A Cherokee County Interact Club has formed to offer a new opportunity for teenagers interested in community service.

Interact is Rotary International's service club for teens between the ages of 14 and 18. Each club is sponsored by a local Rotary club, but is self-governing and self-supporting.

The Cherokee club is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Canton, with guidance from its Youth Services Co-Chairwoman Kay Miller of Lake Arrowhead.

"It will teach them the benefits of service to the community," she said of what teens will gain from participation.

Interact Clubs are required to do at least two community service projects, one of which must serve the international community.

The club can elect to charge membership dues and is open to students in public, private or home school settings. An interest meeting was conducted in February, and a dozen teens attended.

Rotary International prefers an Interact Club have at least 15 members, and the club met that requirement at a second meeting conducted on Tuesday night.

Provisional officers of the club are teens President Miranda Baker, Vice President Jenny Kiewat and Treasurer Max Kiewat.

Regina Kiewat and Tammy Baker will serve as parental advisers, and R.T. Jones Memorial Library teen coordinator Deborah Corrao is the club's professional sponsor.

Mrs. Miller said she hopes to send a request to Rotary International on Tuesday to certify the club. Once the club is chartered, a ceremony will be conducted to induct all the members.

Mrs. Miller said there are about 45 Interact clubs in Rotary District 6910. The last Interact Club in Cherokee was formed at Cherokee High School in 1996, but was short lived, she said.

Students in the new club not only will learn how important service is to their local community, but also will have "a leg up" on college applications.

"It's a wonderful thing for kids to have on their resume," she said.

The program has garnered interest among home school students, said Mrs. Corrao, who works with many home school parents through the library system.

Mrs. Corrao said she thinks the club will also help students broaden their perspectives of their communities and the world and provide scholarship and travel opportunities.

"They can also meet great friends," she said.

The Interact Club seemed like the perfect opportunity for Max Kiewat to get involved in community service.

Max, the 16-year-old son of Uwe and Regina Kiewat of the Clayton community, said Interact will give him a chance to expand his community involvement.

A home-schooled sophomore, Max also is involved in the Cherokee County 4-H club and the Cherokee Sheriff's Office Explorers Unit and participates in the teen programs at R.T. Jones Memorial Library.

He encourages his peers, particularly fellow home-schooled students, to join the Interact club.

"I believe it's a good opportunity for community service," he said. "It's also a good way to meet other people."

For information about the club, call Kay Miller at (770) 479-1037 or see the Rotary Club of Canton's Web site at www.cantongarotary.org.