A Little Time, a Big Impact: Pierson's Interact Club Brings Joy to Seniors and Revives Blood Drive

Isabella Carmona DeSousa didn’t know much about Pierson’s Interact Club when she joined two years ago. But over that period of time, she’s learned a simple but important truth:

“Just a little time out of your day could make another person’s whole day brighter.”

That, she said, is one of her biggest takeaways from being part of the volunteer community service club, sponsored by Rotary International, at the school.

Pierson teacher Christina Little is the club coordinator; she empowers the students to think about and choose what matters to them and then decide where they want to focus their efforts.

Last month, several of the students took a field trip to the senior center in Bridgehampton, spending time with seniors who were there for the day. They chatted with them, played board games and even gave manicures to those who wanted them.

Carmona DeSousa called that experience “heartwarming” and said she felt good knowing that their visit brightened up the day for the people there.

“I saw all of these faces lighten up with a huge smile when we were leaving,” she said.

The club also has revived another important volunteer effort that had been discontinued during the COVID-19 pandemic: the Pierson blood drive.

At the end of last month, the school hosted its second blood drive of the year — it also had one in the spring — and Little said she was impressed by the student turnout. About 40 students showed up to donate blood at the spring drive, and there were around 30 students who donated last month.

Little said that led to about 49 pints of blood being donated in the spring, and around 39 pints last month. In the past, she said, only a handful of students would show up for the blood drive.

She wasn’t entirely sure what led to the surge in participation this year, but she said that one factor was a more intentional effort to reach out to and include Spanish-speaking students and have Spanish-speaking phlebotomists on hand during the drive.

Meadow Osborn is a Pierson junior and member of the Interact Club. She donated at the blood drive both times this year, and spoke about the experience.

“It’s rewarding to know that taking 20 minutes out of your day to donate blood can potentially save up to three people’s lives,” she said. “I think that it’s important for students to get involved in the blood drive, because it’s a simple yet gratifying action that could go a long way for someone.”

Osborn, like other Interact Club members, enjoys being part of the club because it has helped her discover a passion for giving back to the community. After Halloween, she helped organize a candy drive. Candy they collected was made part of care packages for local seniors and also for members of the military serving abroad.

The club also put together care packages on Thanksgiving and delivered them to Cindy Capalbo, who runs Sag Harbor Community Helpers. She distributed them to her clients, many of them homebound seniors.

A big part of the reason why the Interact Club is so successful, and why the students who joined are thrilled to be a part of it, is because Little puts them in the driver’s seat when it comes to deciding exactly what they want their impact to be.

“The Interact Club is about giving back wherever the kids want,” Little said.” I ask them, ‘Who do you want to help this year? Where are your passions, and what are you interested in?’”

Junior Lochlyn Craig had the idea to visit the senior center. She spoke about that experience.

“I really liked that, through this event, we were able to bond with the residents and get to know them,” she said. “This is very important, because the residents don’t usually get to spend a lot of time with kids in their usual days at the center. So a few hours with them, hopefully, brought smiles to their faces.”

The club also has partnered with the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation. The members are currently working on ideas for how they can help the animal shelter again, by maybe doing a pet food drive or another event there.

For Little, it’s been rewarding seeing her students take the initiative to figure out who they want to help and how, and be willing and enthusiastic about participating and volunteering their time.

She was particularly thrilled about the blood drive and the surge in participation by students.

“The blood drive people were so happy with us,” she said. “And the Sag Harbor Ambulance does their own blood drive, so we’d rather not take community members away from them. Having the kids show up to donate, hopefully, we’re making lifelong donors out of them, and they’re realizing they can do this a few times a year and potentially save a life when they do it.”

Being part of the club has taught the students about the power they have to help others. But they’ve also learned it’s a two-way street.

Osborn summed up that sentiment: “This club has taught me about how helping others is a great way to come together and find compassion in a world that is so cruel.”