Rotary Projects Around the World - May 2023

More than 300 Interact clubs submitted videos, photos, and essays showcasing their accomplishments for the 2022 Interact Awards. This month we feature some of the clubs that entered the contest. See the winners.

 

Panama

Helping people and protecting the environment go hand in hand for the Interact Club of Penonomé. In January, a dozen club members converged on a beach in Río Hato in their home province of Coclé. Joined by Rotarians and other volunteers, they removed 20 bags of trash. “We decided to hold this project since the coastline is not only a recreation area but the habitat to many animal species that could very well be in danger of extinction,” says Alejandra Rodríguez, the club’s president. In previous projects, the club has provided children with backpacks filled with school supplies and toys and organized a family day at the children’s school.

 

United States

To address hunger worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Interact Club of Madison, New Jersey, started a no-contact food collection project in July 2020 to stock a food pantry. The Madison High School students created an online survey and a flyer to gauge the interest of potential donors. More than 100 families and businesses volunteered to fill containers with food items and leave them at their doorsteps for pickup. The Interactors, parents, and other volunteers used an app to arrange efficient pickup routes and communicate with those offering donations. The Madison Ends Hunger project has achieved meaningful results: more than 3,500 bags of food and counting, and about $4,500 contributed to another food pantry through a fundraising site. “I give them full credit for their initiative and the push,” says Doug Willis, president of the sponsoring Rotary Club of Madison. “We’ve gone through two senior classes. The families’ generosity doesn’t seem to be ending, and the kids’ willingness to stick with it seems unending” too.