1st Project Helps Feed Hungry Families
December 1, 2023
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER)–The George E. Wilson Elementary School in Hamilton has established an EarlyAct service club for its students. In its first weeks, the club has already collected hundreds of pounds of food to help feed hungry families in Mercer County and prepared holiday cards and bracelets for hospital patients.
The EarlyAct Club, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton, was officially launched today with an installation of officers ceremony at the school. The club is run by the students with general guidance from faculty advisors.
For its initial project, the club collected 302 pounds of food for the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank for distribution to families in need. Each grade in the school was involved in the collection.
EarlyAct engages students in character-building activities and prepares them for leadership roles. Students learn to identify and carry out service projects that improve the quality of life in their local community and beyond.
“I am immensely proud of the exceptional leadership skills displayed by the 4th grade officers of Wilson Elementary’s EarlyAct Club. Their remarkable abilities have left a lasting impression, showcasing promising future leaders within the school community. With the great success they had with the food drive, I am so eager to see the important work they do as the time goes on,” said Wilson Elementary School Principal Dereth Sanchez-Ahmed.
“It is heart-warming to see these young students enthusiastically and confidently organize and communicate on projects for the year. We are pleased to provide an opportunity for them to help others through EarlyAct, a world-wide program started by our local Rotary Club more than 25 years ago,” said Kalpana Patel of the Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton, who with fellow Rotarians serves as a liaison to the program at Wilson School.
This year’s EarlyAct officers at the school are Christian Jones, President; Liliana Orellana, Vice President 1; Anderson Murillo, Vice President 2; Kenedi Blakely, Corresponding Secretary; Manar LaGuerre, Recording Secretary; and Meili Castanza, Treasurer. The faculty advisors are Kate McCarney and Lindsay Franicevich, along with the Wilson’s Climate Culture Specialist, Jennifer Barker.
The EarlyAct program was established in 1997 by the Rotary Club of Robbinsville Hamilton, then known as the Rotary Club of Hamilton/Washington. The first EarlyAct Club was formed at Morgan Elementary School in Hamilton and the concept became popular around the world with EarlyAct clubs being established as far away as Australia and Africa.
Greenwood Elementary School in Hamilton is also in the process of establishing a Rotary-sponsored EarlyAct Club.
