The Interact Club offers many ways to be active in the community.
Photo by Rebecca Holt
The Interact Club has been around TJ since 1998, but is not as well known in the TJ community as some other organizations. Its purpose is to teach leadership skills, improve local, national, and international communities through service projects, and to promote better relationships between all people. Interact is a student-run club that is advised by Danny Showers. “I’m just there to keep them in line; I don’t do any of the work, they do it all themselves,” said Showers.
Recent Interact Club projects include a Crocs drive, turkey drive, coat drive, and paying for the refurbishment of the TJ community room in 108.This year’s projects include a book drive (to help kids in African countries learn how to read), and selling hot chocolate on Tuesday through Friday mornings in the main hallway for $0.50 They will be selling hot chocolate throughout winter.
The most impressive project is raising $500 for a shelter box: a six feet tall, four feet wide box filled with survival supplies such as a tent, clothes, food, and tools. Shelter boxes are given by the Red Cross to the survivors of natural disasters. The box costs approximately $1,000, but the Interact Club is lucky to partner with the Denver Tech Center Rotary Club, which matches any funds the Interact Club raises.
The Denver Tech Center Rotary Club does much more than match the club’s fundraising; it sends a representative to the club’s weekly meeting, and also gives two, $2,000 scholarships to involved Interact members every year; something not offered to most other club’s at TJ.
The Club meets every Monday during lunch in Shower’s room, 105, to plan, organize, and execute service projects throughout the year. The club does three service projects per year: one local, one national, and one international. “The projects are a lot of fun to do and we raise a lot of money doing them,” said Maddi Doro, a new member. Doro sells hot chocolate almost everyday before school starts and has only been a member of the club for two weeks.
The membership of the Interact Club this year is “fabulous” according to Showers. “We have around 25 members this year and a great officer team,” he reports with pride.
“We need a lot more people. Other schools have memberships of 200 kids, and with that many people we could make a big impact in our community, country, and in other countries,” Doro said.
“We could use more people in the club but the members we have are deeply involved and committed to the club,” said Daniel Cordona, the student-elect president of the Interact Club. “I have to plan everything the club does and I have to designate jobs to the club members,” Cordona said when asked about her presidency.
Requirements for membership include a written teacher nomination, but most importantly, a member must be a hard worker and should aspire to help the community. Being a member takes a lot of work with all of the service projects and participation required. If interested, talk to a member or Showers in room 105.
Interact Club is more than just a weekly meeting and selling hot chocolate, it is about helping the community in large and small ways.
