Sarasota Military Academy’s Interact Club, a service club for cadets at the Prep middle school campus, recently completed a project in partnership with the Rotary Club and Easterseals Southwest Florida to help local children who have sensory processing disorders (SPD).
SMA Prep Interact Club projects are determined through student interest, community needs or through partnerships with local organizations. During the 2018 – 2019 school year, an SMA cadet approached the Interact Club board with a plan to create sensory bottles for individuals in the community with SPD. After learning more about SPD and finalizing the project, 70 sensory bottles were donated to Easterseals Southwest Florida, a local, non-profit organization that aims to provide services for persons with disabilities and their families.
“We are incredibly proud of our cadets and those involved in the SMA Prep Interact Club,” said SMA-MAJ Carol Pelletier, Sarasota Military Academy Prep Language and Literature Instructor, Department Chair and Interact Club Facilitator. “Through this project, the cadets met with individuals who have sensory processing disorders, learned about SPD and found a creative way to have a positive impact in their community.”
Led by SMA-CPT Jennifer Neff, SMA-MAJ Carol Pelletier and SMA-CPT Jane Clancy, the SMA Prep Interact Club is an extracurricular activity supported by the Sarasota Southside Rotary Club. The sensory bottle project materials were funded by the Interact Club and the supporting Rotary Club. Previous SMA Interact Club projects include making puppy collars for Southeastern Guide Dogs, gift boxes for troops overseas, the recent Water for Sudan project where students raised funds to build a well in South Sudan, and Happier Homes for Haiti. The SMA Prep Interact Club chapter was also recently awarded the Zone34 Interact Award through the Rotary Club partnership.
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