Braving 90-degree heat on May 18, the next to the last day of school, members of the student Interact Club of Beaufort County Community College’s Early College High School program hosted a High School Heart Chase fundraiser for the American Heart Association as one of their club’s annual service projects.

Interactors planned, organized and manned the afterschool event, inviting the school’s student body to work in teams to complete a series of “heart healthy” obstacles and games. Volunteer members from Interact’s sponsor Rotary clubs assisted the students with completing all six challenges.

Teams of four students each traversed the well-laid out field in about an hour and a half’s time. Students raced to try and find 100 small, red rubber ducks in the grass, in tree branches and on windowsills and recorded their findings. Moving in no specific order, students moved from one game to the next, using their lungs to blow rubber ducks across a pool of water using straws, pump their hearts by jumping rope for a count of 15 seconds and worked up a sweat tossing a football into a target multiple times after (attempting to) keeping their balance twirling a baseball bat.

Interact’s teacher supervisor Kayla Dunlow proudly reported the Early College High School event was the first held in the state of North Carolina and “looks forward to next year.” The Interact club achieved what they had planned to accomplish: to spread Rotary’s message of service and goodwill.

Rotary International’s Interact Clubs around the world bring together young people ages 12 through 18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of “Service Above Self.” Students find out how serious leadership can be seriously fun. The Interact Club of BCCC’s Early College High School program was installed in April 2017 of District 7720 of North Carolina. For more information on Rotary International visit www.rotary.org. Find the Rotary Club of Washington, Washington Noon Rotary on Facebook. Join us!