RYLA! - Cara Cugley

When I arrived at RYLA this year, I looked forward to lending a helping hand where it was needed and imparting any wisdom I had onto the RYLA participants this year. I did not, however, expect to, once again, learn more about myself, leadership, and Rotary.

I attended District 7450’s RYLA program three years ago in 2009 as a junior at Neshaminy High School in Langhorne. I was an unaware of what I was getting myself into when my best friend begged me to join her for the weekend. At the time, my school did not have an Interact Club, so I had no idea what Rotary was or what RYLA was. In the end, I remember getting up at the Reflections Ceremony Sunday morning and sharing with the other RYLA participants how glad I was that my friend dragged me along because thanks to her, I ended up having one of the best experiences of my life. I got the opportunity to meet 50 amazing peers who were as ambitious and compassionate as I was about helping others. I got to learn about myself, and most importantly, about my style of leadership and how to improve my leadership skills. This allowed me to go on to help start an Interact Club at my high school, to start my own Philosophy Club at my high school, and to later hold a board position in my Rotaract Club. Lastly, it introduced me to the amazing entity that is Rotary. That experience alone opened a huge door of opportunities to me for the future. I now had 1.2 million people standing behind me, ready to help. It was incredible.

I had been eager to return to RYLA since the minute I left. This year, that dream turned into reality. Three years later, I was able to return to RYLA as a Rotaractor and help out. And I enjoyed every second of it. I enjoyed everything for the ice breakers, that from the very beginning began to spring new friendships, to the amazing talent show to the ending reflections ceremony. I enjoyed watching my team, Team Frisqué, become fast friends and work well together to accomplish the tasks set to them. I also enjoyed the chance to get closer to my fellow Rotaractors who were there as well.

I thought that I had learned everything I needed to know from RYLA because I had attended it before. To put it simply, I was wrong. I thought I would just be aiding the participants in their tasks. Who knew that I would be learning more about my own leadership skills in the process? I learned that I have problems sitting on the sidelines. When my group was tasked with making a product and commercial for the free enterprise project, my first instinct was to jump in, start making decision, assign tasks, and to start brainstorming. It took a lot of effort to reign myself in and remind myself that I was only there to oversee their work and that I was supposed to let them do all of that themselves. I kept telling them that I was only there to oversee, but I think I was trying to remind myself more than them. They did fine just one their own. They ended up winning the contest for best product. I realized that they did better without my interference which taught me that sometimes, the best way to lead/help is to actually take a step back and let people have some autonomy in their work. No need to always micromanage all the time. Also, as I sat in the back and listened to Bonnie, Joe, and the panel of Rotarians discuss Rotary and Rotary’s history and projects, I discovered that there was still a lot to Rotary that I didn’t know even after being involved with Rotary for the last 3 years. Simply put, there is always more to learn, whether it be about yourself or those you surround yourself with. Learning is a process that never ceases.

I would just like to say thank you to Rotary and RYLA (and all those who participated in RYLA) for incredible experiences that continue to be highlights in my life no matter where I am or who I’m with. The work you all do is valued more than you realize and the sense of community you create is irreplaceable. Thank you.

Rotary District Conference - Cara Cugley

This year’s Rotary District Conference was held in West Chester on November 11th and 12th. Unfortunately, none of us were able to go on Friday, but Isaac and I were both able to be there on Saturday. On Saturday, Isaac and I met up and headed into the city where we met up with Jeb, a member of our sponsor Rotary Club of Philadelphia who was gracious enough to offer to drive us to and from the conference.

Once we arrived at the conference, we were welcomed by Anna and a few of my old Rotary acquaintances from when I was in Interact. After breakfast, we went into the hall where we were woken up by the African rhythms of Griot Wa Umoja that had us up on our feet dancing to
the music. Bonnie Korengel, our District Governor, gave the welcome speech that laid out our schedule for the day.

The first speaker of the day was Lynn McConville, who was standing in for Kathryn Hall, founder of Power Up Gambia. Kathryn was a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania working towards a Pre-Med track when she went help out in Gambia. While working over in Gambia at a hospital, Kathryn was shocked at the lack of electricity available to run the lights and machines in the hospital. When Kathryn asked the head of the hospital how she could continue to help once back home, he told her about his idea of getting solar power panels installed at the hospital. Unfortunately, he lacked the fudns to make this dream a reality. So when Kathryn came back from Gambia, she had a mission of raising $300,000 in order to make that hospital’s dream of solar power into a reality. Between her efforts and Rotary’s contributions, the money was raised and Kathryn traveled back to Gambia to see the panels installed. This project had a chain-reaction. Power Up Gambia is now raising money to install solar power panels into its third hospital in Gambia. This project is just one example of how the dream of one can become the mission of many.

