2015 DISTRICT CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS

Two days have passed since the end of the 2015 District Conference concluded and it is time to find out what you missed since Friday afternoon. The afternoon program consisted of several sessions from a presentation by the Rotary Alumni Association of New England, a roundtable discussion about what makes your club fun, speed dating format that allowed clubs to share how they Do Good in the World and finally Rotary Jeopardy - a little wild but definitely a lot of fun. Then it was off to the Harvard Club for an evening of fellowship, great food and an amazing view of Boston with a time-lapsed type sunset. The bus ride added to the fun and provided a chance to chill and not deal with the hassle of driving into Boston on a Friday night.
 
Saturday kicked off with a Grants Qualification Seminar for both Assembly/Conference attendees and Rotarians who came just to learn about all of the possibilities available to clubs and assistance on how to apply for and receive district managed grants and more. The Youth Services Committee created a diverse program covering RYLA, Interact and Youth Exchange. From projects to fund raisers, Interactors demonstrated how they implement service projects, and one club hosted a photo booth and Team RYLA hosted a huge Jenga game. They provided coaching to adult teams in how to communicate and make good decisions while having an amazing experience. The youth, and some brave adults, then headed off to CoCo Keys for some fun in the water park.
 
Then it was off to the Seaglass Restaurant for an amazing evening amidst the ocean waves that all but surrounded all of us while we gathered for the cocktail hour and then dinner. An entirely different view than Friday night, one devoid of buildings and traffic, and replaced by the amazing beauty of the Atlantic Ocean. Another evening of great food and fellowship, an extremely successful live auction which produced some spirited bidding and allowed the Conference to amass $14,000 when added to the silent auction from Friday at lunch. This is just one more benefit when committed Rotarians gather to celebrate the great work we do, especially with a Rotary auctioneer, Don Kelly, a man who knows how to get the most out of a crowd.
 
 
 
Joe Mulkerrin, our RI Representative, once again delivered a great keynote speech, or should I say a very interactive experience. Through the use of a fulcrum, he clearly demonstrated that none of us can solve any significant problem by ourselves but when we collaborate and work together all things are possible. With a brick at one end of the board resting on the fulcrum, when Rotarians added marbles to a jar at the opposite end, eventually enough were added to lift the brick demonstrating the completion of the task at hand. It presented a great analogy of how we need every Rotarian, and probably many more, to achieve our collective goals.
 
Our conference would never be complete without the amazing Memorial Program presented by Laura and Emile Allain. No one ever thought it could be better, but Dean Pedersen opened the program with a moving introduction to the Train Ride video highlighting our journey through life and our experience with those who join us along the way. We paid our respect to the 28 Rotarians who had passed during the previous 12 months.
 
Finally, the brunch and eventually the final bell signaling the conclusion of the conference. For the text from our keynote speaker, RI Director Julia Phelps, please click here.
 
Joe Mulkerrin concluded that we are a very special district and he guaranteed that he would give a glowing evaluation of the Rotary Spirit that he saw demonstrated by all of the generations who participated in the weekend.
 
A special thank you to our Conference Co-Chairs, Joan Arsenault and Bob Wood. They were ably assisted by their committee which included DG Peter, DGE Dave, DGN Sheryl, Laura Allain, Jim Babbin, Liz Cullen, Bob Gravino and Alex Ushakoff. What an amazing team!