CHS student attends Rotary youth leadership event

Creston High senior Khouri Sherrod was the Creston Rotary Club’s guest during its meeting Monday. In July, Sherrod attended Rotary Youth Leadership Awards held for a week at Grinnell College in Grinnell. She was sponsored by the Creston club.

Students representing many Iowa clubs were in attendance to learn about community service, listen to speakers and develop their own leadership skills. Sherrod said the event encouraged participants to interact among each other as cell phones were not allowed to be used.

“You talk to people you don’t know,” she said. At the end of the week, Sherrod said friendships had been created because of those conversations.

Sherrod said the participants were placed into groups of 10 and there were 15 groups. Including a Rotary member in each group, the groups planned a community service project. Creston’s Rotary Club annually picks up trash along a portion of North Cherry Street Road in the spring, awards scholarships for students, has clothing drives among other projects.

Sherrod said it wasn’t work the entire time each day. There were social events where participants networked with each other. Other than a participant from the Corning club, she said few people had heard of Creston.

She said the speakers typically emphasized a word in their speeches, something that represented their life in a positive or inspirational way. The 12-hour days were active. “No one was gong to be bored,” she told the club.

The community service idea heeded a budget, marketing and a goal. Other events forced kids to focus on the purpose and not worry about completing it in a certain time.

“Live in the moment and focus on the present,” she explained.

Other events Sherrod said challenged the students’ social and emotional skills. She learned how there will be times when she will be put in an uncomfortable situation.

“You have to be aware of yourself,” she said.

In other club news...

Rotary members were part of the annual pork chop night fundraiser Sept. 19 at McKinley Park. Proceeds from the event, shared with Creston Kiwanis and Lions clubs, benefit each club.

Rotary club members will work the concession stand at Creston High’s freshmen and varsity football games Oct. 11. Creston Rotary is scheduled to assist with BINGO Oct. 18 at the Eagles. Club members will schedule when to hang American flags in Uptown Creston for Veterans Day in November.

Creston Rotary normally meets at noon the first and third Mondays of the month at Anson’s Bar and Grill.