Cupertino Rotary Supports Local High School Programs

The Rotary Club of Cupertino (www.cupertinorotary.org) hosted the “Annual Cupertino Rotary Poetry Contest” via Zoom on Wednesday, June 10th,

honoring the winning 3 students from each of the Fremont Union High School District and the Cupertino Union School District Middle Schools, who also shared their poems.

in addition, Cupertino Rotary donated funds to Interact Clubs in support of their

“Senior Pen Pals,” project, a service opportunity for high school students to write care letters, emails, & cards to nursing home residents and hospice patients during the COVID - 19 quarantine.

THE ANNUAL POETRY CONTEST

The contest encourages our local students to understand the importance of art form, poetry and helps to build creative expression. Cupertino Rotary teams up with another excellent community organization, the City of Cupertino Poet Laureate program, to help orchestrate.

The Cupertino Union School District Middle School winners are:

1. Grace Ker
2. Chelsea Guo
3. Caitlin Zhou

The Fremont Union High School District winners are:

1. Aashrita Natesan
2. Alyssa Umino
3. Chloe Kwon

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“The COVID-19 Pandemic hit in the middle of the annual poetry contest, said Jeff Moe of Cupertino Rotary and poetry contest chair. “Schools were closed and students were separated from each other creating a great deal of stress. Cupertino Rotary was able to continue this excellent program, providing students with a semblance of normalcy and helping to serve as an outlet to deal with the melancholy of social separation. As a result, this year's participation in the poetry contest was almost 50% more than last year's record participation,” he added.

THE SENIOR PEN PALS PROJECT

Due to the pandemic, the students understand that members of the local community may be feeling isolated and alone because they can no longer have visitors. By writing letters and emails with jokes, pictures of pets, or even artwork, these students can harness their creativity to serve as pen pals both virtually and physically.

The students involved are Interactors across Area 12 and Area 13, which includes all schools in the Fremont Union High School District, and Area 13, which includes schools in the Mountain View-Los Altos High School district, the Palo Alto High School District and several charter schools.

"Since the senior citizens in our community are the most vulnerable during this time of COVID-19, we decided to create cards to brighten up their days,” said Shreya Udupa, member of Lynbrook Interact. “During this time of chaos and distress, I realized that one of the best ways to give back was to make these feel-good cards for senior citizens,” she added.

“As the current Area 13 Director and incoming District Governor, I think District Pen Pals epitomizes Interactors’ endearing passion for uplifting our community, especially in times of crisis. District Pen Pals serves as a testament to the creativity and passion of Interactors in spite of obstacles, “ said Charlize Nguyen.

All in all, this project provided not only a platform to promote our mission of service, but also an opportunity to unify Interactors after an eventful school year,” she added.

ABOUT THE CUPERTINO ROTARY CLUB

Chartered in 1955, the Cupertino Rotary represents a broad cross section of local residents, businesses, and professions. Members of the club are involved in a wide array of leadership and volunteer activities. Together, we make a difference in both our local community and in communities around the world.

The club meets every Wednesday at Noon for a lunch program and a guest speaker at Quinlan Community Center in Cupertino. Due to the Shelter In Place Covid-19 , the club meets online. To learn more, visit the website at( www.cupertinorotary.org)