Calling all philanthropic artists! Although quarantine has put a pause on many activities, such as volunteering, the Interact Club has found a way to continue their work by coloring hope notes for the homeless. 

Interact is a Rotary-sponsored club that is dedicated to giving people the opportunity to help out in the community. They also work closely with Angels in Motion, an organization that distributes supplies and hope notes to the less fortunate.

A hope note is a little colored sheet of paper that generally has a cartoon character or an inspiring quote on it. The club, and other helpers, then color it in to make it look cheery. It’s an easy way to help out, which can conveniently be done at home. It has been a great way for the club to stay active, and hopeful themselves, during the quarantine. 

As a club, Interact has been meeting during HATs to color these hope notes. The notes are meant to encourage people and give them strength to persevere. A previous recipient of an Angels in Motion care package came to speak to Interact members earlier this year and brought the original hope note that was given to him. He was very thankful and said that it acted as a beam of light and really helped him get through that tough time in his life.

President of Interact Julia Warden said, “Interact has been encouraging members of our community to make hope notes during the quarantine. It is our goal that people will find the coloring relaxing during this scary time, while also providing hope to our homeless community with the finished notes.”

The volunteering opportunity was advertised via school email and Facebook. Many members, such as Lily Wu, were very interested and responded by whipping out their coloring pencils.

Freshman member Lily Wu said, “Coloring hope notes is awesome! It is great for Interact to give us the opportunity to still be able to help out the community during this time. Coloring the notes has also helped to keep things in perspective for me that there are people who are struggling more during this time than I am, and it’s an honor to be able to be doing things to serve them.”

The club needs hundreds of hope notes per year. They host events, called Blessing Bag Parties, in partnership with Angels in Motion. Volunteers fill bags with food and hope notes which are later allocated to the homeless population. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication by the club’s advisor, Mrs. Varano, and officers to organize the donations. The hope notes really tie the donation bags together by making them unique, colorful and fun. 

If you’d like to color hope notes, yourself, or keep up with Interact and their various volunteering events, you can follow the club on Instagram @interacthh or visit their website: https://interactclubhh.wixsite.com/home