Rotary Interact is a service and social club for high school students. Club members participate in service projects in both their school and their community. Newark Valley High School and Owego Free Academy have active clubs, sponsored by the Owego Rotary, that have provided much to our community this academic year.
In October the Newark Valley students sponsored a food drive during the Homecoming weekend. They collected 400 pounds of food and $836 in donations, which were distributed to the food pantries in Berkshire and Newark Valley.
Later that month they assisted the town with the repair, restoration and beautification of the Trout Ponds park. The Owego students teamed with their Key Club colleagues to sponsor a blood drive.
Environmental concerns are of great importance to Owego club members. To promote awareness among the student body, they developed an environmental quiz, which was distributed during the lunch hour. Both clubs assisted Owego Rotary at their Halloween booth during the Halloween festivities in the village.
Pictured, Rotary Interact students are hard at work in the community, providing service to others. Provided photo.
As they moved into the holiday season, the OFA students spent a Sunday helping at the Rotary Craft Fair. They also assisted with Lights on the River, serving warm cider to chilled people.
The Newark Valley club helped prepare and distribute Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets at the Newark Valley and Berkshire food pantries. The students also spent one of their December meetings, writing messages and signing Christmas cards for the Riverview Nursing Home residents.
The New Year brought a new opportunity to the Newark Valley club as they became involved with Community Connection, a nonprofit center serving northern Tioga County residents. They have contributed ideas for the new youth room, and have spent hours cleaning and painting rooms and hallways.
The Owego club sold carnations for Valentine’s Day, donating all proceeds to Casa Trinity. The Owego students also participated in the Rural Ministries Spring Cleanup in April, and served cake and drinks to Riverview Nursing home residents during their Spring Celebration in May.
To culminate the years’ service to the community, both Interact clubs will be volunteering at the Owego Strawberry Festival, assisting with the 5K event at Hickories Park on Thursday, June 13, and then they will be serving strawberry shortcake at the Rotary booth on Friday and Saturday. You can visit www.owego.org to find out more about this year’s festival.
Participation in Rotary Interact has allowed students to build leadership skills, learn the value of service, meet new and interesting people, and have lots of fun times! For more information, visit www.owegorotary.org.
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