Madurai Interact raises ₹16L for charity

A unique two-day fundraiser event by the Interact Club of Lakshmi School in Madurai, RID 3000, in which over 1,000 students, parents and teachers participated has set the template for the way school clubs in India can mobilise resources and funds for doing charity programmes.

Titled ‘Caring Beyond Classroom’ the mega carnival (Nov 23–24, 2024) saw parents, along with their children, enjoying a series of sports, arts, science, and cultural activities on the school campus, “all of them ticketed events for the Interact club to raise funds for charity,” says P Subhashini, school principal. While shadow puppetry for primary section students focused on avoiding plastic use, mobile phone addiction and the need for healthy food and lifestyle; for middle class students Project Robotics educated parents and their wards about electronic circuits, infrared sensor, kinematics etc through Creya (a primer on robotics) sessions.

One of the highlights was a mobile planetarium in which parents and children could view 15-minute trailer movies on space exploration and the mysteries of the universe. They also enjoyed a Virtual Reality show at this mobile studio that whetted the appetite to know about space faring and extraterrestrials. Field games like football, throwball, basketball and table tennis created a bonding among parents and teachers like never before. “We had fun games with parents, teachers and students, and by the end, the participants wanted to have more of this play time as they enjoyed the bonding session,” says principal Subhashini.

The art — papercraft, foam board printing — and STEM workshops were attended by secondary grade students (Class 9–12) with their parents, and interacted with the subject experts. Vocal music and instrumentals weaved a ‘classical magic’ at An Evening of Music and “we enjoyed the soulful rendition by students and parents.” It was time for literary sessions like Guess the Word, quiz and Word Play, along with a Tombola session conducted by senior principal Shanthi Mohan for a lucky draw, on the final day before the event was wrapped up. “Our Home Science department put up a market with stalls for jute products, stationery items and art work like portrait drawing and framed paintings that was a big hit among visitors. Also, the food court with its cuisine stalls for baked items like cakes, cookies and pastries, apart from snacks, was a major draw with its lip-smacking delights,” explains Subhashini.

Trailblazers

Having collected ₹7.16 lakh from the November fundraiser, the Interact club will give the sum to Kalpataru, an NGO unit of Arogya Welfare Trust promoted by the TVS management, which is catering to the needs of old age homes, orphanages and underprivileged rural women.

Though the club is 18 years old, “we are conducting this two-day mega show over the last two years, and collected ₹9 lakh at our maiden fundraiser,” says Siva Ramya, teacher in-charge of the Interact club. “In the last three years, the Interactors have tied up with Kalpataru which has the logistics and wherewithal for efficient distribution of essential items, materials and grants to special homes and poor families,” says R Srinivasan, director, TVS group of schools, which manages the eight Lakhsmi Schools in Madurai. A past president of RC Madurai Mid Town, and now a member of RC Bangalore J P Nagar, Srinivasan is also the nodal coordinator of the four Interact clubs in the TVS group. All the Interact clubs are sponsored by RC Madurai Mid Town.

On the fundraiser event, Ramya says, “our multiple shows, displays and eclectic programmes fostered a sense of social responsibility and leadership qualities among students which are invaluable for their growth.” Vinita, mother of Aadiv Jain, Class 8, wants this ‘grand spectacle’ to continue for years as “the event is creating a lasting impact on both the participants and the beneficiaries.”

Club president Aishwarya Meena (Class 11) is confident that “our fundraising efforts will create ripples of positive change by creating sustainable happiness among participants and beneficiaries in the years to come.” As a thumb rule, only students of Class 11 are elected as office-bearers of the Interact club which has around 550 members, all from Class 9–12, says principal Subhashini.

All praise for the Interactors of the 25-year-old Lakshmi School, Srinivasan, an alumnus of The Rotary Foundation who has led a GSE team from RID 3000 (Madurai) to Osaka, Japan, in 2001, says, “the school brigade of Rotary has stood up to its ideals, turning out as good ambassadors of Rotary values.” Though living in Bengaluru, “I am always in touch with my Interactors and students of TVS Schools,” he smiles.