Warwick. Interact students believe in sharing

With a membership of about 100, Warwick Valley High School’s Interact Club is the largest student organization at the high school - and those students are having an important impact on the local community and beyond.

Among recent projects, the students adopted 25 local families for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, raised money and food for the Warwick Ecumenical Food Pantry, helped senior citizens at Mount Alverno, collected Christmas toys for needy children and donated $1,000 for Rotary’s community service programs. Interact students also wrapped presents and assisted Warwick Lions and Rotarians with their annual Holiday Party for Children in Need and handed out hot chocolate to holiday shoppers in downtown Warwick.

The club earned the prestigious Rotary International Presidential Award, recognizing it as one of the top Interact clubs in the world.

Warwick Interact members have raised more than $50,000 over the past 15 years with fundraising projects. Largest of these fundraising activities is the annual spring student talent show. Students earn their way into the finals after displaying their talents at auditions. All money raised is used for charity.

Although sponsored by Rotary’s local service club, Interact operates independently under the guidance of Jeanine Fogler, who has been club adviser for about 16 years.