The Rote – July 25, 2019
The Miami Yacht Club

 

President Norby Rudel called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone to the meeting.  Angela Deggs gave a thought provoking invocation and Noreen Timoney led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Visitors and Guests were introduced by Scott Richey:

Happy $$$$$$$$$$$$ were collected by Rick Miller:

Valentina Figuera Alvarez was this year’s recipient of the 4-Way Test Essay Award at Miami Senior High.  She will be attending Valencia College in Orlando this fall.  Congratulations Valentina!!!!  Here is her winning essay:

Is it the truth? When it comes to community work, we have to ask ourselves multiple questions. Why do these people need help? What can the community do to prevent people from having to struggle daily in life? “Is it the truth” shows that we must be true to the realities that people face, to acknowledge the hardships that these people go through, and to do something to help those less fortunate than us. For Interact, it reminds us why we do community service and not just help one subgroup in Miami-Dade County. Growing up, I was able to live a privileged life where I really didn’t see anything wrong with my community. It wasn’t until I transferred to a school where a majority of the kids were minorities. It truly shocked me how most kids that do have the resources to help those in need just don’t help at all. Interact makes sure to help those that are struggling, and to educate the members as to why these communities need our help.

Is it fair to all concerned? Helping communities has always been something I enjoyed doing ever since I joined Interact. While I was in the club, I couldn’t help but think: “Are we actually helping our communities? Or are we only helping one demographic thrive and not care for the others?” As a club, we make sure to be fair towards everyone we help. We don’t leave anyone excluded and we make sure to provide all the help we can to help everybody in our diverse community. To participate as much as we can during this school year, Interact had services each week so we can give equal attention to the communities in need. One of these services included “Beautifying Little Havana” where my members helped clean the streets of Miami where most Hispanics live. The following week I then reserved a spot for my members to pack PB&J sandwiches for a homeless shelter named Camillus House. We provide fair treatment to each struggling community since Interact was determined to find the goodness in people and be considerate towards their living situations.

Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Interact’s community work not only helps build teamwork and work ethic, but it also builds long-lasting friendships with the people you work with. As an officer of Interact, I made sure to welcome each and every member with open arms and encourage them to participate in Interact throughout high school since that experience worked for me. Because of Interact, I joined two organizations that have been so impactful to my community. The first one I joined was Dragonfly, an organization that gave jobs to women who were previously incarcerated. Usually, I would work directly with these women and they would share their experiences while we worked at a boutique. Another organization that I worked with during the summer was United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation. One of the most impactful things I did with them was providing food and water for undocumented immigrants that were waiting in customs. Seeing how the staff members generally didn’t care about the well-being of these human beings was heartbreaking. Seeing this type of treatment that both previously incarcerated women or undocumented immigrants faced in my communities only fueled me more to work closely with them and find the good in each person I talked to. I made sure to bring back the skills I learned from these organizations to Interact so my members can use it as well.

Will it be beneficial to all concerned? For my senior year of high school, I decided to run for Vice President of the Interact Club. My job consisted of contacting services so we could participate in them. Even though it was nice to serve water for runners during marathons or cleaning up our school once in a while, I didn’t really think it benefited my community. When I would choose a service, I would ask myself: Will it have an everlasting effect? Will it actually help my community? I decided to choose services that both my members and community could benefit from. One of the services was “Feeding South Florida” where a group of clubs came together and packed bags of food for impoverished children. We were able to package around 40,000 meals for these children in just 3 hours, which had uplifted all of us because of the strong teamwork and work ethic we showed that day. It also showed my group’s members the struggles many families face. Another service I chose for Interact was a Voting Party, where the members would encourage and provide food/water for people that were going to be voting for the 2018 midterms. Since most of my classmates at Miami Senior High live in low-income neighborhoods and would tell me the constant violence they would witness, I was able to secure a service where the members learned how to do CPR just in case if someone had gotten shot or injured. The lecture was mainly hands-on, so every member practiced CPR with different mentors present. I knew my members would benefit by participating in these services so they could bring that lesson back to their communities. As an active member of Interact, the club always demonstrates “Service Above Self” and encourages students at Miami Senior High to do the same.

 

Today’s pot started at $1564 and today’s collection added another $148.  Lucky Dave Skinner was the first drawn ticket (he continues to defy the odds on first picks) but his luck did not carry over to drawing the elusive ace of spades.  Another rollover….next week’s pot will be $1,687.  Be sure to come and take a chance – just think what you could do with the money!!!!

 

Valentina Figuera Alvarez appropriately led everyone in the 4-Way Test of the Things We Think, Say or Do.

President Norby rang the bell to close another meeting…SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

                                                                                                                                                                Scribe:  Marcia Brod