special insert - The Rotary Club of Welland

6 ROTARY SERVICE ABOVE SELF MAY 2007
INVESTING IN
OUR LOCAL
COMMUNITY
Each year the Rotary Club
of Welland supports many
worthwhile community organizations
and special projects
in Welland and some that
benefit the whole Niagara
Region.
The funding for these projects
is generated through
the club’s annual fundraising
program, as well as some
special funding and
bequests.
The club earmarks 70 per
cent of its available money
for grants to local community
service projects.
Requests are submitted
in writing to the Donations
Committee for review and
recommendation to the
Board of Directors for
approval.
Community organizations
requesting funding may be
invited to make a presentation
to the club at one of its
weekly meetings.
Recent grants have been
awarded to:
➢ Annual Earth Day
Celebrations
➢ Big Brothers and Big
Sisters Bowling Tournament
➢ City of Welland - Can I
Play Too? program
➢ Family and Children’s
Services Smiles Camp program
➢ Great Kids of South
Niagara
➢ Help a Child Smile
➢ Niagara Nutrition
Partners
➢ Niagara Peninsula
Children’s Centre
➢ United Way of South
Niagara
➢ Welland Food Drive
➢ Welland Hospital
Foundation
➢ Welland Public Library
➢ YMCA of Niagara
Sandy Graham
Hugh Graham
905-892-8661
www.sandyandhugh.com
The
Mortgage
Centre
Community Service covers the projects and activities the club undertakes to improve life in it community.
R.D.M. Financial Consultants Ltd.
544 Niagara Street Welland L3C 1LM
Each office is independently owned and operated
Katie Russell’s
RYLA experience
The RYLA student conference was a great experience.
Since I was within the district that combined
schools in Canada and the United States, I
got to meet a diverse group of people within the
Niagara Region, as well as from across the border.
One of the first people I met
was another student from
Welland, Stefanie Dringus. We
met over three years ago in the car
on the way to the conference, and
we still keep in touch almost every
day. Last summer, Stef and I even
traveled to Cape Town, South
Africa, with a student volunteer
program. She is now one of my
best friends.
Everyone at the RYLA confer- KATIE RUSSELL
ence was open and enthusiastic, so
we all got to know each other very quickly. We participated
in several group activities that helped to
refine our communication skills, such as brainstorming
ideas for a project and strategic and ethical
problem solving.
We each had an opportunity to talk in front of
a peer audience for several minutes on a topic of
our own choice, which was a public speaking exercise
called Speak-Ups.
We learned methods in conflict management
by taking written personality tests and examining
different value systems, which helped to develop
respect for one another, as well as to identify and
work through individual differences.
Every day the workshops became more complex,
often building upon the skills we were learning
through each session. The learning
environment was creative and supportive, so as
time passed we became more confident with our
decisions and our actions.
One of my most memorable experiences from
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the week long conference was an activity meant to
teach communication skills, as well as to develop
respect and understanding for people with a disability.
I spent an entire afternoon blindfolded. After
attempting to eat lunch, sit
through a classroom lecture, use
the washroom, and play basketball
without being able to see anything,
I had experienced something
I could not possibly learn in
any of my regular courses in
school: to listen more carefully, to
experience daily tasks from a
much different perspective, and to
ask for help when I needed it,
among other things.
RYLA’s youth conference
taught me a lot of things about myself and my
interactions with others. Most importantly, it
influenced many decision-making skills and leadership
skills that I have been able to apply to everyday
situations in my life. It was definitely a positive
experience, and I thank Rotary for this opportunity.
Katie Russell attended RYLA in 2003. She
attended Centennial Secondary School and will
graduate in June from the University of Western
Ontario with a four-year Honours BA in
Kinesiology.
Russell is applying to Africa for an internship to
explore, support and promote women-focused,
private sector development, and work to build
international trade capacity between Canada and
the host country.
Her future plans include attending the
Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in
Toronto and pursuing a career in alternative and
complimentary medicine.
LEADERSHIP,
CITIZENSHIP,
GROWTH
“RYLA is a unique entity in
terms of youth leadership programs,”
said Ryan Thompson, a
graduate of Ryerson University,
who lives and works in Toronto.
Rotary Youth Leadership
Awards (RYLA), Rotary’s training
program for young leaders,
emphasizes leadership, citizenship
and personal growth.
“The opportunity to attend
RYLA is awarded, resulting in
an incredibly high caliber group
of individuals to interact with.
The contacts and knowledge I
gained while at RYLA remain
relevant and practical in my life
to this day. As a veteran of
countless student leadership
programs, I can say that RYLA
stands alone,” said Thompson,
who attended RYLA in 2001.
Some of the RYLA participants
from 2006 organized a
ball hockey tournament to raise
money for backpacks filled with
supplies, which they will deliver
to Mozambique, Africa in the
fall. Applications are encouraged
from young professionals,
entrepreneurs and post-secondary
students, who demonstrate
self-awareness, leadership qualities
and concern for others.
RYLA participants equip
themselves for success in their
academic, career and personal
lives by expanding their knowledge
of their leadership potential
and enhancing their skills in
the areas of creative thinking,
communication, problem solving,
conflict resolution, interpersonal
relationships and group
dynamics.
They also gain a greater
understanding of Rotary and
experience first-hand the meaning
of Service Above Self.
For more information, contact
Cheryle Slattery at cslattery.mazda@cogeco.net.
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