Best RYLA Ever - July 27, 2015

 
 
 
 
 
 
Best RYLA Ever
 
By Christine Pinney
 
Some might say District 7910's annual Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference is for the 175 student attendees.They'd be wrong.
 
Some might say that RYLA is for the group leaders and program facilitators who really get to practice leadership skills. They'd be wrong.
 
Some might say it's for the more than 3,000 RYLA graduates. Some might say that RYLA is for Rotary - to make future leaders. And they would be wrong, too!
 
RYLA is for everyone! RYLA touches the students, families, GFs, PFs, RYLA volunteers. And, RYLA impacts all groups that our RYLAns work with:
 
  • Student government organizations
  • Interact clubs
  • Rotary clubs
  • Girl Scouts
  • Camps
  • Church
  • Community groups 
  • And much more!
RYLA touches people ... one heart and two hands at a time. 
 
One of our international exchange students who was at RYLA this year said, "RYLA was awseome. I loved it more than anything else I have ever done."
 
RYLA is the most impactful and most far-reaching project in our Rotary district.  More clubs participate in RYLA than in any other project.
 
People who have been profoundly impacted by RYLA, please walk together to the other side of the room. And as a wave of people march together arm and arm, I know that we are already, as the Rotary theme for 2015-2016 encourages us, to "be a gift to the world."
 
 
We are - and RYLA is - a gift that keeps on giving!
 
Northborough Rotarian Skip Doyle took the photographs of participants in this year's RYLA Conference on June 27 at Worcester State University.
 
Christine Pinney, vice chair of District 7910's RYLA Committee, may be contacted at christine@christinepinney.com.