SALT LAKE CITY — The Judge Memorial Catholic High School Interact Club will host a dinner and auction April 13 to raise funds for the Africa Heartwood Project, just one of many charitable efforts club members have undertaken this school year. The Africa Heartwood Project has several initiatives, and Judge Memorial students are raising funds for the Heartwood Orphan Homestead. "We hope to raise enough funds so the organization can dig three wells to provide clean water to orphan homes and surrounding neighborhoods in Liberia," said Victoria Cabal, Interact Club advisor and Judge Memorial counselor. The Interact Club was started six years ago with 10 members and now has about 40, said Cabal. "The club is one of the largest in the state and is the high school arm of Rotary International made up of more than 34,000 Rotary clubs worldwide, with approximately 1.2 million members." Judge Memorial is under the Salt Lake Rotary Club with two other schools, Rowland Hall and East High School. "The Rotary Club’s mission is for the students to do one international project each year," said Cabal. "This year the Interact Club will team with the Judge Memorial Africa Outreach Club to sponsor the Africa Heartwood Project." Interact Club president Maddy Trentman and Africa Outreach Club president Sarah Longe have joined forces to raise funds for the project. "The Africa Outreach Club selects projects in Africa each year because there is so much poverty there," said Longe. "The Heartwood Project was started in Utah by Andy and Kayla Jones, who operate the all-volunteer organization which is funded primarily by community donations." Interact Club members earn Christian service hours by doing service projects, but the majority of the members are involved because they are passionate about service and earn service hours above and beyond what is required, Cabal said. Trentman joined the Interact Club when she was a sophomore because she wanted to get involved in the service projects. "The banquet is a lot of fun and our Africa project this year is really a cool idea," she said. In September, the Judge Memorial Interact Club tied fleece blankets to take to children at Shriner Hospital. In October, the Rotary Club purchased dictionaries to be distributed to third-grade students throughout Utah, and the Judge Memorial Interact Club distributed some of these dictionaries to third-graders at Emerson and Jackson elementary schools. "The Interact Club members taught the third-graders how to use the dictionaries and then they were able to keep the books," said Cabal. "This was my favorite project," added Trentman. "It was fun to see how excited the kids got when we gave them a dictionary because this was the first book most of them had ever received. They were so thankful and it was good to see our work in action." Also in October, the Interact Club assisted with the photo booth during the carnival held at the Indian Urban Center. In November and December, the club gathered used cell phones for the Cell Phone for Soldiers program for overseas military personnel. "The cell phones that no longer work are repaired and sold to buy new phones for the soldiers," said Cabal. In January, the club will be involved in two projects. They will go to the Road Home to work with young children on art projects. They will also participate in the Judge Memorial phone-a-thon to help raise funds for the school. "The Interact Club is a tight-knit group," said Trentman. "Everyone is willing to help each other and people step up to the plate to perform service projects. I just love service and finding different opportunities and service organizations in which to get involved. Being a member has really opened my eyes to people in need in our community as well as abroad."
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