New Student Group Joins Rotary In Sponsoring Blood Drive

By Tanjua Damon

Newtown Middle School students are joining the SPOKES of the Newtown Rotary wheel with a new club that has sparked interest in at least 30 students at the school and the first order of business is a blood drive.

The SPOKES Club (Service, Perseverance, Outreach, Knowledge, Environment, Strength) comes from the six spokes of the Rotary Wheel and the new club at the middle school will fall under the wing of the Newtown Rotary Club, similar to the relationship at the high school level with the Interact Club. The middle school-aged club was piloted in Madison and now has seven clubs across the state.

The club will be a community service group that helps out with local and global projects, according to Assistant Principal and Rotarian Tony Salvatore. The initial thought was that the school would begin the new club next year, but Mr Salvatore thought it would be good to start the club for the second half of this year.

The 30 students who have already joined are excited and full of energy to help their community. The first order of business is a blood drive, “We Can’t Survive Without You,” being held on Monday, March 5, at Trinity Episcopal Church from 8:30 am to 6:45 pm. The drive is being co-sponsored by the Newtown Rotary Club and the SPOKES Club at the middle school.

Many of the students who have joined the SPOKES Club want to get involved with helping their local community.

“I really enjoy helping people and being involved in the community,” Lilly Campbell said. “And being involved with things like that.”

The students plan to bake goodies for the blood drive at Trinity Church on March 5 and will decorate the area in the survival theme. The group is trying to sign up 40 people to give blood. They have at least 28 people, but are hoping to have the 40 signed up before March 5.

“It’s important to help out in the community,” Erin Ruddock said. “Even the small things a lot of people appreciate.”

Some of the members were not sure exactly what the group would be about, but are looking forward to working on projects that help people locally and globally.

“At first I thought it was like where you talk to people,” Christina Wold said. “But it’s more about helping people and doing things for the community.”

The students are not wasting any time getting involved. Many in the group will spend time after school at the blood drive working in the canteen.

Sarah McSweeney encouraged the Newtown community to sign up and give some of their blood in order to help people everywhere.

“It’s going to help a lot of other people,” she said. “In the long run it’s going to help out.”

Some of the students admit that their parents urged them to see what the SPOKES Club was all about and many of them are glad they did.

“Parents don’t like you to just sit home after school,” Margaret Riley said. “They want us to get out and get involved in the community.”

The Newtown Middle School SPOKES Club is the seventh one, according to Mr Salvatore. It will be up to the students on how far they want to go and what they want to get involved in.

“We’re excited about being apart of it,” he said. “They are eager to get involved and really make a difference.”

The blood drive will be at Trinity Episcopal Church on Monday, March 5 from 8:30 am to 6:45 pm.