The History of BHS Interact

The Beaufort High School Interact Club was chartered in 1988 as a project of the Port Royal Rotary Club, now the Rotary Club of the LowCountry. Membership was limited to 30 students, which was the  number of Rotarians in our sponsoring club.

 Josette Grimsley was the first advisor, having helped her husband, Jim, and Charlie Gould, of the Sea Island Rotary Club with Battery Creek's Interact. Within two years, BHS Interact was recognized as the Volunteer Organization of the Year by the Beaufort Chamber of Commerce.

 

From its beginnings, our Interact focused on three service areas: community, school and world service:

Our community service was adopting  Child Abuse Prevention Assoication (CAPA), by volunteering in the office, gathering supplies and Christmas gifts for the Open Arms Shelter children, staffing the CAPA cafe during Water Festival, and serving as live characters during the annual Halloween Ghost Tours.

In 1993, our President, Tate Gould, accepted the South Carolina Children Helping Children award.  CAPA recognizes us quarterly and annually at their board meetings. Additionally, local civic organizations know that we are available to volunteer in concessions such as the Chamber's Shrimp Festival.   At the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, BHS Interact has received awards for several years for largest donations and most spirited team, best tent, and most luminaries sold.

 

Our major school service project is to package and deliver Thanksgiving meals prepared by the Beaufort High School PTSO for shut-ins. Our service-learning organization is always available to usher for evening events, and we always have a tail-gating party before our home games. Interact is now one of the largest and most visible in the school, and at State conventions.

 

At the District 777 convention, our club was recognized in these areas and also for the large donations we gave to the Rotary Gift of Life, the MUSC heart transplants for children world-wide.  Beaufort High School hosts most of the Rotary Youth Exchange students from France, Belgium, Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia and Japan, and the Interact Club welcomes them as honorary members (no dues or hours to submit) and includes them in all our activities.

 

The Interact Board has set one-time annual dues of $20-25: this funds a newly-designed t-shirt for each member, and pays for 30 members who have served the most hours to attend the convention in February.  Students submit their hours on a Reflection Sheet : the service-learning activity is described, and member must reflect on its meaning or how it made a difference.

The Rotarians provide breakfasts for two visiting Interactors every Friday, and also sponsors the Induction breakfast in the Fall during one of our meetings.

 

Two of our advisors, Josette Grimsley and Lillian Keeler, have received Paul Harris fellowships for their service to Interact beyond their teaching duties.  Josette also received an Honorary Membership in 1993. The club exists to assist the Rotary Club of the LowCountry in our projects, such as selling wreaths and working at our annual fundraiser oyster roast.  The current advisors are Leah Roche and John Steman. Josette  works with the Board.