I’m excited to feature a guest blogger today in the form of Kai Goode, a sophomore in high school whom I’ve known since she was a very little girl.  She is the daughter of Maxey and Pat Goode and sister to Brendan and Dylan.

 

Please Help Interact by Kai Goode, grade 10

Interact is a club that is centered around the motto: “Service Above Self.” This means that club members put the needs of others before their own. They are also willing to help where ever help is needed. When I think of the people in the Lincoln-Woodstock Interact Club, I think we definitely follow this motto. I say, we, because I am a part of this great club, and have been for the last three years.

For those of you who don’t know what Interact is, it’s a Jr. Rotary Club. We volunteer for events, help out around the community and fundraise for our international service project. It is expected that we to do a school project, which was to help build the outdoor classroom for the school; a community project which is generally trail maintenance every few months on the Discovery Trail up on the Kancamagus Highway, along with an International project known as Sole Hope.

In the last three years of being in Interact, I have grown as a person. Working on my social skills and public speaking have been challenges for me. I have learned to cope through the anxiety of doing those things. The club has pushed me out of my comfort zone for the better. In the last year I have really learned what volunteering means. When I joined Interact going into 8th grade, I knew that to graduate high school I would need at least 40 hours of community service. I knew I would be able to get it done through Interact, but I never thought I would complete it during my freshman year! By being a member I am expected to do group community service and independent community service.  This has pushed me to do more. I have learned the impact it has made on me and the others around me. I am thrilled to be finishing my year with a total of 250+ hours of community service. The club is not only beneficial to me, but to other members.  For the other members,Interact brings people together who share common interests in helping out the community, no matter age or size. As I mentioned above Interact focuses on a community project, and school project, and an international project. The following is our International project:

The Lincoln-Woodstock Interact Club is supporting Sole Hope to help provide Care Kits for the kids in Uganda. Sole Hope, a 501(c) 3 Non profit organization, provides kits that we will package. These packages will help the people of Uganda to combat the jigger problems their country faces. Jiggers is a medical issue caused by little sand flies that destroy the soft tissue of feet. The Interact Club is creating care packages for the children, and we need your help. Please consider allowing us to put a donation box at your local business to collect the necessary items needed.

We are looking for these exact items:

• Tubes of triple antibiotic cream
• Band-aids
• Safety Pins-Large
• Cotton Balls
• Stickers for children
• Alcohol wipes

Please keep in mind we will be individually wrapping  these items to fit the requirements for each kit. We have boxes located at the Lin-Wood Middle/High School, Daydreams Salon, Woodstock Union Bank, SAU Office, Malone, Dirubbo and Company, PC, Bank of New Hampshire, Encore Thrift shop, and the Lincoln Library.  We hope to collect as much as possible until July 2 when boxes will be collected.  Please help us make an impact on the world larger than ourselves. Consider helping or donating towards our Sole Hope international project.

***Note: please help these awesome kids collect as many items as possible for their kits. I can think of a lot of other summer activities these young people could be distracted by– but right now, they are focused on this project and our community is their “sole hope” as well.  Thank you!  Proud of you guys!