Visits to Remember!
 

 

This three-part feature in narratives and podcast takes you through the eleven-month circle of Rotary friendship, and the profound power of Rotarians individually and together. Spending the day with the visitors in the Wisconsin Dells, we heard laughter and shared emotions when they shared what each of their clubs has done and is doing to respond to the refugee crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.

Dr. Katarzyna Bednarek-Rajewska told of her 30-year friendship with Rotarians in Grants Pass, Oregon whom she met during her Rotary Youth Exchange year. As soon as her Host dad heard of a war had started in Ukraine, he reached out to ask how he and the club could help. Within a week his club had sent $12,000, which has since reached $175,000 and is still growing. The power of connection. The power of Rotary.

After dinner at the Del Bar, District Foundation Chair Erin Luken presented a check for $25,000 to Irma Kaminska who in turn presented Erin with a hand-carved statue symbolizing peace carefully packed and hand-carried from Poland to Wisconsin.

 

 

We all love our vacations but travel can be so much more than site seeing and dining out. Anybody who’s ever been part of a Rotary trip can attest that there’s nothing like experiencing a country as the people actually live, especially when you are the guest of fellow Rotarians. And if you’re lucky, you might even walk away with lifetime friendships afterwards.

 

“The Polish people gave us much as possible,” enthused Dean Ryerson at TriCon23 last April, who described his October 2022 trip to Poland through Rotary’s Friendship Exchange. The only cost to participants is airfare.

 

Ryerson, a past District 6250 Governor from Madison, joined nine other Rotarians from the District on a 10-day stay in the homes of Rotarians in several cities in Poland. It was his third time participating in a Friendship Exchange, previously visiting India in 2012. In July, Rotarians in Wisconsin will return the favor, hosting Polish Rotarians for a visit here.

The point of Friendship Exchange is to improve international understanding. What better way to do that than to live with the residents, dine with them and share experiences? A bonus is that exchange participants can learn how their vocations are practiced in other countries, learn their customs and culture, and gain a new appreciation for how others throughout the world live.

 

On his trip to Poland, Ryerson loved seeing the country by train, enjoying the countryside, seeing the economic vitality and visiting various museums and art galleries. But mostly, it was gratifying to meet and get to know the hosts, who were so gracious.

 

He was especially encouraged to see young people in Poland very interested in Rotary, signaling that the organization will thrive into the future there. Ryerson also was impressed to witness how Polish Rotarians were stepping up to help Ukrainians fleeing the war zone, finding living space for orphans and delivering food supplies and gifts.

 

“It’s common for Polish families to take in Ukrainian refugees,” Ryerson said.

 

He and his team also experienced a tour of Szczecin, home of the Solidarity movement. They saw the ship yards, as well as architecture dating back to the 14th Century.

 

As part of the Friendship Exchange, the Rotary District Governor of Poland, Piotr Jankowski, came to La Crosse in late April to speak at the TriCon23 Conference. Although his main focus is to promote fundraising efforts here to aid Ukrainian refugees, Jankowski said he was eager to gain new friendships in the U.S., and learn about the “American style of life.” He said it was fascinating to be in La Crosse, marveling, “You live in a different world,” so far away from armed conflict.

 

 

On July 3, the 12-person Polish team visited Madison, greeted by local Rotarians on the hill at Olin Park, overlooking Lake Monona, and the State Capitol. After that sensory experience, they headed for the University of Wisconsin, where they visited the newly constructed Center for Dairy Research. They heard about the importance of the dairy industry to Wisconsin and how innovative products are continually developed here. After the presentation and tour, it was off to Memorial Union for lunch by the lake.

 

While admiring the lake view, complete with colorful chairs filled with visitors, a Rotarian from Madison South mentioned to visitor Wojciech Lempicki of Club Olsztyn Varmia that he had attended college here and had long enjoyed the Union experience. Lempicki replied, “School and vacation, all at the same time.”

 

After lunch, it was a short walk to the Chazen Museum. The famous Marilyn Monroe painting by Andy Warhol was of special interest, as was the great variety other artwork on display. While touring the museum a fellow Rotarian asked Alicja Czabajska of Poland whether she knew much about Wisconsin before arriving in the state.

 

“Before Dean [Ryerson], no. After Dean, yes,” Czabaiska replied with a laugh.

The Polish delegation moved on to State Street, the State Capitol and then a boat ride, before ending the day with a nice dinner at an Indian Restaurant. Wisconsin Dells and other attractions were also on their itinerary for subsequent days.

 

 

District 6250 has coordinated 18 Friendship Exchanges from all over the world since 2012 alone, and there were others before then. Ours is among the most active Districts in the whole country regarding Friendship Exchange and the Chairpersons leading this effort are proud of our involvement.

 

“We had a former District Governor from North Carolina on one of our District FE Committee Zoom meetings a few months ago,” noted PDG Edwin Boss, Friendship Exchange Chairperson from Ft. Atkinson. “He made the statement that he’d searched far and wide to find information about FE and that it was obvious to him that we were ahead of everyone else by leaps and bounds.”

 

Past District 6250 Governor Dean Ryerson heartily agrees.

 

“I'm confident that the program in 6250 is one of the strongest of any District in the U.S.,” said Ryerson.

 

Any Rotarian may participate in The Friendship Exchange program, including spouse, significant other or one family member.

 

For more information, see the Friendship Exchange web page.

 

Check this interesting narrative by Rotarian in Bydgoszcz sharing her experiences traveling back and forth to Odessa in the Ukraine. https://youtu.be/f3-6oK7gin8