The Carmi Rotary club had three special guests on Thursday as Rotarian Randy Adams brought his three grandchildren to the weekly meeting. This was not just a proud grandpa bringing his grandkids to show them off though, as the three have been active in Rotary since each was only four or five years old.
The oldest grandson, Tyler Adams, is now twelve, and worked at his first Rotary event at the age of four. Ten-year old Jacob also started at the age of four, and now has six years of service under his belt. The youngest, Kayleigh, is now nine, and already has over five years working with the club.
Anyone who has attended a Rotary trivia night has watched these young Rotarians hard at work. Anyone who has ever been to a Rotary meal, has definitely witnessed this trio, cleaning tables, serving drinks, manning the dessert table, and handling any other job that comes along during the night.
The club considers the three Adams children “unofficial Rotarians,” they have done so much with the club.
Building on those years of service, Randy Adams talked to the club about the idea of starting an Interact Club in Carmi. Interact is a Rotary club for 12-18 year olds, similar to the Kiwanis Key Club. With Tyler moving into Junior High this year, Adams noted that he would have his hand’s full this year, but by next year, when he began his eighth grade year, Tyler would be in a great position to be the “seed” to get the Interact club moving.
Quoting literature from Rotary International, Adams told the club that there is no hard or fast rule for the number of students, but at least fifteen is recommended. He also stated that the key to a successful Interact club is the mentorship of the host Rotary club. To that end, the club members all agreed that each would be willing to attend a weekly Interact meeting on a rotating basis, and that there were several key steps that need to happen this year to make the Interact Club a reality next year.
Among this year’s plans: Inviting students who might be interested in joining next year to a Rotary meeting this year, having interested students help at upcoming Rotary events to show them what will be expected, and most importantly, working with the Carmi-White County school to lay the groundwork for next year.
In club business, Morris McCall won the 50/50 drawing and managed to claim the day’s cash pot. Visitor Kayleigh Adams was named as the day’s phantom, and she designated her grandpa to fill in for her next week.
The club received updates on the Brownsville School project and an update on the dog park project.
The Carmi Rotary club meets every Thursday at noon at the First United Methodist Church on Main Street in Carmi. Anyone wishing to learn more about this civic organization is welcome to attend a meeting or speak with any Carmi Rotarian.
