Joseph Sampson, president of GEHS’s Go Global – Interact Club, collects donations at Lewisburg Rotary
A local initiative to save lives in Ethiopia teams Lewisburg Rotary with Greenbrier East High School (GEHS).
GEHS’s Go Global service club is now partnered with Rotary’s Interact initiative. Joseph Sampson, a senior at GEHS and the current president of what is now the Go Global-Interact Club, spoke with Lewisburg Rotary on Monday. Sampson came to Rotary to promote his club’s Walk-a-thon on May 1.
This Walk-a-thon is a little different than most. It is not open to the public for participation in the walk; however it is hoped that the sponsorship of the walk will be supported by the community. Students participating in the walk will pay $5 to join the walk. They will be allowed to leave the classroom to walk around the campus in a symbolic version of a walk-a-thon.
Members of Rotary Clubs are allowed to participate in the walk for the asking price (donation) of $15.
Sampson says, “The goal for our public service club this time is to raise $1,500 to $2,000 for the organization Nothing But Nets (NBN).’’ He explained that NBN raises money to buy the netting which allows people to sleep without being exposed to the malaria carrying mosquitoes in areas of the world where this is a problem.
In addition to monies raised by the students and Rotary Club members, Sampson and his fellow club members have placed jars around town in several businesses to collect donations. As of press time, jars have been placed at The 19th Hole restaurant. The Irish Pub. Greenbrier Valley Theater, Greenbrier Valley Printing, and Greenbrier Housing Authority. Keep an eye out in your local businesses for the jar clearly labeled as Nothing But Nets to Benefit Ethiopia.
Faculty Advisor to the Interact Club. Liz Daigle, suggests the public is able to support the Walk-a-thon by making donations via mail. Money donated above and beyond the goal will be used to allow more students to participate in the walk around campus in support of the initiative. “Not all students are in a position to pay $5: but they are willing to help,” says Daigle.
Please consider sending a check made out to Greenbrier East Go Global-Interact Club. The address is 1 Spartan Lane, Lewisburg, WV 24901 with attention to GEHS BZZZ-KILL.
Interact is a club for young people age 12-18 who want to join together to tackle the issues in their community that they care about the most. Young people learn to carry out hands-on service projects, make international connections and develop leadership skills while having fun. Interact Clubs are sponsored by local Rotary Clubs. Every Interact Club creates positive change by carrying out at least two service projects a year; with one servicing their school or community, and the other one focusing on an international issue.
Sampson shared that Interact this year will have participated in four projects. In addition to Nothing But Nets, his club has done Operation Christmas for local children, raised awareness for all things international with installations on display at the local library during International Week in November 2013, and a food drive for the Salvation Army food bank in Fairlea, which raised over 2,000 tbs./cans of food.
According to the Nothing but Nets organization, Malaria is a disease caused by the blood parasite Plasmodium. It is transmitted by mosquitoes, and each year an estimated 219 million people are infected with Malaria, causing approximately 600,000 deaths. Every second a child dies from Malaria, which is caused by a single mosquito bite. For a family in Africa, a net means the difference between life and death, and a $10 donation can protect a family and save a life. Visit www.nothingbutnets.net for more information or to donate a net.
