Junior Ainslie Morimoto brought Interact Club back to Prairie Ridge this year. She is the club’s current president and says “The club is based around volunteer work, community outreach, teamwork, and unity inside and outside of PR.”
Ainslie re-founded the club after it had been discontinued for many years. After learning what the club is about and what they do for not only their specific towns, but as a whole around the world, she wanted to help.
“The club [is] a great opportunity for students to get volunteer hours in, [and] it is a great place to meet new people and connect with our environment” Ainslie also noted. She followed this statement by exclaiming, “I firmly believe that helping others is the best way to help yourself, and others, feel good.”
This year the club organized a local leaf raking with the Senior Care Network to help more senior citizens with their lawn care going into winter. Students brought their own rakes and their friends to help Interact accomplish their goal. Mr. Seyring, along with Mrs. MacDonald, helped and monitored the kids.
Mr. Seyring is the current club sponsor and about the leaf raking noted, “Our biggest project to date is our annual leaf-raking event. We get PR students to join us in raking lawns for senior citizens in our community. We have lots of fun and the seniors really appreciate the help.”
When asked about what the club itself is, he responded by saying “Rotary is an international organization and you’ll find them in every corner of the world. Most every local volunteer group in Crystal Lake is in some small and large way, supported by our local Rotary Club.”
Rotary is a worldwide organization with over 46,000 clubs that are dedicated to giving back to others and support these priorities: Promote Peace, Fight Disease, Provide Clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Save Mothers and Children, Support Education, Grow Local Economies and Protect the Environment. Rotary has been around for over 110 years and is continuously growing and evolving with almost 15,000 rotary clubs in over 140 countries around the world.
Interact is a smaller portion of Rotary for high school students to get more involved and gain experience giving back to their communities. As an organization, Interact’s mission is to promote Service Above Self, motivating students ages 12-18 to further develop their leadership skills and find the joys and passion in helping others through volunteering.
Contact Mr. Seyring ([email protected]) to learn more about the club, follow PR Interact on Instagram, and apply for a board position in the upcoming month for the 2024-2025 school year!
