NEW MARKET — The joy of giving stretches far beyond borders for Southmont High School’s Interact Club.
For the sixth year in a row, the student-led club has provided the children of Carrefour-Sanon School in Haiti with a Christmas celebration complete with a warm meal and small gifts. Club members were able to raise the $2,000 they sent through various Interact fundraisers like school dress-up days, a cake walk, and a hot chocolate stand at the Crawfordsville Christmas Parade.
“It’s something to feel good about,” said Southmont senior and Interact co-president Vince Reimondo, who described fundraising as a meaningful experience that gave him a personal connection to the children in Haiti.
Haiti has been cited as among the poorest countries in the world, with financial barriers to education precluding more than 250,000 children of elementary school age from attending school. For those who can shoulder the cost, many classrooms lack modern aids like projectors and smartboards, and even paper is often considered a luxury. Most schools do not have running water.
“Their hardships are unimaginable,” said Interact sponsor Laura Cripe. “There are about 500 kids who go to this school run by just a few nuns, and they’re dependent on us for a Christmas party. The money we send pays for their Christmas dinner and small gifts. Otherwise they would have nothing.”
The children of Carrefour-Sanon were ecstatic to receive their gift from Interact.
“When you see the pictures of how happy the kids are, it’s really motivating to keep doing good,” Reimondo said.
The Crawfordsville Rotary Club, which oversees Interact, has made helping Haiti a mission for many years. In 2015, they raised more than $60,000 to construct five wells within three weeks to bring fresh water to several thousand Haitians who previously had no source of clean water.
“It’s a great thing to be able to help people that far away through the connections of the Rotary,” said fellow senior and Interact co-president Tyler Petroski. “Overall, raising money to help people in these circumstances is special beyond our local projects.”
In addition to the Haiti project, the club annually sponsors a local cause. This year they took on two local projects: one to raise funds for a Southmont family who lost their father in a car crash, and another to establish the Mountie Mall, a free goods store for students in need, inspired by a similar store at Fountain Central High School. Once enough donations of clothes, hygiene products, and other needs have been received, goods will be available to students through an online form system directed to the school guidance office.
“I think the Mountie Mall is a great idea,” Petroski said. “Putting our donations towards that not only fulfills our local project scope, but I like that it’s also in our school and will develop the foundation for something that’s going to be here for a long time. It’s going to help a lot of kids even after we’re gone.”
To raise funds for current and future projects, Interact plans to host their second annual auction in the spring featuring donated items from teachers and community organizations. Last year, the auction raised nearly $3,000 for the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County.
“I just run the meetings; the kids make the decisions,” Cripe said. “I like to see the kids succeed, and I love giving ... The longer you’re a teacher, the more you realize that all kids are kids, and it doesn’t really matter if they’re our kids or somebody else’s kids. All kids need help, and seeing kids help kids is super great.”
