It’s Been a Busy Year for the Perrysburg Interact Club

 
Members of the Perrysburg High School Interact Club have been quite involved with their community service project this school year as well as in supporting Perrysburg Rotary Club projects.

The Interact Club is a youth service club sponsored by Rotary International with guidance and sponsorship from The Perrysburg Rotary Club. Interact provides opportunities for young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills and build respect for others while engaging in community-based service projects. It is funded through grants from the Perrysburg Rotary Community Foundation (PRCF) along with the Interact Club’s own fundraising efforts. “Interact Clubs are an essential way that Rotary Clubs build for the future and help to connect our Community Foundation more deeply to the community,” says Susan Nelson, PRCF Board of Trustees Vice Chair.

This year the Interact Club’s service project was to hand-tie blankets for two local organizations. The first recipient of the blankets was Safety Net, the only shelter serving Runaway Homeless Youth in Northwest Ohio. Located at 2005 Ashland Avenue, the drop-in center provides a variety of resources for youth ages 12-21 who may need access to hot meals, showers, laundry facilities, and information on community services.

The second recipient was the Community Eats program -- an outreach ministry of United Vision Baptist Church. Through Community Eats, individuals are invited to the church for a warm meal, care packages, gently used adult’s and children's clothes, health screenings, and prayer if needed. "We were blessed to receive the Interact Club’s warm blankets  as the seasons begin to change,” says Perry Harris, the pastor of the Church.

In addition to the Interact Club’s own service project, Interact students volunteered to help at Fall Into Rotary Park, Perrysburg Rotary’s annual fall celebration at Rotary Park, where they helped with games, did face painting, and passed out candy. They also volunteered at the Rotary Club’s annual fundraiser held on April 25 at the Hilton Garden Inn. Interact students were instrumental in selling raffle tickets to guests and assisting with other event details. Net proceeds totaling $65,000 from the fundraiser were given to the non-profit Perrysburg Rotary Community Foundation for local community projects. These are earmarked for 2026 enhancements to Perrysburg Rotary Community Park, including a new safety crosswalk across Fort Meigs Road, an enhanced rain garden, and a new outdoor learning center overlooking the rain garden.

On October 19, Interact students worked alongside Perrysburg Rotarians and other volunteers as they built beds for kids in need as part of the local Let’s Build Beds non-profit initiative. The event was held on the lawn of the Perrysburg Board of Education’s Commodore Building.

The Perrysburg High School Interact Club has been led by Terri Camp, a Perrysburg High School Social Studies teacher, for the past nine years. “The students run the Club,” says Camp. “They meet at the beginning of the school year, elect officers, and decide the projects they want to undertake. I look forward to strengthening our partnership with Rotary.”  Vice Chair Nelson has worked closely with the Interact Club for many years and is impressed with the students. “Seeing the pride on the faces of the Interact students when handing the blankets over to Pastor Harris, watching them having a great time at our Rotary Club’s fundraiser, hearing their excitement and commitment to helping at another Build Beds project, and watching them grow as a Club this year has been inspirational and rewarding to me.” Mitchel Skotynsky, another PRCF Trustee who has worked with the Interact Club, is equally impressed. “These young adults are eager to serve in this community and beyond. I cannot wait to see where they go after PHS.”

The Perrysburg Rotary Club is a service organization whose members provide hands-on community service work as well as raising funds for the club’s non-profit Perrysburg Rotary Community Foundation. For more information about the Perrysburg Rotary Club, visit perrysburgrotary.org. For more information about the Perrysburg Rotary Community Foundation visit prcf.org

Photo: Members of the Perrysburg High School Interact Club assisted the Perrysburg Rotary Club at its April 25 fundraiser. (Front row, L-R): Kivani Govender, Scarlett McClain, Cindy Ma, Layelle Allamar, and Mrs. Terri Camp, Perrysburg High School Interact Coordinator. (Back row, L-R): Ju’Don Pratt, Katie Avery, Andrew Garst, Brian Chen, Kate Wu, Ling Chen, Kylesh Govender, and Alan Chen.