EarlyAct™ is a school-wide service club for elementary students from ages 5 to 13. It is sponsored by a local Rotary club in the town or city in which the school is located. The mission and operation of EarlyAct™ are closely linked to the ideals of Rotary and provide the foundation and natural succession into Interact.

EarlyAct™ provides young students the opportunity for gaining an increased awareness and knowledge of their community and the world. At a young age, all students can easily be encouraged to be caring and helpful. Their minds are open to recognize the dignity and worth of each individual which builds respect for others.

EarlyAct™ also engages students in character-building activities and prepares them for leadership roles to identify and carry out projects which benefit their school, local and global communities.

EarlyAct Club Updates

West Elementary School EarlyAct Club | Update November 2009 | On November 18 District Governor Ingrid along with District EarlyAct chair Chirs Doktor joined Bill Buck and the Andover Rotary Club to launch the EarlyAct Club of West Elementary School.

This group of students have been engaging in community service over the last several years, last year raising over $7,000 for the Beverly School of Kenya and Abdi. We welcome our fourth EarlyAct club in District 7930!

Phoenix School EarlyAct Club | Doyon School EarlyAct Club | Update May 2009 | Two District EarlyAct Clubs attended the District Conference last week – to participate in, present at, and share lunch with our fellow Rotarians during a full morning of information sessions about all the amazing work of our clubs – and our district.

There were 14 students from two EarlyAct clubs in the District who each gave a very informative presentation to an attentive group of attendees. Four EarlyAct members (and their faculty advisor/Rotarian Betsye Sargent) from the Phoenix School in Salem shared their experience as the very first EarlyAct Club in the district. Ten members of the Doyon EarlyAct Club (and their faculty advisor Andrea Welch) from Ipswich presented a comprehensive Powerpoint presentation sharing not only their current and ongoing activities, but also the history and goals of their club.

There was not much this moderator had to say – the students did a much better job at getting the point across: The power in creating an environment for these young community members to share their passion and desire to help others at their schools, locally in the community and globally around the world. We adults are humbled by their foresight and limitless capacity to serve. It is my honor to work side by side with these future leaders.

Winthrop School EarlyAct Club | Update January 2009 | Some 15 students and adult advisors met for the monthly EarlyAct meeting at Winthrop Elementary School last Thursday afternoon  The club decided to initiate a Food Drive at Winthrop in support of the Ipswich Food Pantry.  Posters were made by the students and will be distributed around the school in the coming week.  The club plans to start a project of global outreach for a cause in China that is yet to be determined.  The club will contact those Middle School students traveling soon to China to learn from them what needs or project ideas they may have to share from their time in China. Gail Doktor visited last month to speak to the club about Bright Happy Power, the non-profit organization that supports children being treated for cancer at the Children’s Boston Hospital.  The club is very enthusiastic in wanting to support the work of Bright Happy Power.

Submitted by Bill Nelson and Brad Clark

Doyon School EarlyAct Club | Update January 2009 | In December, the Doyon Early Act club voted to have half of this year’s proceeds from the 4th Annual Pit Stop (car wash/bake sale fundraiser) donated to the non-profit organization Moving Mountains.  The founder of Moving Mountains, Kim Jodoin, and her daughter Allison came to this month’s Early Act meeting to thank the students and explain Moving Mountains’ mission is greater detail.

Mrs. Jodoin brought pictures of some girls who have benefited from the Moving Mountains program in the past.  She described how difficult it is for families in China to send their children to High School.  

Currently 65 girls are attending High School in China when they would not have been able to do so without the program.  The Doyon Early Act club is hoping to raise enough money from the Pit Stop to sponsor one girl’s high school education for the full three years.

Mrs. Jodoin also shared a poem one of the girls wrote describing her feelings about being sponsored.  We’ve included a copy of it here so you can appreciate the depth of gratitude the girls experience when sponsored.

Xiongping is in her second year of high school. She dreams of becoming a "heart and brain doctor." She is an incredible girls who has been consistently ranked first in her class. Below are excerpts of a poem written by Xiongping:

What If

Last night while laying on my bed

I was thinking

Some "what ifs" came to my mind

What if I didn't have their help

What if I dropped out of school

What if I left my parents

What should I do

I will become a migrant worker

Life will become bad

I will lose many good things

And my dream will never come true

But these things aren't true...

I am very lucky

Many people gave their help to me

Here I say thanks to them

What if our earth stopped moving

Didn't have sunshine

Didn't have oceans

Didn't have a moon

Didn't have stars

What if...what if...what if...

Even if all these things come true

I will still remember their help till the end of my life!

------

Moving Mountains

"Enough shovels of earth a mountain. Enough pails of water, a river."

Phoenix EarlyAct Club | Update January 2009 | There are only three EarlyAct Clubs in this District, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t left their mark. The oldest club which works out of The Phoenix School in Salem has been around since 2001. Since they began they have done over thirty clothes, food, and supplies drives. In  2004 they planted a garden in front of the Salem Council on Aging along with members of the Salem Rotary Club.  In 2007 they donated $1000 to help save teacher jobs in the Salem Public Schools. Since the very beginning they have been closely involved with Rotary and the North Shore ARC. Their money comes from collecting and recycling cartridges, manufacturing and selling Valentines Day gift baskets, building games for Halloween and throwing a party for the kids of Salem, and a Read-A-Thon that they do every year.

Matt Tremblay
President

EarlyAct

If your Rotary club would like to start an EarlyAct club in your community we urge you to start now! Contact our District EarlyAct chair, Chris Doktor for details. Please fill out the form on this website and forward it to Chris so that he will be able to formulate a plan for your club for a successful EarlyAct club for your community! 

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AND APPLICATION FORM TODAY!

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