The Club that Saves Lives

Anna Jackson, Writer

The Interact Club, an extremely influential club based on giving back to the community. People who recognize the importance of their responsibility to others come to the club and help with projects that can benefit others, such as volunteering at the animal shelter, putting wells in Africa, and growing food for the food bank. Last year they filled a whole fire truck with food and donated it!  

This year the club welcomed 60 new members! It is a great way to make friends because everyone there wants to contribute to the community, and they all share similar interests. Apart from the community work, every year one of the activities is an international project where the goal is  to help communities outside of the United States. As already mentioned last year they raised enough money to put a well for clean drinking water in Africa. Just imagine how many lives that could have potentially been saved! It puts a good feeling in your heart when you realize what you just helped do. 

Nationwide, there are over 300,000 members of the club, 14,000 clubs, and in 145 countries! With so much help it is easy to see how the Interact Club can make a difference in the lives of people throughout the world. The Interact Club partnered with the Gates Foundation and actually helped exterminate polio! It is not eradicated for good but there are almost no cases anymore. As Rotary.org states, “Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.” 

They accept anyone and you can show up at any time. They have club officers for each grade so that everyone is equally represented. Everyone that attends is open-minded and wants to help other people. They do so much good for the community and have fun while doing it. It is a very low requirement club, you only meet once or twice a month and there are no requirements to what you have to do. Most members choose to volunteer though, because it is important and fun. Unlike the highly competitive club FCCLA (A club also based on community service) you don’t have to have a high GPA and you can be any age. If you don’t like it you don’t have to show up either. 

The Interact Club is tied with the Rotary Foundation so members get to do all sorts of fun stuff that most kids don’t normally get to do. As Maddie Gavino, club member states, “This club is important because it is important to help others and not just yourself.” When asked what she is most looking forward to in the club, she said, “The garden shed makeover because I like hands-on activities. This is just one example of the types of projects that members are involved in.

If you want to be part of a club that saves lives, promotes peace, and fights disease,  without that much commitment, Interact Club might be the club for you!