When you think of some traditions of spring, I'm sure our annual RYLA event comes straight to mind. Each May, District 6420 normally hosts a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) weekend camp at Camp Lorado Taft in Oregon, IL, where over 100 regional high school student leaders band together to learn a little bit about themselves, leadership and have some fun. While COVID-19 resulted in a RYLA's cancellation in 2020, District 6420 is approaching this important event from a different angle in 2021. This year we'll be hosting a virtual leadership series titled "VYRAL". VYRAL will include three separate virtual events highlight keynote speakers and leadership-oriented activities for our high school leaders. Students can attend one, two or all three events, which will occur on May 7, August 6 and November 6, 2021. Registration is still handled through local Rotary clubs, so we'll be relying on club presidents and members to help get the word out about VYRAL and get students signed up for the event. Our committee chair, Dave Diamond, provided a letter to club presidents about the event and their role (see it under "File Downloads" on the left hand side navigation bar.) Let's make this year's "special edition" of RYLA a success!
The Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary Club of Sycamore/DeKalb recently completed its fourth year of award selections for its annual Community Grant for Children, Youth and Families of DeKalb County. The club raises money each year through the “Taste of DeKalb” event held in September, in conjunction with the Corn Classic Run, to fund an annual $10,000 grant to local non-profit organizations with a project that will directly benefit children, youth, and/or families in the county. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, both the fund-raising efforts and the Taste of DeKalb event were impacted, resulting in reduced awards for 2020 to $5,000.
