INTERACT News

Term 2 has seen the Interact Team go from strength to strength, achieving several significant milestones and delivering a series of successful events.

SkyHydrant: Fundraising Goal Achieved! 💧

A SkyHydrant is a modern water filtration system that can be installed in remote areas and filter upwards of 1,000 litres of water per hour, enough for 750-1000 people per day, and can be modified to hold and produce even more. It is incredibly cost-effective: every dollar spent translates to a stable source of clean drinking water for one person, every year.

Throughout 2023, Interact students have been fundraising toward purchasing a SkyHydrant for a community in Bhutan that currently lacks a clean and stable water supply. Thanks to generous donations from Rotary benefactors and our recent fundraising efforts, Interact has officially surpassed our $5,000 goal to purchase a SkyHydrant! 🎉

The initiative which got us over the line was, of course, the SkyHydrant Raffle. Students initially aimed to raise $600 from this raffle, but we’re proud to share that the final tally came to (…🥁…) 🙌 $1,876!! 🙌 Thank you everyone for your support to achieve such an outstanding outcome. 

The winners of the raffle were: 

🥇 Rebecca Ginsberg (Ticket # 270)

🥈 Identity Withheld (Ticket # 1125) 

🥉 Fin Atkinson (Ticket # 94) 

⓸ Identity Withheld (Ticket # 134) 

⓹ Camille Haley (Ticket # 553) 

Congratulations to our prize-winners and a final huge thanks to everyone who supported our raffle by purchasing tickets, or by sharing information about our raffle and the SkyHydrant project throughout the community 💕  

Students were recently joined by Maria Calibo-Sales, Director of Disaster Aid Australia (DAA), the organisation which will be responsible for delivering, installing, and educating the community on how to use and maintain the SkyHydrant that Interact has secured the funds for. It was wonderful to have her join us to give her thanks, but importantly to reaffirm for the students the significance of their achievement in terms of the concrete positive contribution the SkyHydrant will make to the lives and health of hundreds and indeed thousands of people over the coming years. Quotes attributable from DAA include:

The SkyHydrant costs as much as a pallet of 5,000 plastic bottles of water, wholesale in Australia, and yet produces that much clean water for a community on a daily basis. 

Women from a community that the SkyHydrant was recently deployed in specifically learned English to express their gratitude to the DAA staff. A phrase they often returned to when giving thanks was simply: "Water is life."

Many thanks again to everyone in the Frankston High School Community who has supported the Interact Team to achieve this goal. More information about the SkyHydrant that has been secured, and the community it will be supporting, will be shared in the coming months.

SLC and Interact Smile Drive for the ASRC

The SLC and Interact were proud to launch the first major collaboration between these student groups: a donation drive gathering toothbrushes and toothpaste, which we called The Smile Drive.

Our initial count yielded over 200 tubes of toothpaste, and 300 toothbrushes, with a further 66 mixed (i.e. toothbrush and toothpaste combo pack) or miscellaneous (e.g. dental floss) items donated. A conservative estimate puts the value of these donations at more than $2,000, which is an outstanding achievement! Students have partnered with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) to ensure that these items reach families in need. Shout out to Mrs Brie Gibson for suggesting student leadership support the ASRC's crucial work in 2023. As the ASRC notes, while these items may seem small, every donation has been a kind gesture that will meaningfully improve the lives of vulnerable children and their families. Thank you again for your support! Together, we have made a real difference ❤️ 

Frankston High School Interact Promotion 🙌 

Mr Jon Christie of Frankston High School and Mr Peter Cracknell of the Rotary Club of Frankston Sunrise were invited to present on Tuesday 9 May regarding their experience launching and developing Frankston High School’s Interact Club. The event was hosted at Nossal High School, with an audience of Assistant Principals, Leading Teachers and students from Nossal High School and St Margaret’s Berwick Grammar. Local Rotarians, including the District Youth Programs Chair (and Frankston High School Alumni) Rob Cook, were also in attendance. 

A detailed Q+A was held after the presentation, and the staff, students and Rotarians gathered were clearly inspired to emulate the success of Frankston High School students in their own contexts. The Frankston High School Interact Team looks forward to mentoring and building connections with their peers at Nossal and St Margaret’s over the coming months.

What next for Interact?🌄

• Bunnings Barbecue 🌭🥤
  If you are in the area on Sunday 18 June, considering dropping by and grabbing a snag and/or a drink at our first major BBQ fundraiser at Bunnings Frankston (9.00am-5.00pm @ Mcmahons Rd & Gertrude St, Frankston VIC 3199). Proceeds of the fundraiser will go to a range of local and international causes selected by students.
  
   
• Wheelchairs for Kids Wheel-a-Thon and Very Special Kids Treadmill Challenge 👨‍🦽🏃‍♀️🚴‍♀️
  For more information on these events, as well as a picture diary of our recent experiences serving as Flag Bearers at the Opening Ceremony of the 2023 Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, and our excursion to the Convention’s “House of Friendship” stallholder space at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

Mr Jon Christie

Interact Coordinator