We hope you are all enjoying the school year so far. We are having a great start to this year, and we are excited to see what more will be accomplished. For this newsletter we will be recapping events that took place in September, introducing upcoming events, and spotlighting interactors. If you know anyone or any club who you believe deserves a spotlight, feel free to email Brianna Carbajal (briannacarbajal.25@gmail.com) the Newsletter Coordinator, so they can be included in a future Newsletter. This also applies to projects and events. Thank you for reading! Best Wishes, Newsletter Team
Hearts & Hands
@cabrillointeractclub
@interact.club_whs
Hearts and Hands is an annual district-wide event where Interactors and Rotarians alike come together to contribute their efforts to Rotary's international and national projects, including 20+ hands-on projects and decals for our annual March for Mental Health. Last year was aloha-themed, so stay tuned for this year’s theme! This year, Hearts and Hands will be on Nov. 9th at the District office!
Coastal Clean Up Day
Coastal Clean Up Day took place on September 21, 2024. There were various creek and beach clean ups. Here are some pictures from Interact Clubs and Areas that took part in Coastal Clean Up Day.
Hi everyone, with many clubs already having their first meetings, we wanted to share some tips!
Make sure to have a plan of what you want to speak about that is accessible to your members. This could be a slideshow presentation.
Use Remind to remind Interactors about upcoming meetings. Make sure to include the specific date and location of the meeting. Post on social media about upcoming meetings; include incentives, like free pizza! Create opportunities for feedback from club members in order to have a more entertaining and efficient meeting in the future.
Keep track of time, do not overestimate the length of lunch and ensure all important announcements about upcoming events are made.
HAVE FUN!
Angels Game
On September 1st, the Los Angeles Angeles kicked off their season with their first game. However, September 1st was also a significant day for service clubs all around the area as it hailed the 2nd annual start of Service Clubs Month! Organized by Beth Fujishige, during the game, Roy Jefferson, former District Governor, and several leaders from the Kiwanis, Lionsters, and many others were welcomed onto the field by the players and organizers, and all of the clubs were promoted throughout the game on the big screen.
Summer Perry, president of the Corona Del Mar Interact, said this of the game: “It was an amazing event! The recognition of Service Club Month at such a prominent game was touching as it demonstrated the efforts of the community coming together to promote goodwill and service. It also offered several opportunities to network with fellow Interactors and Rotaractors and discuss potential events that we could host! In particular, I recall speaking with Paula Fox, District 5320’s Youth Services Chairperson, about hosting events related to mental health as a lead-in to the district-wide March for Mental Health happening in May!”
Interactor Spotlight
Samantha“Sammy”Saldanaisa17 yearoldsenioratFullertonUnion HighSchool,andthepresidentand founderofFullerton’sInteract.She wasinspiredtojoinDistrict5320 becauseoftheRotaryYouth LeadershipAwardcamp,orRYLA. Whileinitially“justaleadership retreat”,RYLAwasapivotaleventin hersophomoreyear,asitbroughther intocontactwithotherswhoalso grewupbelievinginthecivicdutyof givingbacktoone’scommunity. Thoughherclubisrelativelynew, Sammyandherboardhaveplunged intocarryingoutRotary’smessageof “serviceaboveself”.Theclubhas participatedintheDanaPointOcean InstituteEvent,theAngelsGame Service Club Month recognition, and the Oak Canyon clean-up on Coastal Clean-Up Day, establishing connections with fellow Interactors and fffRotarians. And their service project, which was a collaboration with fffffff“Kids In Need of Defense”, donated over 100 hygiene products in fffffffffthe span of 2 weeks to refugees and kids who crossed the border.
Over the course of this year, one of Sammy’s main goals is to fffdo a service project every month, to set a firm base for her fffffclub and publicize it to her fellow peers. On a greater fffffffffscale, she is hoping to collaborate with schools from fffffffffffffmultiple districts to undertake one big service fffffffffffffffffffproject, which she strongly believes will make ffffffffffffffffffffffffa huge impact. We wish Sammy and the ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffFullerton Union Interact luck in fffffffffffffffffffffffftheir year!
Interactor Spotlight
Brandon Emanuel Oceguera Munguia is a 17 year old senior at Avalon High School on Catalina Island, and Avalon Interact’s president. He was motivated to join the club as it was an outlet in which he and his fellow peers could contribute to improving the local community. His favorite event was fundraising to make Christmas wishes come true for kids in shelters. A special part of that event was getting to play soccer with them and see firsthand the impact that he had on their lives. Going forward, Brandon hopes to keep hosting beach cleanups and fundraise for families in need, potentially in collaboration with fellow Interacts. He also wants to keep the numbers growing in not only Avalon’s Interact, but Rotary Club as well, in order to share the wonderful experience of helping one’s community and collaborating with great leadership influences.
