The Ipswich Rotary Board of Directors voted unanimously at their February 10, 2004 meeting to sponsor an EARLYACT Program at Winthrop and Doyon Schools. EARLYACT is a school-wide service club for elementary students from ages 5 to 13. Students are engaged in character-building activities, preparing them for leadership roles. They identify and carry out projects to benefit their school, local and global communities.

EarlyAct Club Updates

Doyon School EarlyAct Club | Update May 2009 | Our very own Tashi Mark Warner helped shepherd the Doyon EarlyAct Club to the District Conference last week – to participate in, present at, and share lunch with our fellow Rotarians during a full morning of information sessions about all the amazing work of our clubs – and our district.

There were 14 students from two EarlyAct clubs in the District who each gave a very informative presentation to an attentive group of attendees. Four EarlyAct members (and their faculty advisor/Rotarian Betsye Sargent) from the Phoenix School in Salem shared their experience as the very first EarlyAct Club in the district. Ten members of the Doyon EarlyAct Club (and their faculty advisor Andrea Welch) from Ipswich presented a comprehensive Powerpoint presentation sharing not only their current and ongoing activities, but also the history and goals of their club.

There was not much this moderator had to say – the students did a much better job at getting the point across: The power in creating an environment for these young community members to share their passion and desire to help others at their schools, locally in the community and globally around the world. We adults are humbled by their foresight and limitless capacity to serve. It is my honor to work side by side with these future leaders.

Winthrop School EarlyAct Club | Update January 2009 | Some 15 students and adult advisors met for the monthly EarlyAct meeting at Winthrop Elementary School last Thursday afternoon  The club decided to initiate a Food Drive at Winthrop in support of the Ipswich Food Pantry.  Posters were made by the students and will be distributed around the school in the coming week.  The club plans to start a project of global outreach for a cause in China that is yet to be determined.  The club will contact those Middle School students traveling soon to China to learn from them what needs or project ideas they may have to share from their time in China. Gail Doktor visited last month to speak to the club about Bright Happy Power, the non-profit organization that supports children being treated for cancer at the Children’s Boston Hospital.  The club is very enthusiastic in wanting to support the work of Bright Happy Power.

Submitted by Bill Nelson and Brad Clark

Doyon School EarlyAct Club | Update January 2009 | In December, the Doyon Early Act club voted to have half of this year’s proceeds from the 4th Annual Pit Stop (car wash/bake sale fundraiser) donated to the non-profit organization Moving Mountains.  The founder of Moving Mountains, Kim Jodoin, and her daughter Allison came to this month’s Early Act meeting to thank the students and explain Moving Mountains’ mission is greater detail.

Mrs. Jodoin brought pictures of some girls who have benefited from the Moving Mountains program in the past.  She described how difficult it is for families in China to send their children to High School.  

Currently 65 girls are attending High School in China when they would not have been able to do so without the program.  The Doyon Early Act club is hoping to raise enough money from the Pit Stop to sponsor one girl’s high school education for the full three years.

Mrs. Jodoin also shared a poem one of the girls wrote describing her feelings about being sponsored.  We’ve included a copy of it here so you can appreciate the depth of gratitude the girls experience when sponsored.

Xiongping is in her second year of high school. She dreams of becoming a "heart and brain doctor." She is an incredible girls who has been consistently ranked first in her class. Below are excerpts of a poem written by Xiongping:

What If

Last night while laying on my bed

I was thinking

Some "what ifs" came to my mind

What if I didn't have their help

What if I dropped out of school

What if I left my parents

What should I do

I will become a migrant worker

Life will become bad

I will lose many good things

And my dream will never come true

But these things aren't true...

I am very lucky

Many people gave their help to me

Here I say thanks to them

What if our earth stopped moving

Didn't have sunshine

Didn't have oceans

Didn't have a moon

Didn't have stars

What if...what if...what if...

Even if all these things come true

I will still remember their help till the end of my life!

------

Moving Mountains

"Enough shovels of earth a mountain. Enough pails of water, a river."