For the Interact Club, making a difference in the community is a day-to-day activity. With ambitious leadership and a passion for volunteering, Interact Club members look forward to designing their own community service projects.

Interact Club founder and president junior Delilah Chapman Samstad created the club during the pandemic last year. Chapman Samstad said that the club is a part of a bigger organization called Rotary, designed for worldwide service.

“We volunteer at Rotary events, and we also design our own service projects. The club is student-led, so we can do projects about issues that we care about,” Chapman Samstad said.

Junior Ella James Grossman said that getting involved with the community service aspect of the club has been both crucial and motivational.

“Interact gives everyone a safe space to feel open with volunteering. Our goal is to inspire high school students,” James Grossman said.

Before starting the club, Chapman Samstad engaged in food service at her church. With lots of encouragement from her family members, Chapman Samstad knew she wanted to create a club to provide students with opportunities to volunteer for issues they cared about.

“I wanted to help out in some way, but I wasn’t sure how to. My favorite part about Interact is that we’re able to design projects and have a lot of control over what we do,” Chapman Samstad said.

The Interact Club holds meetings every X-block outside in the quad. To join the Interact email list, interested students can use this form.

Junior Tessa Brennan, another Interact Club member, was instantly drawn to the club’s dedication to the state-wide community.

“The club is really student-run, which means that students get to choose what missions they want to do based on what they’re passionate about,” Brennan said.

Brennan said that a great event to get involved in is Rotary’s upcoming Dog Day.

“There will be opportunities to help pick up trash at school playgrounds, or many little activities like that,” Brennan said.

According to Chapman Samstad, Interact mainly focused on raising money for Project Bread at the Walk for Hunger last year.

“We were able to raise $700. It was great to raise that much money, but I’d really like to do stuff that isn’t already organized,” Chapman Samstad said.

James Grossman searched for more ways to uphold her community before stumbling upon Interact.

“I’d been feeling like there was more I could be doing, and I wanted to find a group of people who felt the same way. I wanted to get involved with the community locally that would lead me to outside opportunities after high school,” James Grossman said.

As a goal for the school year, James Grossman hopes that Interact can get more student-led projects started.

“Last year, we didn’t really get to do that much,” James Grossman said. “It was a pretty slow process of getting the club started. I’m looking forward to having more people to work with.”

Chapman Samstad said that the Interact Club supports its members now and in their futures.

“I’d recommend this club to anyone who is looking to give back to the community. The great thing about Interact is that it is part of a much bigger organization. So you can really continue with it throughout your life if it’s something you’re into,” Chapman Samstad said.