Escondido Sunrise Rotary; Meeting to Serve our Community in Person and via Zoom; and “A Special
RYLA Report ”
April 20th, 2023
As we all try to conduct our professional pursuits in new ways, it’s appropriate to remind ourselves of who we are as a Serving Organization… Our accomplishments, our fellowship and the reminder of our many successes is valuable as we seek new opportunities to serve…
We met again in person at the Chamber of Commerce… Great to enjoy the fellowship again and see all your smiling faces…
As a Club, we honored our nation with a salute to our Flag and, an invocation was offered
Guests & Visitors:
Leah Abitante, SDSO Retired
President Tina Pope called the meeting to order at 7:30 and announced that today’s meeting was going to be focused on RYLA 2023
Program:
Special Report: RYLA
Kelly Mayberry, chairperson for RYLA, opened the special report by sharing her personal experience as a high school youth that attended a RYLA camp. She said it was life changing, impacting her in ways that positively changed her heart for service. She introduced Kendra Koed, who along with past President George Beitner, facilitated the interview and selection process of local students who qualified to attend the 2023 RYLA camp.
Kendra shared that this was her second year attending as a camp counselor/Family Leader and is
committed to continue participating in this role for years to come. She described spending time with the youth as “One of the most incredible experiences with amazing students”. She said she was impressed with how connected and things in common the students had coming from different social economic
backgrounds, genders, and of different ethnic backgrounds. Kendra became attached to her family of students and will be staying in contact with them. She has already planned to host a family camp out at her home for a fun night of fellowship with the students and movie night to watch “Goonies”, which the
students had never heard of nor watched.
Present with Kendra were the two students she and George selected to attend the camp, William Harris and Genesis Toledo. Both students represented San Pasqual High School whom Kendra praised for representing their school very well. Genesis described being initially nervous of going without knowing anyone and stepping outside of her comfort zone. She is a self-described introvert with difficulties being in
social situations. Once there she felt at ease and found other students as warm and welcoming. She was happy to have made lifelong friendships and connections with so many. She feels more confident as an individual and attributes it to her experience at RYLA. William stated he came away with more leadership and team building skills. Since his return from RYLA, he has taken the lead in coordinating events for the students in the county to stay connected and support each other in what they are individually passionate about as well as plan fun outings. His hope is to return as a counselor after graduating high school to give back to the program that gave so much to him.
RYLA alumni Azareel Canizales, Taylor Cloutier, and Jose Olvera were present at today’s meeting to thank the Escondido Sunrise rotary for the continued support of RYLA. Azareel and Taylor currently participate as Rotary leaders through their respective Rotary Clubs. All attended the 2023 RYLA camp and were
described by Kendra as being instrumental for the success of the students getting the most from the camp.
This was by all accounts a very moving and inspiring update on the good that RYLA does for the
youth in our community that lasts a lifetime. Thank you ESR RYLA team for your heart to serve our youth in a very present, selfless, and tangible way. Your report definitely inspired your fellow Rotarians to participate as counselors next year!
Next Week’s Meeting:
Closing: President Tina Pope rang the bell and closed out the meeting.
Will be in person and online at the Chamber of Commerce at 7:30 AM on April 27th .…
Thanks for Attending Today’s Meeting….
Support for our Escondido Community …
Our great community and the success of its businesses is all of our responsibilities… Support the businesses that are doing all they can to survive during this challenging time… Take out some chow… Be ready to support them when the economy begins working again…
The ‘Giving Arch’ on Grand Avenue and Centre City Parkway reminds us that Escondido is a caring, giving community…
To all; be safe and be well…. God Bless those men and women that carry the load at our medical facilities, and God Bless our first responders… May our governmental leaders be wise, thoughtful and smart as this pandemic is overtaken by our hard work and collective support…
Online Meetings:
Technical Support for Online Meetings:
Our meetings will begin as a hybrid setting with in-person and on-line opportunities…The meetings will be technically managed by Past President Richard Agnew… Thanks for that Richard… And, Richard is prepared to support all of our attempts at joining the on-line meetings… Look for his email with details and links to log on to the upcoming Zoom meetings…
Watch for emails defining the next meeting. The system works fine, dependent upon your technical support available through your PC or laptop…
SEE YOU SOON…… In Person or ONLINE… Next meeting; April 27th, 7:30 AM at the Chamber of Commerce…
Check President Tina’s email for the reminder…
