Recently, I attended the Rotary Club of Hugo, Oklahoma. This club is located in southeast Oklahoma just north of Paris, Texas and is in Rotary District 5830.
I have attended their meetings several times during the past few years. They are a club of approximately 25 members that provide resources and support for their community. The members are cordial and reflect the values of Rotary. When I attended the meeting, I proudly wore my RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) t-shirt I received when my wife and I were chaperones at our District 5840 RYLA event this past January. By wearing this shirt, I felt it might generate some interest about the RYLA program.
Surprisingly, the speaker that day was Emma, proudly sporting her RYLA t-shirt too who had just attended RYLA sponsored by the Paris Rotary Club. Emma is currently a junior at Chisum High School located just south of Paris. Amazingly, she spoke well about her experience referring to the 4-Way Test, leadership, honesty, and giving back to her community. An example she shared with the group is she is currently captain of the school’s cheerleading team. When Emma meets with her club members, she refers to the 4-Way Test as a guide which has strengthened her leadership abilities when making team decisions or rallying her team members. Her father (Kris), who was also a Rylarian (students who attended RYLA) as a junior in high school and her grandfather David, a member of the Hugo Club were in attendance to hear her speak.
After she spoke, I was asked to speak about our District 5840 Youth Services programs supported by our district. I spoke about the strength of our RYLA and Interact programs and the significant impact they have on the youth in our district. Two other programs I spoke about were Early Act and the Rotary Youth Exchange. After the meeting, the Interact liaison for Hugo High School spoke with me regarding Interact and how to ensure the success of the program. It is important that Rotary Clubs invite Rylarians to speak to their members about the impact it has on them. The RYLA program emphasizes leadership, effective communication skills, problem solving, the impact of Rotary globally, and elements of community citizenship. When planning to make-up a club meeting, I enjoy meeting other Rotarians and often gain new insights that help me become a better Rotarian.
Cha Karulak Rotary Club of Boerne Sunrise Youth Services Chair Rotary District 5840
Pictured L to R David Estep, Kris Estep, Emma Estep, Cha Karulak and Alan Cowley-Club President