It’s 4:30 on a Friday afternoon and three Interact Club members are ready and waiting at the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club to serve spaghetti. The dinner is a fundraiser for the Boothbay Region Student Aid Fund. This is one of several community service projects the Boothbay Region High School club sponsors.

Typically, the 28-person club has between 15-20 members volunteering at an event, but April 21 is the last day of spring break which leaves them short-handed. So Club President Molly Thibault, along with first-year members Carter Babcock and Rowan Kristan, are the ones serving an inexpensive, delicious Friday night dinner.

Kristan, a freshman, joined because the student volunteer organization gives him an opportunity to serve the community and develop leadership skills.

“I heard a lot of good things about it,” he said. “You learn about team-building. It’s been a great opportunity developing those skills especially when discussing various projects during a brainstorming session.”

The club holds two meetings per month. But as the club grows, a new organizational model is being introduced. Members are now divided into committees exploring options for various projects.

“We’re looking to do more of the planning in a separate committee. Our goal is having one monthly and one committee meeting,” said Thibault, a senior and four-year club member.

Interact is the high school version of the Rotary Club. Interact clubs organize at least two projects every year, one that helps their school or community, and one promoting international understanding. On April 21, the club raised $411 for the BRSAF. Other community projects this year have included a Valentine’s Day dinner and planting yellow tulips at the high school and Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

Past activities have included serving lunch at the Preble Street Shelter in Portland and contributing funds for a Guatemalan student’s education. The club sold 234 Yuda Bands at $7 each. A Yuda Band is a handmade bracelet made in Guatemala. The name is derived from the Spanish word for help (ayuda), according to yudabands.org.

Thibault learned about Yuda Bands from a friend in another high school and introduced the bracelets to the club as an international service project. The Yuda Bands and feeding homeless people have been Thibault’s favorite projects as a club member.

“I really enjoyed going to Preble Street feeding the homeless people, but I’m proudest of introducing the Yuda Band fundraiser here,” Thibault said. “It’s a really great project. The funds pay her educational expenses for a year.”

Babcock, Thibault’s  classmate, didn’t know much about the club prior to his senior year. Babcock joined based on another classmate’s advice.  As a member, Babcock enjoys participating with the student organization dedicated to community support. "I really like it," he said. At the meetings, members brainstorm how to do the club's projects. "It's been a great learning experience and has improved my communication and leadership skills."

Club participation also assists BRHS students in meeting a five-hour per year community service requirement. Volunteerism also looks good on a college application, but Thibault believes the club provides members with something  more valuable.

“The experience has made me more aware of our community. We find what people’s needs are and try to help them,” she said.

So whether it’s serving spaghetti or the community,  Interact Club members’ goal is ensuring it’s a job well done.