After enjoying the rhythms of the talented young Irish Step Dancers, we heard the riveting story behind the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation from Alex’s father, Jay Scott. He told us all about Alex’s struggle with childhood cancer and her ambitious goals of raising money for childhood cancer through a lemonade stand. We also heard from 8-year-old Althea Hutchinson, a top fundraiser for Alex’s Lemonade Stand with her own story of her battle against childhood cancer. After hearing these inspirational stories, a basket went around collecting money for the foundation and, along with money from auctioned off Eagles tickets and money raised by local Interact clubs, the Rotary donated over two thousand dollars to the foundation.

In our first Breakout Session, we attended the New Generations of Rotarians session run by Anna. During this session, Rotarians got to learn more about the structure and projects of our
District EarlyAct, Interact, and Rotaract clubs. Many Rotarians asked questions regarding how to either start their own new generation clubs in their areas or how to get involved with their local clubs. The interest in these clubs was refreshing. It was nice to hear how much the Rotarians value our work and are how interested they are in investing in and shaping the future generations to take over.

During lunch, Isaac and I got to eat incredible food while talking to and getting to know local Rotarians. After lunch, the Parade of Flags took place where we were introduced to all the District’s International Exchange Students. Next, we got to hear from Karen Rogers, a popular local TV personality who previously received the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. She recounted her personal journey and how Rotary became a part of it. She thanked the Rotary for their faith in her and for the amazing experience she received as a Rotary Scholar in Wales. Following Karen’s speech, Lt. D.F. Pace shared his experience with the Rotary in Thailand where he studied violence prevention, meditation, and compromise building for 3 months. As a District
Peace Fellowship Winner, he now uses his new knowledge in his everyday experiences and conflicts as a police officer here in Philadelphia.

The last speech of the day was given by Rotary International President’s Representative Ann Lee Hussey about Polio Eradication. She shared her personal struggle with polio as a polio survivor, as well as the ongoing efforts of the Rotary to eradicate polio around the world. Rotary’s continued efforts and overwhelming success is inspiring and instills motivation in all of us to continue their efforts here through Purple Pinkie projects. Following Ann Lee’s speech, we went to the final Breakout Sessions. Isaac and I attended the District Rotaract Meeting. During this meeting, each Rotaract Club that was present went around and described all the projects they’ve been working on this year and their future project plans. It was a nice chance to meet fellow Rotaractors and share ideas.

Overall, the day was an incredible experience. It was nice to catch up with my old Rotary acquaintances and to meet new Rotarians. It was also really interesting to share project ideas and experiences that Rotary clubs and new generation clubs (EarlyAct, Interact, and Rotaract) have been working on and plan to work on. I recommend that everyone who has the chance goes next year! It’s a great experience that you’ll never forget and that will inspire you to be more involved with all the Rotary’s incredible projects and partnered foundations.

Philly Cares Day - Cara Cugley

Philly Cares Day was a very fulfilling and enriching experience. Shamil and I met up with the awesome Rotaractors from Columbia who woke up at 4:50am to travel down here to Philly to give us a hand. God bless them for that! After a crazy adventure with Septa involving trains and shuttle buses, we finally met up with Anna and her boyfriend who were kind enough to pick us up at the train station and drive us the rest of the way to the school.

Once we got to the school, we met the principal of the school, along with all the other teacher, parent and student volunteers who came out to give a hand. The principal told us a little bit about the school. It is in the process of moving its current library into a new library in the basement and converting the old library into smart classrooms. Most of the Rotaractors and some teachers were designated to work in the library where we made boxes and proceeded to pack up the shelves of books into the boxes. Outside, the rest of the volunteers worked on fixing up the gardens by pulling weeds, planting flowers, and raking up leaves.

We also had plenty of time to talk with the various other volunteers and it was so nice to get to know them. The Columbia Rotaractors are fantastic and were so fun to hang out with all day! It was a great bonding experience. Overall, the entire day was a great experience and I recommend that everyone come out and volunteer for it next year!