Congratulations to many years of trememndous service to the community by the EarlyAct Club of Murray Centennial Public School in Qunite West and congratulations to the Rotary Club of Trenton for their outstanding sponsorship. EarlyAct is a school based service club for students from ages 5 to 13. It is sponsored by a local Rotary Club in the area in which the school is located. The mission and operation of EarlyAct are closely linked to the ideals of Rotary and provide the foundation and natural succession into Interact. EarlyAct provides young students the opportunity for gaining an increased awareness and knowledge of their community and the world. At a young age, all students can easily be encouraged to be caring and helpful. Their minds are open to recognize the dignity and worth of each individual which builds respect for others.
EarlyAct also engages students in character-building activities and prepares them for leadership roles to identify and carry out projects which benefit their school, local and global communities.
Here is a story by Jeremy Taft, President of the Rotary Club of Trenton that highlights the tremendous efforts of the EarlyAct Club........
The EarlyAct Club at Murray Centennial Public School in Quinte West has been a point of pride for our community for a number of years. Students from grades 4-8 hold one regular club meeting per week and are tasked with the creation and execution of one international project, one community project, and, one school-based project per year. The projects must fall under Rotary International's 7 Areas of Focus. The Rotary Club of Trenton matches fundraising initiatives, up to $1,000 per project. The program aims to demonstrate to students the positive impact that service has on communities through cooperation, fun, and fellowship.
Although EarlyAct Clubs do not have official status with Rotary International, they arevery much part of District 7070's Youth Program. They are modeled after sponsoring clubs, with the membership voting for a leadership team. The leadership team runs the meetings and oversees the projects, with guidance from two teacher mentors, and members of our club. The teachers and parent club Rotary members are there for guidance and support only. The initiatives, planning, and completion of the projects are 100% student-driven.
The opportunity to work with the Indigenous Peoples Partnership Cluster (IPPC) and the Nibinamik Education Centre resonated with every member of our EarlyAct Club. Lavender Lane Media (Proprietor Brian Lavender is an outstanding Rotarian and co-director of International Service) documented our students' efforts and together with the assistance of Dave Mossman and his students at the Nibinamik Education Centre: they were able to create a wonderful video telling the story of the partnership, that the students at Murray Centennial Public School could share proudly with their families.
The students got to work on planning two movie days: one for primary students and one for junior/intermediate students. There was no cost to students to attend the movies, but the EarlyAct Club ran concessions and raised $2531.40. The Rotary Club of Trenton added $1,000.00 and the students were so pleased that we could send a cheque for $3,531.40 to Dave Mossman at the Nibinamik Education Centre for the purchase of much-needed gym and recess equipment for the school.
Watch the video: https://vimeo.com/812270089/dcdd9dd2ae?share=copy