[Rotary] Fwd: RYLA 5130 2023 was a great success! Thanks to you!
Donna Schuler
schuler.donna at gmail.com
Mon Jun 19 20:20:15 PDT 2023
Changing lives, one step at a time. Cassie is an amazing young former RYLA
camper who has made this years camp a breeze for the rest of us with her
passion for RYLA, skills at organizing, and having fun!!
As a reminder, we sent two MHS students who will come back to Interact this
fall and spread all this good energy around to develop more leaders who
enjoy service and friendship with like minded people.
Thank you for supporting Interact and the RYLA campers this year.
Donna
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Cassie Pitkin <cassiepitkin at gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Jun 19, 2023 at 5:28 PM
Subject: RYLA 5130 2023 was a great success! Thanks to you!
To:
Hello, Rotary District 5130 members and supporting community!
56 campers stemming from Petaluma to Crescent City got on their buses on
Friday from Westminster Woods. I've told many of you that an informal
success metric I use is how many campers are crying because they don't want
to leave; I'm happy to report that we hit 100%.
For more tangible review metrics, we asked campers to fill out a survey
before they left. We have 52 responses and more are still trickling in.
Here is an overview of the results:
- *96% either strongly agreed or agreed* that they have a better
understanding of Rotary after attending RYLA
- *96% either strongly agreed or agreed *they would recommend to their
peers that they should attend RYLA
- *96% either strongly agreed or agreed* that they felt like they
belonged at RYLA
- I've you'd like all of the open-ended responses, I'm happy to send
them to you! Here are some highlights:
- When asked, *"How would you describe RYLA to someone?"*
- *"I would describe RYLA as a fun camp to grow and change
perspective. You get taken out of your comfort zone but in
that you build a
level of trust with people that share similar morals and
goals. You get to
build relationships with people in the most beautiful way
because there is
no judgment and that allows you to get vulnerable and build strong
relationships from the get go."*
- *"A camp not only about leadership but about understanding the
people that are lead."*
- *"RYLA is truly an AMAZING place where the counselors have you
create a family with your peers. Where you learn valuable
life lessons that
change your perspective on life for the better. Where
laughter, creativity,
and happiness flourished. A place where you feel safe to speak about
anything and everything no matter if it is personal or not.
In conclusion,
RYLA is a place that feels like home and an experience that made me a
better person/leader!"*
- *Other comments:*
- *(from an outgoing Youth Exchange student): "I would just like
to express my gratitude to everyone who makes this experience
what it is.
RYLA transformed me in ways i don’t even know how to explain
except that
when I was sitting on the top of the mountain looking at the
stars last
night I started crying and felt so happy and so at peace that I know
something really cool had happened this week. I made new friends and
learned so much about myself that I'm definitely carrying
with me forever.
This experience better prepared me for my year abroad than any other
training I've done. thank you thank you."*
- *"I loved it. It’s an experience I will never ever forget and
will always cherish. It completely changed my life and it
truly will shape
the course that I continue on. It taught me more about myself
and changed
the way I perceived others. I found so much love at RYLA for
myself and for
others and it made me realize how much I really do appreciate
strangers and
storytelling. I found connections that will last a lifetime
and I am so
beyond grateful that I went. All of the consolers were so
welcoming and
really became like a second family and every camper became
someone I could
rely on. There’s so much more to say about the special people
and place
that makes RYLA what it is but I do not think I could
encompass all of it.
RYLA will forever have an impact on my life and will always
hold the place
in my heart as the best week of my life. If there is ever a need for
counselors in the coming years (or if I could just come back
as a camper)
please please please consider me, it would be an honor and a
pleasure to
come back and change other campers' lives like all of you
changed mine."*
SO MANY PEOPLE contribute to RYLA and I want to try to acknowledge as many
as I can. RYLA would like to extend it's sincere gratitude to:
- *Carol Martin*, D5130 Treasurer, for putting up with me and shifting
numbers all the time; Carol, your work is very much behind the scenes, but
it is VERY appreciated!
- *Wulff Reinhold* for helping make sure all counselors and visiting
Rotarians are properly vetted
- *Larry and Marilyn Lira *for coordinating the Rotary-provided meals
and for being constant sources of support in-person throughout the week
(and ensuring those with dietary needs receive equitable meals)
- *Eve Yeomans and Lee Reposa *for being constant RYLA cheerleaders,
coordinating rides and taking care of the insurance
- *Westminster Woods <https://www.westminsterwoods.org/>* for being such
generous and accommodating hosts year after year
- *Anne at Thunderstar Stages <https://www.thunderstarcharter.com/> *for
being so flexible with transportation needs and for getting the campers to
and from camp safely (highly recommend them for your personal and
professional transportation needs!)
- *Lace House Linen <https://lacehouselinen.com/>* for
professionally cleaning all of the camper and counselor shirts prior to
camp at no charge to RYLA
- *Sims City Cuts* and *Vicci Moto* for donating the counselor
sweatshirts and helping us screenprint a unique RYLA 5130 logo on camper
shirts
- *Rotary Clubs of North Napa, Middletown, and Fort Bragg* for
sponsoring campers from other clubs!
- *ALL OF THE RYLA CONTACTS FROM EACH CLUB *for your dedication to
identifying and recruiting campers; it is not easy, yet you were able to
send 20 more campers than last year!* Ukiah and South Ukiah originally
planned to send 6; they sent 8! Lakeport planned to send 4; they sent 6!*
- All of the RYLA speakers:
- Corazon Healdsburg <https://www.corazonhealdsburg.org/>, Kerry Rego
<https://kerryregoconsulting.com/> and Desire to Inspire Studios
<https://desiretoinspirestudios.com/> for keeping the campers engaged
and helping them understand their unique abilities to be leaders in their
communities
- A special shoutout to Jennifer Strong and Tom Boylan (and Marilyn
Lira!) for kicking off the week for us; you set an incredible
tone for the
rest of the week and helped paint an amazing picture of Rotary for the
campers. It meant a lot to have you both out there.
- Career Night speakers! THANK YOU! Many campers reflected on how
their version of success is much broader now and they understand
they take
different paths to get there
- *All of the Rotary clubs* who traveled out to Westminster Woods and
provided a meal for the campers and counseling staff; you took amazing care
of us
- *THE COUNSELORS* who put their outside lives on hold, travel across
state lines and give 200% of themselves to the campers
Thank you for reading this novel of an email. Please feel free to share
with your clubs! I will be sending out another (much shorter) email with
the recap video and dates/information for next year soon.
Sending all the RYLA love and gratitude,
Cassie
--
"A broken crayon still colors..."
Cell: 707 217 6082
Email: cassiepitkin at gmail.com
--
Sent from Gmail Mobile
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