Interact Clubs are service clubs for youth ages 14-18 that are sponsored by Rotary clubs in the area. The first Interact club was chartered in Melbourne High School, Melbourne, Florida, in 1962.

Since then, thousands of communities have benefited from the service of Interact clubs. Interactors enjoy a program that offers fun and meaningful service to the community while developing leadership skills and meeting new friends.

Sponsoring Rotary clubs gain increased support for their projects while developing future Rotarians. District 6840 has 26 active Interact clubs.

2010-2011 District Interact events:

February 19 - Annual Service Project, volunteering with The St. Bernard Project, rebuilding homes for flood victims in St. Bernard Parish and New Orleans East, St. Bernard Project Office, Chalmette.

March 24-25 - Interact District Convention, Holiday Inn Express, Slidell.

May 21-25 - 2011 Rotary International Convention, Morial Convention Center, New Orleans.

ShelterBox is an international relief organization that began as a Rotary club project in the UK in 2000.  It now has affiliates in 18 nations, including ShelterBox USA. Each box shipped contains a tent to shelter ten, and other essentials such as tools, blankets, a stove, cooking utensils, water filtration, mosquito nets, and a coloring kit for the kids. To date, over 120,000 boxes have been deployed, providing shelter for over one million people. In 2010 alone, 45,043 boxes were shipped; 28,417 to Haiti alone.

On 16 December one of the worst national disasters to hit the Philippines in two decades struck the southern island of Mindanao. Typhoon Washi killed more than 1,200 people and destroyed over 10,000 homes. A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) has been setting up ShelterBox tents at sites in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan providing thousands of displaced families with shelter, warmth and dignity during the aftermath of the devastating disaster.

Families at the ShelterBox camps have shown courage by continuing with their normal day-to-day lives as much as possible under the circumstances. One ShelterBox tent is not only being used as a home, but also as a mini-store. Little Jane, whose father died attempting to save her and her mother, is seen below looking after their store that provides food to the camp.  For additional information contact Ken Thompson at (985)641-2054 or kdthomps@bellsouth.net. To link to Ken's fundraising page, go to www.tinyurl.com/shelterboxkdt

District 6840 is very proud of its Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). This program is for incoming high school seniors only. Children and grandchildren of Rotarians are eligible to participate. 

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For additional information, contact:
Lisa Flair
320 Saxony Court
Belle Chasse, La 70037
504.931.7749
lisarflair@yahoo.com