I HOPE YOU ALL HAD AN AMAZING TIME AT SPRING SEND OFF TODAY! Thank you to all those who came out

There is a quote I want to share with you all.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.
Explore. Dream. Discover.”
-Mark Twain

Take every opportunity.

With that said, I want you all to take this next opportunity Interact is giving you.

Apply for the 2011-2012 DISTRICT COUNCIL.

CLICK HERE FOR THE APPLICATION: http://www.tinyurl.com/DCapplication2012

Remember, it is up to YOU to take initiative and make your mark in this world. DC is an opportunity for your next step.

Peace. LuV. Interact.

<3 Wendy

TO// PRESIDENTS OF INTERACT CLUBS

Please fill out this awards application by 5/11.

www.interact5170.org/awards.doc

V. <3. Interact.

WHAT:

Scrumpcious Bake Sale for Shelter Box & Santa Cruz High Theater!

WHEN:

10:30 AM on May 8th until we sell out!

WHERE:

Safeway on Mission Street, Santa Cruz

WHY:

Reason 1: Japan has been completely devastated by the earthquakes and flooding it experienced in early March. We want to do our part to help by fundraising for the Japanese Relief effort (all our money being sent to Shelter Box)! We are FOUR HUNDRED dollars away from making 2k overall for ShelterBox! We need your help to get here.

Reason 2: Due to the drastic cuts to education in California, arts have suffered in the schools. SCHS Theater is completely student run (production, actors, costuming, make up, sets, choreography, etcetera!) – and receive absolutely no funds to support their program! We (SCHS Interact Club) have decided to team up with the Theater, in order to help them out so they can keep on doing what they love and putting on amazingly brilliant plays for the SC Community to enjoy!

Reason 3: It’s MOTHERS DAY! Show your momma that you love her by buying her a yummy treat for her sweet tooth!

HOW TO HELP:

1) Bring baked goods to the sale! We’d prefer to have ALL there at 10:30 AM.

2) Donate money at the sale/at SCHS (you can mail checks (made out to SCHS Interact Club) or cash to 415 Walnut Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060)

Any questions? Email me at area10@interact5170.org! Everything is MUCH appreciated!

Spring Send Off $35 ticket registration is due by TOMORROW!

After that, until May 14th, all tickets are $45 dollars – so get them in!

This is the registration form to fill out that must be sent with your $$: http://www.interact5170.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Spring-Sendoff-Registration-2011.pdf

Can’t wait to see you all there! <3

On May 3rd, I joined the Santa Cruz Sunrise club at the 3rd annual Santa Cruz Education Foundation’s Eddy awards.

The Sunrise Rotary Club won the award for Community Supporter of the year! I’m so very proud of them – the award was well deserved for all the work they’ve done for the Santa Cruz and International community.

Community Supporter of the Year: Rotary Club of Santa Cruz Sunrise

In a time of declining public funds and dwindling donation dollars, the contributions of the individual Rotarians and the Rotary collectively has had a tremendous positive impact on our schools. In the past 12 months, The Rotary Club of Santa Cruz Sunrise has undertaken the following projects related to Santa Cruz City schools:

1. The Santa Cruz High School Track & Field. The completion of the track and field at Santa Cruz High was the culmination of 13 years of fundraising by the club during which time they raised more than $500,000, primarily through the 3-day, 200 mile bike ride that came to be known as “Jon and Ken’s Excellent Adventure.”   The primary individuals behind this effort were Ken Whiting (Owner, Whitings Foods) and Jon Sisk (VP, Lighthouse Bank), although nearly every member of Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary has been involved in one capacity or another.  Not only did they raise the funds, but Jon and Ken were instrumental in working with SCHS administration and the District’s Board of Trustees to define and bring the project to fruition.

2. Arts in the Afternoon. Three years ago, Rotarians Peggy Alberti (Alberti Designs) and Bruce McGuire (Owner, Western Appraisal and Santa Cruz County Probate Referee) created Arts in the Afternoon. AitA is a partnership between Rotarians, Santa Cruz City Schools and community volunteers bring arts and music programs to middle schools in Santa Cruz.  To date, more than 10 after-school classes have been taught at Mission Hill and Branciforte middle schools. Classes include ukulele construction and playing, bamboo flute construction and playing, Celtic dance, fabric arts and soon to be added, piano.  More subjects and classes are being added each year. The program has been so successful and eagerly adopted that could turn into a model to be implemented by other Rotary clubs throughout the world.

3. Scholarships. Sunrise Rotary gives out more than $15,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors each year.  Through a competitive application process anywhere from 4-10 seniors bound for 2- or 4- year colleges are selected to receive $500 or $1000 per year for each of their college years. Since 1999 more that $120,000 has been provided to over 50 seniors graduating from Santa Cruz City Schools.  The long-standing chairman of the Scholarship Committee is John Caldwell.

4. Interact. Rotary Clubs around the world sponsor high school service clubs under the program called Interact.  Sunrise Rotary is proud to have an ongoing and active relationship supporting the Santa Cruz High School Interact Club.  This year, through the leadership of SCHS Junior Holly Borg the  Interact Club has swelled to more than 25 members and has raised several thousand dollars for local charities such as Second Harvest Food Bank and Jacob’s Heart as well as international relief organizations such as ShelterBox.

5. Charities and Grants. Sunrise Rotary has responded, in the form of monetary grants, to more than a dozen calls for support from our schools this year.  Recipients include: SCHS theater arts, boys and girls water polo teams, wrestling team, girl’s golf team and Link Crew. Roger Swenson (Granite Rock Construction) has been the able committee chair guiding Charities and Grants for many years.

The mission of Rotary International, and its 1.2 million Rotarians in 33,000 Rotary Clubs around the world, is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.  The Rotary Club of Santa Cruz Sunrise was chartered in 1985 and has grown to about 100 members consisting of very energetic community and business leaders with the shared ambition to use our skills, talents and resources to make our local community and the world a better place.

“As leaders in our community and our fields, we recognize the paramount importance of an excellent and well rounded education.  We feel very strongly that an investment in our schools is an investment in our community and its future leaders,” said Jon Winston, Club President.  “At every turn, we have found the collaboration with the students, staff and administration at our schools to be extremely positive, appreciated and most of all productive in adding additional value where needed to our children’s educational experience.”

Individual Contributors:

• Ken Whiting and Jon Sisk – Track and Field Project
• Peggy Alberti and Bruce McGuire – Arts in the Afternoon
• John Caldwell – Scholarships
• Rod Caborn, SCHS student Holly Borg – Interact
• Roger Swenson – Charities and Grants