In 1996, RI District 5830 held their first ever RYLA camp. On the 25th anniversary, a group of alumni decided it was time to start our own Rotary Club. Created as a new type of club, we chartered the E-Club of Leaders in Service in February 2020 with 22 Rotary program alumni, all former participants and staff from RYLA. Being a Rotary Club that meets virtually comes with unique challenges. And chartering a new club during a global pandemic didn’t come easily. But our leadership experience and training from RYLA created a solid foundation for our team to succeed.

 

Our guest speakers have included Rotary program alumni, our own members, District leadership, and business leaders across the US. For our first service project, we held a virtual blood drive that brought in over 50 pledges to donate blood during a time when it has never been more needed. Our next project – a virtual book drive – sent almost $1000 and over 260 books to Kids Need to Read, an organization that provides books to libraries and schools in under-served communities. In February of 2021, we are looking forward to sending four students to RYLA to continue the legacy started and built on by our members.

 

We started our club with over 20 charter members and quickly added five additional members including three new Rotarians and two transfers from other clubs. Our meetings are well-attended, and we have guests almost every week. Our board is growing with new committees, and our members are actively engaging in all we do. We’ve become an example for our District and beyond on how to work through struggles to come out stronger and better.

 

But we would not be here without RYLA. Every Rotarian has a reason for being part of this organization, but it’s truly unique and special to see program alumni, students and young professionals who grew up in RYLA, come together to build up Rotary, expand their service in the community, and introduce a new generation to the work that Rotary has been doing for over a century. RYLA taught us all the principles of integrity, teamwork, trust, planning, problem-solving, decision making, communication, and self-esteem in ways that wove those ideals into our daily lives.

 

As we continue to grow, we hope to serve as a launching pad for future Rotarians, especially guiding RYLArians, Interactors, and Youth Exchange alumni to continue their Rotary careers in a club that has feasible meeting times and dues and a flexible structure. We want to be a bridge for up-and-coming leaders to move from Rotary programs into becoming full-fledged Rotarians, actively serving their communities for decades to come. RYLA is our foundation, our drive, and our future. We are Leaders in Service.