Students at Strath Haven High School are stepping up to make a difference with the start of the new Rotary Interact Club. This new club is open to all students looking to improve their leadership skills, collaborate with peers, and help those in need.
Haven’s Interact Club was last documented in the 2019 Haven Yearbook. This year, new club president Kate Fox and co-vice presidents Lexi Benzing and Josie Wieland reinstated the club after meeting with the local Swarthmore Rotary.
“I have always been aware of the rotary in Swarthmore because of my family. Recently, they have expressed interest in wanting to have their own interact club—their own youth connections,” Fox said.
Thousands of rotary clubs exist around the world aiming to unite people and find ways to better our world by learning, fundraising, and running service projects. The Swarthmore Rotary Club has been serving their community for over 85 years and with their help the new Interact club will create and carry out service projects.
Unlike other service clubs at Strath Haven, Interact Club creates its own projects. In addition, by being linked to Rotary International through the Swarthmore Rotary Club, they will be able to work on both local and international projects.
Club members have already begun discussing ideas for their future initiatives.
“One of our international service projects will be giving medical supplies to countries in need, and we will do some more local service projects. We’re doing sports drives, helping the elderly, and things with animal shelters,” Benzing said.
Although still in the early stages, Interact Club is already forming plans on how to best help those in need. Throughout the year, the Interact Club will be fundraising as well as actively participating in service projects.
“Some of our early ideas are more about collecting things instead of collecting money,” adviser Mr. Robert Zakrzewski said.
Recognizing that there are many ways to help others, Interact Club plans to not only raise funds but also find other ways for students to participate in service.
During monthly meetings, Interact members will learn about and create opportunities to participate in rotary projects both locally and abroad with guests from the Swarthmore Rotary Club.
Members will also work to create ways to spread their messages around the school and the community by making posters and connecting with community members who will be able to assist in publicity.
“[Interact Club] is a great place for young people to learn some of those skills: how to be leaders, how to manage people, how to reach goals with a group of people who might see things in different ways,” Zakrzewski said. “It is a chance for us to do some good work here in our community and also beyond.”
