Dear Rotarians,
Below is an email sent to me by Dan Radke at my request to follow up our earlier conversation concerning the Rotary Youth Leadership Activity (RYLA) camp scheduled for May 2-4. Attached for your information are the RYLA camp brochure and information packet.
I hope that your club is considering sponsoring at least one attendee. We have the capability to accommodate 50 or more, and I would like to see us approach that number. The young folks who have attended in the past have come away truly motivated and enthused about the experience. I have been there for parts of the last two camps and had the opportunity to talk with some of the attendees at camp’s end.
We do have a critical need to make this year’s camp a success. We need a camp director to manage activities during the actual event. Wendall Fisher from Leesburg Daybreak, who did this last year along with Dan Radke, has been ill and will not be available. Dan Radke will continue to organize the preparation. Unfortunately, he is not available the three days of the actual camp because of a schedule conflict.. We need at least one, preferably two, Rotarians with experience working with youth camps, perhaps with scouts or YMCA. Please help us identify and recruit this (these) vital member(s) of the team.
If you have specific questions, please contact Dan at 703.283.9540 (cell( or
danearthlink@earthlink.net.
Yours in Rotary Service,
Travis White
Email: twhite@adicon.net
HPhone: 703-830-0649
OPhone: 703-866-0507
“Governor Travis,
This is a follow up to our conversations of this past weekend and Tuesday morning. I am attaching the camp package that needs to be distributed to all of the clubs so that they can sponsor a camper. I am asking for the following help in order to make this camp a success.
1. Please forward this email to the ADG’s and club presidents and especially ask the presidents to give this information to the Interact Clubs that they sponsor. I also ask that the package be put on the District website.
2. We need to identify Rotarians who will be willing to participate in organizing this camp and to accept the responsibility of running the camp. This is imperative as I will not be available the weekend of May 2-4. Without this leadership being identified, it will be impossible to host the camp. We need two individuals who have experience in directing camps for scouts or YMCA type of camps. I will help coordinate everything up until that Wednesday and then turn it over to the camp director(s).
3. It is now time to identify the speakers for the camp. I will contact those from previous years but I am asking the assistance of the Rotary leadership and training chairman to suggest individuals who can present an hour or two module on fundamentals of leadership, time management, goal setting, interactive relationships and other topics that may be pertinent to high school juniors/seniors. We play reveille and raise the flag in the morning and play retreat and retire the flag in the evening. I would like to include a module of Patriotism and Respect for the American Flag. A military presence would be terrific.
4. If every club that sponsors an Interact Club gets one member of the Interact Club to attend, we would have 50 campers which is our goal. This is especially important for the motivation and development of the interact clubs. I especially want to make sure that the THREE foreign exchange students are invited and encouraged to attend. Their presence is a vital addition to the camp and THEY WILL BE GIVEN COMPLIMENTARY TUITION.
5. For those clubs that sponsor or are affiliated with a Rotaract Club, we ask that they solicit Rotaract members to act as counselors for the camp. This again will serve as a motivation and inspiration for both types of clubs.
6. We are asking that the clubs take special notice of the sponsorship opportunities listed in the package for the camp and encourage your club members to join in.”
Please contact me if you have any questions at all. We cannot afford to let this go until the last minute in fairness to the campers. So far, every attendee has come away with high praise for their experience and we want to continue this experience for our youth.
Yours in Rotary,
Dan Radtke
Cell: 703-283-9540
