Cooking with Heart

Queen City High School Interact Club is a sanction of the Atlanta area Rotary club and serves others each month in a variety of ways.

Jan. 24, members traveled to Little Rock, to prepare a meal consisting of homemade chicken enchiladas, taco soup, and sopapilla cheesecake for the current residents of the Ronald McDonald House who have children in long term care at Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

This is the fifth year for QCHS students to travel this distance to be of service to the families during the difficult times they are experiencing.

Following the meal preparation, the Interact Club visited ACH with the Texarkana area Circle of Friends chairman and secretary, Karlton and Linda Willis.

They discussed with our students the importance of the Kids Caring for Kids benefit fundraiser that the students conduct annually across QC ISD. The vision of the new entrance to the hospital was shared so the students will see first-hand what their efforts in the fundraising are going toward.

While at ACH, students met with a specialized physical therapist and learned how aqua therapy is used for babies and children. It was impressionable to see one of the only retractable pools and to learn how the warm water aids patients.

Students then went on to the roof of the hospital with the transportation unit to see how transfers are equipped to treat patients even while in route. Equipment, qualifications and experience were all explored while students got a full view of how this unit of the hospitals work so efficiently.

This enrichment experience seems to be a favorite among students each year.

Mrs. Mandi Stringer, Interact Club sponsor, shared, “I love serving as the Interact sponsor at QCHS and seeing students willing to give of their time and themselves for others. The lessons learned from depending on each other as they work in service are ones they will never forget and can’t always receive in the classroom. Seeing first-hand how these adults serve their patients, connects how service leads to success for everyone involved.”

This year’s Kids Caring for Kids project will kickoff on Feb. 7, to raise money for Arkansas Children’s Hospital.