Cathy Branch Stebbins, a member of the Middletown Rotary Club, was honored as February Rotarian of the Month for her ongoing efforts as Co-Advisor of the Interact Club at the Independent Day School in Middlefield. Interact is a Rotary- sponsored service club for young people ages 12-18.
The students are involved with community service as well as international projects. The Interact Club is now selling colorfully beaded bracelets made by the women from Communities for Shining Hope in Nairobi, Kenya. Two seniors from Wesleyan University came to the Independent Day School to educate the club about Communities for Shining Hope and its relationships to Wesleyan University, including the Johanna Justin Jinich Health Care Clinic.
The women who make the bracelets are the mothers of the girls who are receiving a free education at the Kibera School for Girls, which is the centerpiece of a community revitalization model that believes if you educate a girl, you educate a community.
Earlier this year the club performed a gently worn shoe collection and was able to distribute almost 200 pairs of shoes to programs throughout Greater Middletown including McDonough School, the Idella Howell Head Start program, and the Eddy Shelter.
