Click or tap play on the video above, or click 'read more' if you'd like to see the full transcript and get links to all of the goodies Ben shared in his message.

 

Video Transcript:

Hi friends! This time of year brings a word to my mind. The sun is shining a bit longer, the weather is just a tad warmer, and excitement for the possibility of what is to come starts to grow. That word, is Hope. This year, Hope, means just a bit more with the recent unveiling of our 2023-2024 Rotary International Theme - Create Hope in the World. RI President Elect Gordon has a beautiful message to go along with his announcement of the theme and I'm so excited four our District Governor Elect Michelle to lead with such an inspiring, meaningful and timely theme.

I'd like to highlight 3 amazing opportunities for Rotarians and clubs.

The first is one that is near and dear to my heart and that is the launch of registration for our District RYLA Camp. RYLA or Rotary Youth Leadership Awards is a weekend youth leadership experience at Camp Upham Woods in Wisconsin Dells for sophomores in high school. Clubs sponsor these students and coordinate their transportation to and from the camp. I co-chaired this event for over a decade and have said repeatedly that RYLA is the best Rotary value in a club's budget. Each student registration is $250 and the experience they receive in return is a life changing one full of strong connections, inspiring activities, an introduction to Rotary and a weekend of memories. RYLA delegates make a great club program and are a great example of the awesome youth programs that we offer here in District 6250. Check out rotary6250.org or the links below for more information on how to register a student, or how you can get involved as a counselor or volunteer.

Your District leadership has joined the International Vision Facilitation Council which provides a framework for club visioning that includes many great resources including facilitator training and support for our own District 6250 leaders to facilitate vision and strategy sessions with our clubs. We're currently identifying facilitators and are excited to hold our first club visioning sessions this summer. Club visioning is an important practice to keep your club aligned, fresh and focused on a path to club health and vibrancy. If you haven't done club visioning in a while (or ever), this is very much for you. Every club benefits from the work done in these sessions. If you're interested in learning more, or being a facilitator, please reach out to Past District Governor, Dean Ryerson at the link below. More information will be published on our District Website, very soon.

Last but not least, TriCon is quickly approaching and if you haven't registered or booked your hotels, do it now as rooms are going fast, the early bird registration discount ends on February 28th, and final plans are coming together. My favorite part of our District Conference is connecting with Rotary friends and making new connections. AND, I have to say that our speaker lineup is absolutely amazing. One of our plenary speakers is District 2231 Governor Piotr Jankowski will share stories of his countries efforts to support Ukrainian Refugees. Another is Clare Richards, a Rotaract Member from Minnesota will share insights and strategies to bridge the gap and better connect with the emerging leaders in your life. We'll have 2 more amazing plenary speakers and dozens of workshops or breakouts to educate and inspire. Plus, we're set to have a ton of fun. You've got to go to rotarytricon.com to see what's in store and please register today. Our District Conference is an awesome way to experience the Rotary world.

If you've made it to the end, thanks for being generous with your time, share this info with a Rotarian friend and we'll see you at TriCon in April!

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