If you ask any student in Ipswich High School what Interact Club is, they would probably say something like, “It’s a big club” or “They do the Jingle Bell Walk”, but few people know the extent to how much Interact does for the community. As the largest club in the school, with 80 estimated regular members, Interact impacts Ipswich and surrounding communities in many ways.
Interact’s largest event is the Jingle Bell Walk. The Jingle Bell Walk is a community holiday event that consists of a walk with Santa from The Town Wharf to the Town Hall. Then a holiday celebration with games, food, raffles, and of course pictures with Santa. All the Interact members are required to participate in either the setup, event, or cleanup. However, for many members, the Jingle Bell Walk is much more than just an event. For members like Jenny White, Interact’s vice president, and a Jingle Bell Walk chair, the planning starts month
in advance, usually in the summer. Jenny says that the Jingle Bell Walk is “not only a fundraiser for our club but also is a community builder. It brings the community together during the holiday season and lifts the spirits of many in the community. This year, with some of the profits we raised from the Jingle Bell Walk, we were able to give back to the community by donating a portion of our profit to Ipswich Caring!”
There are not only chairs of the Jingle Bell Walk but a whole committee of members that includes sub-committees. This committee meets bi-weekly from the beginning of the school year up until the event. Planning so far in advance is a large part of why the Jingle Bell Walk is so successful. This year was record-breaking for the club, in which Interact raised $6,421 total and $4,707 net. We were lucky to be able to donate $1,500 to Ipswich Caring, where the money was donated to Ipswich Families in need. Additionally, $200 was donated to Austin Prep’s Interact to help them improve. As one of the largest and most successful Interact clubs in the area, Ipswich Interact has the privilege of helping local clubs. Another $500 is going to be donated to Kiva. Kiva is a nonprofit organization that gives underprivileged people a loan to start their own companies or new opportunities. They can then pay back those loans when they make more money. Interact does this in groups that choose their person to donate to and present why they chose that person.
Interact also participates in an annual blood drive. This is done in partnership with the Red Cross. The blood drive is held during the school day which gives students and teachers an important opportunity to donate blood and save up to 3 lives. Interact advertises this event and helps run it by checking donors in and caring for them after donating. This year the blood drive will be held on Wednesday, March 13th.
Annika Johnson, President of Interact, has a large role in advising the whole club. She keeps all members involved and active by building different levels of involvement at Interact. She said: “We have many opportunities to get involved, such as the Board of Officers, District Council, JBW Committee, the fundraising committee (new this year), and Co-chair positions for large events.” Additionally in Interact she wants all meetings to be as engaging as possible. “We focus on physical activities for club members to do, rather than large presentations”, she claimed. With almost 80 members, it can be challenging to feel like one in making a difference. Freshman, Auska Keough, says: “I try my best to contribute and donate and like to sell raffle tickets. I’m also on the finance committee; I tried to join a committee to have a bigger part in the club.” By creating more leadership opportunities, Interact becomes a more intriguing club for members.
Ipswich High Schools Interact Club stands out as a dynamic force, creating positive change in the community. With Interact’s great fundraising and contributions to local organizations, the club demonstrates great leadership and commitment to the community. President Annika Johnson’s leadership creates an exclusive and engaging environment that offers many opportunities for involvement for nearly 80 members. As Interact grows it not only impacts the lives of its members but leaves an impact on those in our community.
