Welcome to Interact Clubs Around the State, a monthly column highlighting a different Interact Club in California! Use this column to get ideas for your own Interact Club, form partnerships with Interact Clubs working on projects that your club would like to be a part of, and contact other clubs to share information. If you need any help contacting a club, please contact me through the means listed below the article and I would be happy to set up communication!
Background
April’s Interact Club spotlight is Claremont High School (CHS) Interact Club in Claremont, California. It is an active club in District 5300 (southern California) and so far this year, they have donated 3500 service hours, raised almost $2,000, and have approximately 180 members. They perform a variety of service projects, donation drives, and work countless events in the Claremont area.
Largest Service Projects
- Year-long Volunteers at Priceless Pets
- As their schedules allow, Interact members walk dogs, clean kennels, and provide assistance at the local animal shelter
- Scare Away Hunger
- Interactors from El Roble (the junior high school in Claremont) partnered up with CHS Interact to decorate the exterior and interior of a local relator’s two-story office into a working haunted house a few days before Halloween
- The night of Halloween, admission to the Haunted House was a canned/dry good donation or a cash donation to Inland Valley Hope Partners Food Bank (the local food pantry)
- This year, they raised $278 (not including canned donations!)
- Miracle Minute for Rotaplast
- CHS Interact supplies every homeroom class at school with a large manila envelope and then for one minute during the school’s announcements, homeroom classes pass around the envelope and fill it with whatever donation they can make
- This year, they raised $500 for Rotoplast
- CHS Interact supplies every homeroom class at school with a large manila envelope and then for one minute during the school’s announcements, homeroom classes pass around the envelope and fill it with whatever donation they can make
- Laser Tag fundraiser for Claremont After-School Programs (CLASP)
- Interactors were able to bond and have a great time raising money for a program that supports academically at-risk students at public schools in Claremont
- This year, they raised $600 with the fundraiser
- Interactors were able to bond and have a great time raising money for a program that supports academically at-risk students at public schools in Claremont
Club Affairs
- Retreats
- The officer board holds three retreats–once over the summer, once over winter break, and once in May with their club liaison from the Claremont Rotary Club
- At the summer and winter break retreats, the officer board discusses the events of the upcoming semester, the schedule, and what officers would like to work on in the term
- The third retreat in May is known as “pass the gavel”–the retreat introduces new officers to Interact and Rotary, bond with the new board, and old officers are able to train new officers
- The officer board holds three retreats–once over the summer, once over winter break, and once in May with their club liaison from the Claremont Rotary Club
- Written Membership Policies
- CHS Interact has service hour requirement for its members–this keeps events well-attended and keeps members consistently involved with the club
- Members who do not meet the service hour requirement of the triad (about 2.5 months) are declined further membership privileges
- CHS Interact has service hour requirement for its members–this keeps events well-attended and keeps members consistently involved with the club
CHS Interact is a great club to be involved with and they are always looking to partner with other Interact Clubs and share information. You can contact their President, Bess Markley at [email protected] or their President-Elect (President for next school year) Amanda Gale at [email protected].
–Alexa Tisopulos
Contact:
Facebook: Alexa Tisopulos
Email: [email protected]