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The Rotary Club Honors an Outstanding HHS Student
Hauppauge High School senior Katlyn Foley has discovered the joy and satisfaction that is gained by giving in the service of helping others. Her compassion and dedication were recognized and honored by the Hauppauge Chapter of the Rotary Club. The Rotary Club named Katie “Student of the Month” for November 2017.
Ms. Foley has been actively involved in the “TOPS” Soccer program for the past seven years as a volunteer coach and youth mentor. “TOPS” stands for The Outreach Program for Soccer, a special program run by Long Island Junior Soccer League and its clubs that provide a safe and fun environment for children with disabilities, from severe auditory or visual impairment, and orthopedic handicaps, to behavior deviations and children with Down Syndrome. The goal is to provide soccer skill development and free play for kids who are unable to compete in a mainstream soccer program.
Started in 1978, the “TOPS” program has grown over the years. There are currently twenty five member clubs on Long Island that provide “TOPS” program services to over 750 players, who range in age from 4 to 35 years old. Katlyn has designed educational practices that maximize each child’s strengths.
Ms. Foley is active in Hauppauge High School. She is a 4-year Varsity Gymnast and is currently the captain. She is a member of the Town of Islip Anti-Bias Ambassador program and Youth & Community Alliance committee. Katie serves as the Secretary of the HHS Chapter of the National Honor Society and is the Public Relations Officer for the Spanish Club. She is a member of the Spanish Honor Society, the History Club, and the Interact Club. She strives to make her high school a better place and is always eager to roll up her sleeves to get a job done. Katlyn is currently working on a social media safety presentation with Youth & Community committee students to share with the elementary students in February. This committee is formed to steer younger students toward the good educational tools available on the i-pads they are currently using. Katie and her committee are working on an interactive presentation to alert and inform kids on the dangers of cyber-bullying.
Katlyn carries a rigorous academic schedule and currently takes Advanced Placement and college level courses.
Ms. Foley has applied to nine colleges. She hopes to attend college in New York City in the fall where she would like to study Fashion Marketing and Health. Her interest in Fashion Marketing was born when Katie attended a summer workshop at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
The Rotary Club is proud to select Katlyn Foley as the “Student of the Month.” The next selection will be revealed at a December Rotary Meeting.
For more than 110 years, Rotary members have been addressing challenges around the world.
Grassroots at the core, Rotary links 1.2 million members to form an organization of international scope. It started with the vision of one man. Paul Harris, a Chicago attorney, formed the Rotary Club of Chicago in 1905 so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful, lifelong friendships, and give back to their communities.
Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of its members. Paul Harris is quoted as saying, “Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves.”
Rotary is dedicated to six areas of focus to build international relationships, improve lives, and create a better world. The first area is promoting peace. Rotary encourages conversations to foster understanding within and across cultures. They train adults and young leaders to prevent and mediate conflict and help refugees who have fled dangerous areas.
The second area of focus is fighting disease. Rotary educates and equips communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for over 30 years, and their goal of ridding the earth of this disease is in sight. They started in 1979 with vaccinations for 6 million children in the Philippines. Today, Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan are the only countries where polio remains endemic. To contribute to the end polio effort visit https://www.endpolio.org/.
Rotary is focused on providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene to more people every day. They share their expertise with community leaders and educators to make sure the projects succeed long-term.
The fourth area of focus is dedicated to saving mothers and children. Nearly 6 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, poor health care, and inadequate sanitation. Rotarians expand access to quality care, so mothers and their children can live and grow stronger.
Rotary supports education. More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. Rotary’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy.
The sixth area of focus is growing local economies by carrying out service projects that enhance economic and community development and create opportunities for decent and productive work for young and old. Rotarians also strengthen local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities.
Rotary’s programs are developing the next generation of leaders, providing funding to make the world a better place, and making peace a priority. And their programs are not just for club members. Learn how you can make a difference in your community through Rotary. Visit https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs
The Rotary information was reprinted from their website at https://www.rotary.org/.
Help End Polio https://www.endpolio.org/