For Clarkston graduate Tobias Lerke, the new Metro Detroit Rotaract Club is a way to repay a debt.
“The Clarkston Rotary Club helped me with scholarships,” said Lerke, 21, who now lives in Flint, attending classes at the local University of Michigan branch.”Ever since then, I’ve wanted to give back. Rotaract is a direct avenue to do that.”
The club for 18-30 years olds was founded by Dustin Tierney and Jessica Padgett.
‘Membership recruitment has been a difficult challenge for us,? Tierney said. ‘In the beginning, Jessica and I were the only Metro Detroit Rotaract club members. Now, we have been successful with finding potential members through Rotarians, local Interact clubs, and through social media.?
Meetings are held on the second and fourth Sundays of every month at 4:30, at the Engineering Society of Detroit office, on 20700 Civil Center Drive, suite 450, Southfield.
One of 15 founding members, Lerke’s ideas for the club include setting up videoconferences for possible joint projects with Flint and Detroit Rotary clubs.
“It’s all student and volunteer led,” he said.
He also volunteers with Michigan Service Scholars and Commitment to Service programs, volunteering more than 300 hours this past year.
He earned associates degrees in Science and Liberal Arts from Oakland Community College, and studies molecular biology and biotechnology at UM-Flint. His goal is to research longevity and aging.
The Metro Detroit Rotaract club is working on local and international projects. Locally, they are working on ‘Hats for the Homeless,? collecting baseball caps for those in need. They will be cleaned, and then used as a ‘lunch box? that will hold a nutritious meal inside.
The international ‘Metro Detroit Rotaract Clean Water Project? is supplying ceramic filters from $10 donations to help bring clean drinking water to Nepal, where polluted water is killing 13,000 children a year.
Tierney and Padgett promote the club at Rotary events such as Rotary International District 6380 conference in Frankenmuth, where they gave a presentation on the clean water project, and a bowling fundraiser in April, raising more than $400 towards the club and the clean water project.
Padgett and a couple other club members will speak to Clarkston Rotary at its Aug. 17 meeting. Activities also include
? Sunday, Aug. 9, 4:30-5:30 p.m., meeting at the Engineering Society of Detroit Building;
? Saturday, Aug. 15, 9 a.m., sell water and pop at the Dream Cruise to raise money for our club at Pioneer Park and Normandy and Woodward in Royal Oak with the Royal Rotary Club;
? Sunday, Sept. 13, 4:30-5:30 p.m., meeting with special speaker from Habit for Humanity;
? Saturday, Sept. 26, 8-4 p.m., help out with Habitat for Humanity; and
? Sunday, Oct. 4, walk in the Mega March for the Michigan Humane Society.
For more information or to join, contact Padgett at Jpadgett5@gmail.com. For more information on the club, check www.rotaract.org.