BY SHEILA R. McAFEE
trentontrib.com
Four years ago, when Peyton Szczechowski entered Trenton High School as a freshman, the “word of advice” she took to heart was to join the Interact Club.
“I was new to the school district, and was told the Interact Club was a great way to meet people,” she said.
Indeed it was. As a service and social club sponsored by the Trenton Rotary Club, Interact boasts a consistent membership of more than 100 students, offering them the chance to develop leadership skills while making a difference in their world, locally and globally, in keeping with the vision of Rotary.
Szczechowski has been an active and eager participant in large and small club activities — she helped paint the Little Free Library at North McLouth Park on Westfield last year, and this year, her senior year, she is club president.
When the Trib spoke with Szczechowski, she was laying the groundwork for several club projects that coincide with a traditional giving time of year.
She said that, according to Rotary guidelines, the Interact Club must develop and implement at least two service projects that impact the local community and one that has an international impact. In actuality, the group reaches out beyond expectations to help others.
It took part in the Goodfellows newspaper drive Nov. 21, joining a student volunteer force that canvassed the city delivering a special edition of The Trenton Trib. In doing so, the students collected donations to help the Goodfellows pursue their goal of raising $30,000 to make sure there was “No Child Without a Christmas.”
Next on the schedule was the annual Jingle Drive, held Dec. 12, where Interact Club members set up a spot and spent 12 hours in the parking lot adjacent to Martenson Funeral Home on West Road.
Szczechowski said club members stayed outside to draw attention to local organizations that assist the homeless and hungry, including the Trenton Food Pantry, the Salvation Army and Toys for Tots. This past December marked the 15th year for the collection of canned goods, blankets and gently used clothing and toys.
Some years, the weather is better than others. This year the group caught a break due to the unseasonably warm December temperatures. In years past, though, they have stood out in driving wind and snow to conduct the collection effort.
Szczechowski works closely with THS staff advisor Chad Clements and fellow board members, with input from Trenton Rotarians Bruce Jocks and Jane Dunn.
There are a few new ideas Szczechowski said she was thinking about bringing before the group for consideration, adding to a list of other good works that has included sorting cans collected and donated to the Trenton Food Pantry by local Boy Scout troops, hosting pancake breakfasts and sponsoring a skating event for visually impaired students.
International projects have included a collection for items to fill Christmas shoeboxes and a community-wide effort to pack bags of dry food meals for Kids Against Hunger, which ships the food to Third World nations for distribution. Last January the event resulted in the packaging of 10,000 bags.
Szczechowski, who is a member of the THS basketball and track teams, plans to pursue a degree in education, focusing on special education.
“That plan hasn’t changed since third grade because of the influence of teachers and children I have met since then,” she said.