CCU Rotaract Club honored at SILA Awards

The Rotaract Club of Coastal Carolina University received an award for the 2016 Outstanding Philanthropy by a Student Organization at the annual Student Involvement and Leadership Awards (SILA) ceremony recently.

More than 200 CCU student organizations were eligible for the award, presented in Wheelwright Auditorium. Rotaract is a Rotary-sponsored service club for men and women ages 18 to 30.

The club engages in many service projects for the community, most notably the Smart Snacks Program. For more than 10 years, the CCU Rotaract Club packages and delivers weekend snack bags to approximately 300 underprivileged children at a local Title I elementary school every Friday morning during the academic year. This program ensures that each child has something to eat over the weekend. These bags typically include two juice boxes, two boxes of cereal, two cans of fruit or two fruit roll-ups, and two bags of chips or pretzels.

“I am very proud of the Coastal Carolina University Rotaract Club,” said club adviser Porter Medley, senior director of Scheduling and Event Services. “They are a small group of service-minded students making an indelible mark of exemplary service above self in this community. I am very honored to work with them.”

The Carolina Forest Sunrise Rotary Club sponsors the student club and partners with it on various service projects. The Rotary Club meets Wednesdays at 7 a.m. at Beef O’Brady’s in Carolina Forest. Those interested in joining are welcome to enjoy free breakfast and learn more about service opportunities in the CCU community.

Theresa Calabrese, an upcoming senior graphic design major from Meriden, Conn., is club president for the 2016-2017 school year. For more information, contact her at tjcalabre@coastal.edu or Medley at pmedley@coastal.edu.