President Brian Hayes welcomed all to the Zoom meeting of the Centerville Rotary Club and led the Pledge of Allegiance. The prayer was provided by PDG Harvey Smith.

 

Thought of the moment – writer, Joanne Harris, once said, “Life is what you celebrate. All of it. Even its end”

 

Today our Guest Speakers are the young people who attended RYLA and they will receive a proper introduction in a few moments.

 

Updates from Chairpersons or Directors.

Ron Hollenbeck reported Frank Scott had COVID but is feeling fine and on the rebound. Sivaji Subramaniam also said Frank is doing really well.

 

Bill Menker presented the 50^th Anniversary Committee Trivia focused on Vocational Service

He shared a District 6670 monthly newsletter dated Aug 1987, where the message asked clubs to focus on vocational service which our club did. He then shared the history of the Rotary Code of Ethics that was in effect in 1988, that was for “Business Men of All Lines.”

 

 

It changed in 1989 when women were admitted to Rotary and is now the Rotary Code of Conduct, which has been edited a few times - the last edit in 2016 is still current.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ron Hollenbeck also shared the New Carlisle Club celebrates their 50th Anniversary in March and Tipp City their 100th anniversary this year.

 

 

Pat Beckel was our Sergeant at Arms and recognized Mike Wier who joined us from a boat somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean!

 

Pat then raffled off two tickets to see the musical Hamilton that were generously donated by Mike Wier. The tickets went to Sofie Ameloot for $120 each.

 

 

 

 

Delphine Camp is  a sophomore at Centerville High School and the daughter of Rotarian Sofie Ameloot. McKayla Rodriguez is a Junior at Centerville High School. The girls attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Award event last fall at Hocking Hills. It is normally held in spring, but due to COVID, was postponed to last October.

 

Delphine shared that when they arrived, everyone was so welcoming and the staff very nice. Everyone was being very inclusive.

 

McKayla said she really didn’t know anything about Rotary, but heard about RYLA through the CHS newsletter. She didn’t know what to expect but is always interested in leadership opportunities. She was continually surprised at how welcoming everyone was all weekend and she felt an instant bond with others.

 

The girls shared they were split into 8 teams, Delphine was on the red team and McKayla on pink. McKayla met a new girl Christina, and within the first day people asked if they had known each other before as they bonded so quickly.

 

They talked about a team-bonding activity they did in the woods where they had to organize their group on a log in order of your birthday but without talking to each other. It was challenging to work together and not let anyone fall off.

 

They also did a rock wall with other aspects to make it more difficult. It was uplifting to watch people who were afraid of heights go through challenges, go beyond their comfort zone and succeed. It gave them a chance to do something different. The beams were connected by rope, with moving pieces that were easy to fall off, but a harness caught you. Delphine said she slipped once and was floating in mid air until able to get on another beam.

 

One assignment was to come up with a hypothetical community service project and present about their idea to help your community. McKayla’s group went with a mental health topic. "There are many programs to raise awareness and talk problems out, but many are not presented in a way that’s comfortable for some," said McKayla. Often talked at instead of involved in the activities, so students don’t always pay attention. McKayla said they wrote and performed a rap about mental health (outside her comfort zone). Everyone was excited about the presentation and cheered each other on.

 

Delphine’s group chose the topic of mentoring. They talked about identifying people in similar situations who could help each other out, and set a good example. It would make society a much better place. Some points they made included: Make sure to include everyone; Think about who you look up to and what qualities they have.

 

McKayla said it was a nice time for reflection, to meet new people, de-stress, try something new, and learn life lessons.

 

Delphine enjoyed the experience of going outside her comfort zone, and making an effort to be friendly, helpful, and include everyone.

 

Every evening they had a campfire, sang songs, did skits, and told stories. And then in the cabin every night, they would sit in a circle and just talk to each other. It was interesting to see people with different backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities, yet they always found something in common. Everyone was willing to try something new.

 

Delphine said that by listening to what goes on in their lives, she gained a better understanding of others.

 

Due to technical difficulties, the girls had to cut if off there. Mark Febus announced the next RYLA is March 18-20, 2022.

 

 

President Brian noted that next week our speaker will be Robin Fisher from the Dayton Regional STEM School.

 

Brian wished all a good week and led reciting of the 4 Way Test. We’ll see everyone on Zoom next week!