November 30, 2009: 

Highland's Rotary Interact Club is having another amazing year of action raising money and awareness for local and international causes that support the world's disadvantaged.  Over 40 teenagers meet every Wednesday during lunch to go through a packed agenda of events to meet their primary goal of International Action (hence "Interact" name).  They are led by co-presidents April Keller-Macleod and Natasha Guillo who keep track of all the event preparations and executions.  The teacher sponsors of the Highland club, Heather Macleod and Tami Jerome, are very inspired by the group's dedication to humanitarian causes.

The Club had a very busy and rewarding start to the school year.  Over 10 students volunteered in the kitchen and in clearing tables at the Mad Hatter Tea Party helping set a fundraising record for Fertile Ground, an agriculture program in Northern India.  Every Tuesday and Thursday morning before school starts, these amazing teenagers get themselves to the school to sell hot drinks and goodies to raise money for Fish farming widows in Kenya.  Another Interacter, Quinn Welsh, sells food every lunch hour to raise money for African Community Technical Service.  Two Interacters, Anika Barlow and Paige Whitehead just returned from a 4 day boot camp put on by the Red Cross where they learned and experienced what is endured by the extreme poor around the world- including 5am surprise evacuation drills.  

Last week, the group volunteered at the Fiesta World Craft fair, as well as sold greeting cards made by Highland art students to raise funds for the Connecting with Kenya group.  Locally, the group is helping serve meals at local soup kitchens and decorating Christmas gift bags for individuals using this service. They also just finished showing their club colours in the Christmas parade in downtown Courtenay.  Natasha Guillo, co-president, notes that, "This year's group is really dedicated". 

After the holidays, they have plans for more events including their annual International Dinner.  "These kids are very organized and very serious about what they want to accomplish.  They know they want to help, and they know many of the world's problems are urgent.  They work together very efficiently, they lead themselves and they are a force to be reckoned with. It's hard to keep up with all their projects and plans," says Rotarian Terry Nielsen, from the sponsoring Strathcona Sunrise Rotary Club.  

For More Information contact: 

• Natasha Guillo, Club Co-President- This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
• April Keller-Macleod, Club Co-President-  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
• Tami Jerome, Teacher Liaison- This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
• Terry Nielsen, Rotary Liaison- This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , 250 334 8045  

The Interact Club of Highland Secondary School

The Interact Club of Highland Secondary School - 10 years of sponsership & service -

The Interact Club of Highland Secondary School was established in the Fall of 1995 and received its charter in December of that year. The club has been active in community and international projects from the beginning. Its first international project was the organization of the 30-Hour Famine at Highland through World Vision Canada. The first two years the club ran this event at Highland they raised in excess of $5,000. Another international project included helping out a cottage industry in Guatemala that provided dignified work to women and girls who had theretofore subsisted through their activities in the sex trade. In 2000 and 2002 the club raised money for Polio Plus Partners and the Polio Eradication Campaign and relived a citation from the District Governor of District 5020 for raising the most money of any Interact club in the district. In partnership with its sponsoring Rotary club, the Interactors decided to become involved in provided prostheses for children in India who were crippled for life by polio. The students made small silhouettes of hands out of felt, hot-glued a safety pin to one side and sold them to people for a donation. They called their campaign "Helping Hands", which name was adopted by the Rotary clubs of Strathcona Sunrise and Chennai-Kilpauk, India and is described on another page on this website.

Every year the Interactors have partnered with their sponsors in many community activities and have shared in the proceeds of the Rotarians' fundraisers by becoming involved. The Interactors have raised funds by offering their services to perform odd jobs through a "slave" auction. Several of the members of the Interact club have participated in RYLA, Adventures in Citizenship and the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Those who travelled abroad as exchange students broadened their knowledge of the people of Finland, Austria and Thailand as well as the surrounding countries they visited on their year-long adventures.

Since its formation, the Interact Club of Highland Secondary School has been joined in youth service activities with the formation of the Interact Club of GP Vanier Secondary School, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Courtenay and the Interact Club of Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Comox.

 

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.