RCK Member Rachel Ford, RCK Board Liaison to our Local Interact Clubs, introduced the presenters of the Interact and Rotaract Club Annual Reports.
Webb Middle School Interact Club Faculty Sponsor Carole Hill introduced four students from the 7th and 8th grades at the Middle School. They presented a slide show that included a Webb Loves Little Libraries book drive that collected 3,200 books for the RCK Little Libraries project. The Club participated in the food box packing project at Beaumont Elementary School and Salvation Army bell ringing at West Town Mall. They conducted a Kindness Tree project that collected notes and cards on a Christmas tree at the school that were then sent to Knox Area Rescue Ministries and area hospitals. The Club collected over 1,200 boxes of easy to sook macaroni and cheese boxes for Second Harvest. Their projects included a March Madness bake sale that, with a contribution from RCK, contributed $1,287 to Young-Williams Animal Shelter. On standardized testing day, the Club members distributed good luck greetings with mints to other students. On Teacher Appreciation Day, they led a project that cleaned teachers’ rooms and did other chores to help the teachers.
Hemal Tailor, Sponsor of the Webb Upper School Rotaract Club, introduced Club President Matilda Slade. She and other members of the Club attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Program in Crossville early in the year. The Club participated in the Beaumont Elementary school food box packing project. They again did an End Polio Now Purple Pinkie Day project at the school. They participated in Salvation Army bell ringing. The Club partnered with the Catholic Interact Club to do Christmas shopping for foster kids. They participated in World Rotary Day by painting at Ridgedale Elementary School. They partnered with a Ukrainian Rotary Club and conducted a bake sale to provide funds for children displaced by the war in Ukraine. They wrote cards and notes for veterans participating in HonorAir flights to Washington, D.C. The Webb School Interact Club will again be hosting visiting students from India in the coming year.
Phil Petree, Faculty Sponsor of the Knoxville Catholic High School Interact Club, presented on behalf of the Club. The Club participated in two pre-flight meetings with HonorAir veterans in preparation for their flights to Washington, D.C. They teamed with the Webb club in shopping for gifts and delivering them to foster children. They participated in Salvation Army bell ringing at West Town. The Club sponsored an out-of-uniform day for End Polio Now and raised about $900. They again prepared thank you cards and notes to send to active and veteran military service members through the A Million Thanks program.
RCK Member Joe Stabb, Liaison to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville Rotaract Club, reported on the activities of the Club. It has at present 38 members. Its service projects included work at Knox Area Rescue Ministries, the Big Orange Pantry and others. Club members helped with the Rotary Leadership Institute program in Knoxville.
RCK Member Andrew Murr, Liaison to the Community Rotaract Club, of which his son-in-law is President, reported. The Club participated in Salvation Army bell ringing with RCK. Its primary service focus this year has been to support Thrive Lonsdale, particularly through the UTK Rotaract Club Annual Golf Tournament. Lonsdale coming soon.