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 A group of Spring-Ford High School students are learning the value of serving others. That ideal was the focal point of the annual dinner meeting of the Spring-Ford Rotary Club and the high school’s Interact Club, held recently at Spring-Ford Country Club.
Sponsored by the Rotary Club, the Interact Club “is the largest club in our school,” according to high school principal Pat Nugent, who also is president of the Rotary Club for the 2008-09 club year. “It is a very, very active service club,” he added.
The evening was an opportunity to thank the students for their service, Nugent said, as well as for the students to share with the Rotarians what they have done throughout the year and for the Rotarians to share with the students what they have done.
Following a pasta buffet, Nugent explained the history and programs of Rotary International, which he described as the largest service organization in the world. “No matter where you go, you have the opportunity to fellowship with other Rotarians,” he remarked.
Interact adviser Melanie Volpe pointed to the tremendous growth of the club, in its fourth successful year. The club has grown to more than 100 members, she said, adding, “If you give young people an opportunity to do good, they certainly do.”
To the students, she said she was “proud to see you making a difference in your community.” Addressing their parents, she remarked, “You’ve raised really wonderful young people.”
Adviser Julie Quimby, who has been with the club for three years, introduced the student leadership of the Interact Club. “We’ve had some amazing officers.” President Nick Palazzolo, a graduating senior, personally raised over $1000 in the various fundraisers of the group, Quimby said, while also serving as an officer in another service club. “It just won’t be the same without you,” she said to Palazzolo.
Reminding his fellow students of the many commitments they make, with school, sports, family and more, “We spread ourselves thin in each of these roles,” Palazzolo said. “Many of us forget that we are members of our community and our world.” But the Interact members have not forgotten, he added, but made room for one more commitment, choosing to serve.
The young officer recounted some of the projects the Interact Club took on this year, including volunteering at the Limerick and Upper Providence Community Days, collecting food during Homecoming and the holiday season, working at Rotary’s pancake breakfast and collecting money and wrapping gifts for the Adopt-a-Family project.
The club also participated in two international projects this year. The students collected $2000 for Rotary volunteers to work in polio areas, while also raising awareness about the disease. Also, the club held a Walk for Darfour on Saturday, May 30, collecting donations and finding sponsors to aid in the international cause.
The conclusion of his time with Interact, Palazzolo said, “is really just closing the first chapter of a lifetime of service.” He encouraged the remaining members of the club to continue their commitment to service and challenged the graduating seniors to continue their involvement into a lifetime of service.
The 2008-09 officers of the Spring-Ford High School Interact Club, in addition to Palazzolo, were Megan Landis, vice president; Kristen Loomis, secretary, and Ruth Akintoye, treasurer.
Founded in 1905 in Chicago, Rotary International now numbers 1.2 million members in 32,000 clubs throughout the world, Nugent explained. A major focus of Rotary for the past few decades has been Polio Plus. Begun in 1985 with a goal of eradicating polio, Polio Plus has resulted in the immunization of over 1 billion children. Only a few countries remain where polio continues to infect new victims.
The Spring-Ford Rotary Club’s three major projects are Limerick Community Day, where Rotary operates a tent full of children’s games; Adopt-a-Family, where the club purchases and wraps gifts for needy Spring-Ford children, and the annual pancake breakfast, which raises about $7000 to $8000 to be donated to community organizations.
Altogether, the Spring-Ford Rotary Club averages $25,000 per year in donations to projects and organizations in the community and the world.
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