PROJECTS WE'RE PASSIONATE ABOUT: YOUTH
We believe that children are our future. A number of our service projects and many of our donation dollars focus on youth - particularly kids right here in Apple Valley.
Interact Club
In 2015-2016, Apple Valley High School students launched their own Interact Club (think of it as Rotary for high schoolers). Despite being such a new group, they’ve already begun to change the world. Last year they raised money to assemble Wapis. In places without access to clean water, these are used to purify water, without needing to bring it to a boil. They’ve just wrapped up a blanket drive for those in need in our community, and are gearing up with a fundraiser and food drive that will culminate in some of their favorite teachers and Rotarians being attacked by pies. If that wasn’t enough, they’ve grown their group through marketing, designing their own shirts! Below they're being recognized at the State of the City for their dedication to making this world better.
STRIVE Program
We work with the AVID class at Apple Valley High School through Rotary’s STRIVE program. Rotarians and other community members visit as guest speakers, talking with kids about topics ranging from time management to personal finance. At the end of the year, we award a scholarship to help students continue their education.
Student of the Month
Every month students from the three Apple Valley Middle Schools - Valley, Falcon Ridge, and Scott Highlands - are picked by their teachers and recognized by Apple Valley Rotary. Hearing about their intelligence, kindness, and generosity give us hope.
Dictionary Project
Literacy is another passion of ours. With a few other groups, we ensure that all third graders in District 196 get their own Dictionary. Each fall, we visit third grade classrooms, teach excited kids about Rotary, and uncover fun facts. Did you know the longest word in the English language has 189,819 letters?
Book Drive
In 2015-2016, one of our members spearheaded a book donation drive. We collected 4,000 books. In 2016-2017, we got tired of counting after 6,000. These books are distributed throughout our community – to Head Start classrooms, ELL (English Language Learner) classrooms and more. We are proud to live in a place where literacy is so highly valued and are happy to further the cause!
Cub Scouts
We are the charter organization for Apple Valley’s Cub Scout Pack 227 and love the continued involvement with this great group of future leaders. Together we clean up Redwood Park (and enjoy hot dogs and hamburgers!) and we were honored to be asked to be part of their fundraising efforts for a new trailer. Watch for it soon!