MENDOTA – The Mendota High School Interact Club has a reputation of being involved and helping the Mendota community in any project or assistance available.

Now, it’s reaching a little further, to Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

“I think it’s really important to donate to the orphanage in Bolivia. We do a lot of different things in our community and we have a lot of opportunities to help out Mendota,” said Leah Stamberger, who will be a senior this fall and has been a part of Interact since joining the high school ranks. “It’s also exciting to go outside of Mendota and the country to help these kids that need help.

“When you think about community service, you think about just your community. But there is so much more we can do outside of our community to help people because a lot of people are struggling.”

The Interact Club started an Amazon Wishlist to gather items to take to Judah Quy, an orphanage for disabled children in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Alisa Stewart, an MHS science teacher who also directs the Interact Club and is heavily involved in the foreign exchange student program, had planned a trip to see 2019-2020 MHS exchange student, Carolina Velasco, who lives in Santa Cruz.

Stewart asked Velasco how the club could help and Velasco began reaching out to different orphanages.

“We have an Amazon wish list. There are 18 kids in the Judah Quy Orphanage and Mendota High School Interact Club is packaging stuff to give them such as coloring books, markers and kids’ books,” Stewart said. “I can take 110 pounds in two suitcases of things with me on the plane to Bolivia because I’m going over there to personally deliver the collected items. I can’t wait to meet the orphans.

“We are lucky to have the resources we have at Mendota High School. The children with special needs, mentally or physically, are helped and go through the school system with any assistance they need. Socially, they’re here with the opportunity to form friendships and build those bonds.

“In Bolivia, it’s not the same. When it is realized they are disabled, they’re sent to an orphanage, or they are allowed to die. So, we want to send them some love from Mendota, America.”

Stewart will be in Bolivia for a month.