Note: One can wonder exactly what was meant by the characterization of Club members as "adult." Nathan must have simply meant our chronological ages! ;-) ]
Chuck Joseph suggested collaborating with Healing Meals. Michelle responded they had attempted to contact them, but had not yet heard back. Christine Lamadrid indicated we would follow up on their behalf.
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Post-Presentation Discussions Among Attendees
Dave Tedeschi discussed the Newington club's program "Stop the Traffic" to end human trafficking, but to date has been unable to get the program included in the Newington school system. Dave asked Kevin if Canton had addressed this issue, and they agreed to discuss it further offline.
Gary Miller briefly discussed the planned efforts to talk to our bigger sponsors and identify ways to provide more value to them in return for their sustained support for our two big fundraisers, TOTV and the Golf Tournament. The Golf Tournament will be held September 12th this year, and will not conflict with any Jewish holidays.
Jolly Lux suggested we do a better job of showing our donors and sponsors the positive impact of their support for us. For example an "Impact Report" or pamphlet could be produced with explicit elaborations of how sponsor and donor dollars directly impact our programs.
