September is New Generations Month in Rotary

On the Rotary calendar, September is called New Generations Month. New Generations refers to our youth who are the next generation of Rotarians and responsible citizens.

Rotary has a particular interest in encouraging the young members of our community to engage in service, and scholarship. There are several ways that Rotary supports the youth right here in Merrimack. To start, the Merrimack High School has an Interact Club. This high school club is the youth version of Rotary whereby members get together to serve the community. The club hosts bingo for seniors, and raises money for various events. Each year at the Changing of the Gavel event, the officers of the Interact Club receive their leadership pins.

Scholarships are given each year by the Rotary Club of Merrimack to Merrimack High School graduates. In 2015, the Rotary Club Applied Technology Scholarships, Rotary Club Arts Scholarship, Rotary Club Community Service Scholarship, and Rotary Club President’s Awards were all given out to deserving seniors. It is very rewarding for Rotarians to see hours of fundraising manifest in helping high school graduates.

The Four Way Speech Contest is hosted by Rotary each year in the wintertime. Merrimack High School students are invited to draft a speech that highlights the “4-Way Test” of Rotary International. The themes of each speech are: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? This contest encourages students to write, get to know the tenets of Rotary, and present their work to a live audience. In fact, if you watch Merrimack TV you may be able to catch the 2015 contest taped earlier this year.

Rotary does an incredible job - right here in Merrimack - promoting and supporting our youth. Are you interested in helping Rotary in this effort? Contact Chris Christensen at Chris@christensennh.com to attend a Thursday morning meeting, and be sure to look at Rotary’s web site: www.merrimackrotary.com and “like” the Rotary Club of Merrimack on Facebook.

[Maureen Mooney is the President of the Merrimack Rotary for 2015-2016. She can be reached at 603.578.4890 and/or maureencmooney@gmail.com.]