Cathedral Catholic’s own Interact Club, led by President senior Jordan Moore, has joined the global effort to eradicate Polio with its launch of the “Pennies 4 Polio” campaign.
Rotary International is the first service club organization in the world, and Interact is Rotary’s service club for high school students. As a sanctioned Interact Club, the CCHS chapter is required to participate in one international service project or cause each year. After considering several projects to involve themselves in, from helping to provide water purification systems and wells in South America and Africa to supplying villages and tribes with livestock and training, the Interact Club leaders decided to participate in the Global Initiative to Eradicate Polio.
“We heard about the $200 million challenge and Global Initiative to Eradicate Polio, and all decided that this was the cause we could make the biggest impact on. As it only costs 50 cents to vaccinate a person for life, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is matching dollar for dollar what we collect, we can potentially make a difference in the lives of 1,000 people,” said Jordan.
During January’s Cultural Awareness Week, the Interact Club offered informational brochures and comic books about Polio and the Global Eradication Effort, along with candy items, baked goods, and stickers for people who made a contribution.
“The booth definitely gained momentum through the week and many students asked questions about our cause, the most alarming being ‘What is Polio?’ and ‘I didn’t know Polio still existed…?” Jordan said. “Kids really just came for the candy and cupcakes because they didn’t know about the cause, but they continued coming back each day and bringing other students along, so ultimately the awareness message had a viral chain of delivery with each new student who stopped by.”
Though Jordan has not yet received an exact figure from ASB of the funds raised at the booth, she and the other club leaders have made the rough estimate of about $100 raised. In addition, the club will have a collection table in front of the library for the next three Fridays. The Interact Club members are also continuing to collect loose change at home to contribute to the cause.
Jordan encourages students to contribute to the eradication effort. “Please help!” she said. “Stop by our table at lunch and learn about this worthy cause. Empty your change purse or collect loose pennies from your parents, your car, your dresser, under the couch cushions! If every CCHS student brought a quarter, we could save 1,700 people from a terribly afflicted disease or, more likely, death!”
Jordan’s connection to Polio goes beyond simply hoping to help strangers with the disease. Her grandfather’s uncle, San Diego community businessman Fred Rohr, was afflicted with Polio. Jordan said, “There are many photos in our family albums of holidays with Uncle Fred sitting in his specialized iron lung.” Unfortunately, Polio ultimately took the life of Mr. Rohr.
Jordan’s family is also close to David Salk, the nephew of the man who developed the first Polio vaccine, Jonas Salk. Jordan said, “We have always heard wonderful stories about his [David’s] Uncle Jonas and their family’s accounts of the impact his discovery made on the world and how it affected them personally. People heralded them like celebrities when all they really felt was such great relief from the suffocating fear that this horrible disease would afflict one of their own family members.”
She continued, “As we live in San Diego, home to the Salk Institute, this is one of the reasons I am so surprised that some of our students were not aware of what Polio is and that, apart from the atomic bomb, it was America’s greatest fear for many years.”
Community service has been a part of Jordan’s life for as long as she can remember. As a girl scout, she was greatly involved in community service. Also, her family participates regularly in supporting programs, organizations, and local and global causes. She said, “I learned about Rotary International when I received the James S. Copley Award for Outstanding Citizenship for participation in community life. When I went to the awards banquet, there were Interact Club and Rotaract Club [Rotary college division] members also being recognized.”
Jordan has been a member of Interact since her freshman year at Cathedral when she attended club week and immediately signed up. Last year, Jordan served as club secretary and was a recipient of a Rotary Youth Leadership Award. Though she knew she was bound to have a “crazy senior schedule” with six AP courses and golf, she said she wanted to be able to lead the club to a higher level of community participation and introduce other aspects of Interact and Rotary International to CCHS students who share her passion for service.
She said, “Even though it’s been tough to balance, it has been such a rewarding experience. We have over 35 members who attend monthly meetings on a regular basis and are participating in more service activities than ever.”
Jordan encourages people to join the club – especially those who like to be aware of worldwide issues, care about the future of mankind, want to make a difference in the world, have a positive effect on the future, enjoy discussing what is important to them with other like-minded people, care about finding solutions to problems, and have hope and desire for enacting change .
Jordan describes Interact as a “great place to meet new friends and develop lasting relationships and connections with leaders and business people in our community.” There are also many leadership, scholarship and internship opportunities available to Interactors through Rotary International.
As a sanctioned faction, the club is also required to participate in at least two local service projects. Cathedral’s Interact Club has already completed four, including feeding the homeless and raising money, toys, stuffed animals, and warm outerwear for people in need.
Though they have already completed their required number of local service activities, the Interact Club leaders are planning a local service project that will involve a collection of school supplies for Nativity Prep Academy students, as well as a beach clean-up day. Later in April, they will join their sponsoring Rotary Club of Del Mar for Rotarians at Work day, during which they will participate in a service activity at the Nativity Prep Academy school site, making improvements and upgrades to the campus.
Monthly Interact Club meetings include activities like making Valentine’s Day cards for veterans recovering from injuries sustained in Afghanistan, and decorating lunch bags for the Meals on Wheels Program. She said, “Some members just attend meetings but get to be involved in those activities and gain a greater awareness of issues in our community and the world around us.”
Jordan encourages students to spread the world about Polio and the Eradication effort by telling their family and friends about the Initiative because “awareness leads to action.”
She said, “If you really want to make a big difference, don’t stop at Starbuck’s or In N’ Out Burger…donate the money. And, instead of posting that you had a cruddy day on your Facebook wall, post that you saved fourteen people from dying from polio!”
As a final message to the Cathedral community, Jordan said, “We are so fortunate to live in America, and I think we often take life for granted. The simple things we can do to give back and help others in need take little to no time and can be so rewarding. I truly believe it is our obligation as global citizens to help others and not live selfishly.”
Interact Club meets once a month, always on Thursdays at lunch, in Mrs. Milligan’s room Assisi 109. The remaining meeting dates for the first semester are February 17th, Mach 24th, April 14th, and May 19th. The Interact donation-collecting booth will be in front of the library on February 4th, 11th, and 18th during lunch.