The 39th Annual RYLA: a transformational journey

RYLA alumni are high school or college students who undertake a six-month training program and lead many of the activities at camp, providing an opportunity to build upon the leadership skills they developed as first-time campers. Facilitators ranged in age from 19 to 83, working in pairs to guide a team of students through RYLA. Our support staff included a nurse, a wellness coach and administrative staff.

 

Students experienced the five days in one of fourteen teams, with the camp’s theme of a hero’s journey. Team names such as Barbie and Curious George reflect characters in movies who do not think of themselves as heroes. But they undertake a quest to successfully resolve a challenge to their world, and in doing so they are transformed. Students at RYLA are also on a journey to believe in themselves and transform into confident leaders in development.

 

RYLA does not train leaders but rather fosters the five practices of exemplary leadership. We teach campers that there is more than one way to be a leader, represented by lions, peacocks, koalas and owls. Learn more about RYLA’s leadership approach here. You can see RYLA’s schedule at a glance here to understand the program that develops our youth. Days, evenings and nights at RYLA were very full, but it made for a very fulfilling experience.

 

This year we introduced a Wellness Creativity Space led by Robin Pence, a state-licensed Youth Wellness Coach, to complement our longstanding nurse’s station. RYLA recognizes the importance to tend to campers’ physical and emotional well-being as part of their leadership development. The Wellness Creativity Space offered arts and crafts-related activities known to help calm and focus. Robin also worked individually with many RYLA Campers (as well as RYLA staff) facing emotionally challenging situations that camp brought to the forefront. Thanks to Robin and others in the RYLA Team, campers who might have otherwise gone home due to anxiety and homesickness stayed and shined at camp. Such as the young woman who was the very first student to give a testimonial of appreciation at our nightly campfires. She radiated joy and hope that night and for the rest of RYLA. 

There are countless stories of the meaningful growth that RYLA inspires. Sometimes the effect is immediate. Students who arrive shy and withdrawn on Monday are smiling, confident and chatting with new friends just a day or two later. Sometimes RYLA’s impact takes a few years or more to percolate. RYLA transforms lives and on several occasions has even saved the lives of youth on the brink of despair.

 

Alumni Amaya B. shared at one of the campfires that growing up she was so anxious that she could not tie her own shoes and needed someone to hold her hand to take a shower. This year at camp Amaya helped oversee one of the girls’ cabins. When I raised a concern with her about a situation in her cabin, she firmly responded, “Todd, I’m on it! I’ve got your back!” Small in stature, Amaya is fierce beyond her teenage years.

Johnny C. is an exuberant alumni who won an award this year for his leadership bringing the alumni team together. Bob Hermann from our club can testify that two years ago Johnny was the quietest and shyest kid in his team Bob the Builder with former District Governor Mary Bates. They unleashed Johnny’s spirit and today Johnny is unstoppable, like so many others who have gone to RYLA. Bob, Mary and all our staff truly have been builders of young leaders. 

 

Karen Kam went to RYLA scared and nervous as a Lowell High School student when David Dye served as her Interact club’s advisor. This year Karen celebrated her tenth RYLA! Karen has served as a facilitator many times and for the past several years has built a dynamic alumni program with fellow Alumni Coordinator Kevin Angeles. 

This year at RYLA we amplified our youth’s understanding of Rotary’s work and values. We introduced the beautiful Rotary tradition of presenting guest speakers with certificates to inoculate 100 children against polio. Thank you to President Frank Yoke for our club generously sponsoring this new initiative! Our speakers were deeply touched by this gesture and it provided an opportunity to teach youth about the power of Rotary.

For Thursday’s RYLA Visit Day we welcomed nearly two dozens Rotarians and friends of Rotary. We were honored to have Rotary 5150 District Governor Mitone Griffiths share inspiring remarks at Thursday’s lunch. Mitone noted that her own daughter attributes the confidence she has developed to engage with adults to her participation in RYLA. Watch the video of the RYLA campers at lunch shouting the RYLA cheer and expressing their gratitude to Rotary.

The 39th annual RYLA concluded with a joyful rendition of our camp song It’s fun to stay at the R-Y-L-A, set to the tune of the Village People’s YMCA. Watch the video here. All 187 campers and staff departed RYLA forever changed, our hearts bursting with the many friendships and memories made. We hope that RYLA is the start of a lifelong connection to Rotary for RYLA campers and their families.

 

RYLA turns 40 next year! Watch this space to commemorate and celebrate RYLA’s impact.

It may take a village to raise a child but it takes a tribe to host a RYLA. We would like to recognize and express our deep thanks to the 88 volunteer staff working at camp and behind the scenes over the past year.

 

Thank you to the Rotary Club of San Francisco members who served RYLA: Todd St Vrain, Camp Director; Mary Liu, Facilitator, Housing Coordinator, Admin Support, and Workshop Presenter; Sunny Singh, Facilitator and Workshop Presenter; David Dye, Treasurer, Youth Protection Officer, and Admin Support; Dora Dye, Admin Support; President Frank Yoke, Transport Co-Coordinator and Bus Greeter; Steve Lindstrom, Webmaster and Operations; Alisha Marfatia, Webmaster Assistant; Bob Hermann, Bus Greeter and Chaperone; Dan Joraanstad, Bus Greeter; Ruth Wenzel, Bus Greeter; David Folk, Bus Greeter and Scholarship Fund technical support; and Scott Plakun, Scholarship Fund technical support.

 

Thank you to the 36 Rotarians from 18 other Rotary clubs from four Rotary districts:

Thank you to our 38 other volunteers: Kevin Angeles, Alumni Coordinator; Josh Hafter, Facilitator Recruiter Co-Coordinator, Facilitator, Workshop Presenter, and Bus Chaperone; Karen Kam, Alumni Coordinator; Art Kauffman and Harmony Ma, Admin Support; Reese Anderson and Ashby Remak, Facilitators and Workshop Presenters; TJ Rodriguez, Facilitator, Stargazing Coordinator, and Bus Chaperone; Rhaeven Pilazar, Kaela Patron, Kathy Diaz, Jenny Campbell, Ashley Seto, Facilitators. Mike Walsh, Keynote Speaker; Maria Barrera, Keynote Speaker; Julia Zeitlin, Keynote Speaker; Lia A., Elyssa A., Wayne A., Alvina B., Amaya B., Myla B., Johnny C., Ila D., Jackson G., Cheryl L., Evelyn L., Jackson N., Kai P., Olivia P., Xin Bei Q., Agnes Q., Hannah Q., Geovanna R., Eva T., Madison W., Andie W., Michelle Y., Alumni.

 

Thank you to Mary Liu and her business for the generous donation of printing services for RYLA, valued at $2,500. We would also like to thank Costco and Trader Joe’s for the gift certificates Mary Liu secured that helped underwrite the cost for daily snack breaks at camp.

 

It is an honor to serve as RYLA’s Camp Director. I stand on the shoulders of giants: Jim Patrick who started RYLA’s antecedent Camp Enterprise, Jim Murray, David Dye, PDG Sue Rokaw, Lynn Luckow and all the others who also have served as RYLA’s director.

 

RYLA would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to the Rotary Club of San Francisco as the principal sponsor of RYLA. Our club should be very proud that it commits a quarter of its annual grants to RYLA. Thank you for believing in our youth as leaders of today into tomorrow and enabling the many staff who serve them. As this year’s RYLA cheer expresses, Lead with your heart! Make your mark!