Inter-Lakes Interact Club, sponsored by the Meredith Rotary club, was chartered on March 27, 2015 with twenty-seven members.  Inter-Lakes Interact Club was very active this past year with service activities that clearly demonstrated Rotary’s motto - Service Above Self.  

 

This year the club made $2,650 in donations to Mix Cash N Cans Drive, The Salvation Army, The Faith Hope and Love Foundation, The Pemi Bridge House, Service Saturday, The Wheelchair Foundation, Ukraine relief, The Lakes Region Food Pantry, End-Polio-Now, Rwanda solar lights, and Samuel’s 9^th grade schooling in Rwanda through the Rwandan Children’s Education Fund. 

The club started off the year by promoting Interact during the School Activities Fair sponsored by Student Council.

 

In October the club held its annual Socktober project to collect socks for those in need.  This year the club collected over 3,000 pairs of socks.

 

 

 The annual Fall Ceremony was held on November 4 at Inter-Lakes Middle-High School auditorium.  Club members and guests heard keynote speaker Dr.  Jessica Dutille discuss how service to others impacts both the lives of the receivers as well as the givers.  During ceremony new members were inducted.  The Socktober socks were distributed to The Interlakes Student in Need Fund, The Santa Fund of the Greater Lakes Region, The Boys and Girls Club of Laconia, Isaiah 61 Café, The Laconia Salvation Army, Spaulding Academy and Family Services, The Belknap House, and The Plymouth Pemi Youth Center.

 

  In honor of Veterans Day in November the club hand wrote cards for veterans in the New Hampshire Veterans Home.

                                               

 

In December the club collected Toys-for-Tots, rang Salvation Army bells, and helped Meredith Rotary in their annual Senior Christmas Dinner.  They also teamed up with Future Business Leaders of America to make blankets which were donated to the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness. 

       

 

In January the club went grocery shopping and prepared a meal for the residents of the Pemi Bridge House. 

 

During Meredith Rotary’s Fishing Derby weekend, the club held its Bobhouse Raffle fundraiser.  This year the club sold 1,345 tickets that provided funds for the numerous service projects supported by the club.

 

In April the club held its second ‘Service Saturday’ where club members chose what to do for ‘random acts of kindness’.  This year the club members brought doughnuts to the Meredith Police and Fire Stations, donated toiletry items to Sadie’s Place, delivered pet and cleaning supplies to the New Hampshire Humane Society, and donated groceries to Salvation Army’s Carey House in Laconia.  Also, in April the club held its second annual Non-perishable Food and Dry Goods drive. 

 

During the month of May, the club collected donations to support Rotary’s PolioPlus to eradicate polio from the world.  Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985.  Since then there has been a 99.9% worldwide reduction in polio cases.  It is crucial to eradicate polio from the last two countries where it remains endemic.  

The club held its End-of-Year Ceremony on June 2 at the school’s auditorium.  During the ceremony Superintendent of Schools, Ms. Moriarty, presented the club with the 2021-2022 Rotary Citation to Interact Clubs.  The Rwanda Children Educational Foundation presented an update on the RCEF MicroCredit Grant that the club donated $1,000 to in 2019.  The club donated $975 to Rwanda Children Educational Foundation.  This is the club’s fourth annual donation to RCEF to fund Samuel Mugabo’s annual tuition – this time to fund Samuel’s 9^th grade starting in September 2022.   Also during the ceremony, outgoing club officers and directors were recognized for the leadership and incoming officers and directors were inducted in to their new positions.