On Thursday, the Dexter High School Interact Club—Rotary International’s service club for youths ages 12 to 18—received its official charter.

Dexter Rotary Club President Caryl Burke and members Brent Kolb and Laurie Sprague presented the charter to Interact Club President Josie Cohen.

According to Rotarian Steve Feinman, each year, Interact clubs complete at least one community service project and at least one project that furthers international understanding and goodwill.

This year, the Dexter Interact Club collected pillowcases to make shorts and dresses for children in an orphanage in South Africa. In addition, members had a bake sale to raise funds so they can ship the clothes to the orphanage.

"This is a great project for their first effort. We all applaud the club's work," Feinman said.

The club also recognized DHS faculty member Jenine Fletcher for her service and awarded her an honorary membership during a special breakfast coordinated by Superintendent Mary Marshall and the DHS food service staff.

The Dexter Rotary Club currently supports local scholarships and community projects such as the Dexter Daze festival and tree plantings, in addition to international projects such as disaster relief and the eradication of polio worldwide.

The Dexter Rotary Club currently meets at 7 a.m. on Thursday mornings at Terry B’s and has 32 active members consisting mostly of business professionals from the Dexter community.