Water safety is a big concern in West Michigan. Local students want to help
HOLLAND TWP. — A recently formed group of students at West Ottawa High School are looking to serve the community by increasing water safety awareness along the lakeshore.
The WOHS Interact Club was established last fall. Interact Club is a high school version of Rotary International, an international service organization. The Holland Rotary Club has been around since 1920.
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Several club members attended the Holland Noon Rotary Club meeting Thursday, March 23, to present their efforts on water safety. Thursday was also a chance for the Rotary Club to present the Interact Club with its official charter certificate.
Students are calling their efforts the Holland Safe Water Initiative. They're raising funds for drones that could be deployed at area beaches to help prevent drownings. They'll also be working on water safety issues in Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa.
“In Holland, we have Lake Michigan, which accounts for almost 50 percent of all the drownings in the Great Lakes,” said Interact Club President Raighen Ly. “It’s so close to us. It matters. Even at West Ottawa, we’ve lost some of our students to water safety issues. The sooner we can prevent people from drowning or other sorts of harm, the sooner we can protect our own community.”
The club will sell shirts in the near future, available to the public, along with selling baked goods and other school fundraisers.
According to the Great Lakes Surf and Rescue Project, there have been 1,155 drownings in the Great Lakes since 2010. Of the 108 drownings in 2022, 45 were in Lake Michigan, GLSRP reports.
Students taking an interest in water safety aligns perfectly with Rotary, said Rotarian Jim White, who helped start the WOHS club. Providing access to safe and clean drinking water worldwide is one of Rotary’s major areas of service.
“It’s a perfect tie in,” White said. “Rotary’s got a heavy emphasis on clean water and water in general. ... The kids want to do something to save lives. How could you not get behind that?”
West Ottawa’s Interact Club has also met with officials from Park Township, including Township Manager Howard Fink, to coordinate efforts.
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Fink, a Rotary member himself, spoke Thursday to say the work of the students will make a huge difference.
“I promise you, if we want to make a dent in those drownings, what they’re doing is what’s going to matter,” Fink said. “The education component of this system is key. What (the students) are doing is absolutely the most important thing to happen for water safety in this area. I commend you guys.”
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Water safety is a big concern in West Michigan. Local students want to help
