Rotary network helps family attacked by pirates...
Photo: Chris, Cory, and Stella their dog.
By Vince DiCarolis, president of the Rotary Club of Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA
We all have various reasons for joining Rotary – to give back to our communities, to experience fellowship, or to help people in other countries. But these things come and go. I recently experienced a situation that confirmed for me why I will always remain a member. The Rotary network came to the aid of a member’s family after they were attacked by pirates on their way to the Caribbean.
In late March, I got a call from Bob Baranski, a good friend and leader in our club. I could tell right away that he was upset. He told me how his daughter Cory and her husband, Chris, who live and work off their sailboat, had been attacked by four men with guns and machetes as they were anchored at Panama’s Pearl Islands awaiting passage through the Panama Canal.
The pirates had approached silently in a small vessel shortly after sunset and stormed aboard. Cory locked herself in the aft bathroom with a VHF radio to attempt to send a distress call. But the attackers broke down the door with their machetes, silenced Cory’s radio, and cut cables to all the other radios and the autopilot display.
Assault aftermath
Chris was hit on the head several times with the butt of a pistol, while Cory was choked and forced into a closet with a machete held to her throat. Two friends who were also on board were pushed into the forward bathroom. Chris was forced to lay face down at gunpoint while the pirates ransacked the boat for an hour and a half.
The thieves took all cash, wallets, jewelry, phones, foul weather gear, lifejackets, clothing, and jugs of gasoline, as well as ripping out the boat’s electronic gear. They also took Stella, Cory’s and Chris’ six-month-old puppy. After they were gone, Chris was able to contact police and determine the boat was safe to sail to Naos Marina near Panama City to await repairs.
I was horrified by the story. Bob asked if we could connect them with some local Rotarians whom they could trust, as both Chris and Cory were seriously shaken up.
I began using Rotary’s extensive network to arrange for help. Through a call to Rotary International, I reached the Rotary Support Center. Johanna Martinez put me in contact with the Rotary Club of Panama Este and Nick Taylor, a Club and District Support supervisor. He listened with empathy and promised to try and connect Chris and Cory with local people who could help. (He then reached out to Gregory Franks, a CDS senior supervisor for the Americas, who contacted zone and district leaders.)
Marco Austin, president of the Panama Este Club, contacted Javier Juarez, a member of the Rotary Club of Balboa less than two miles from the marina. Javier immediately visited Cory, Chris, and their friends, and helped them get basic supplies to replace items that had been stolen. He also contacted friends in the marine supply business and set up a work group to examine the boat and begin repairs.
I was amazed that it took less than three hours from my initial phone calls for help to arrive. Javier continued to visit the group daily, assisting them in finding resources and places to shop and eat (as they still couldn’t cook on the boat).
Rotary creating ripples
Meanwhile, Allan Sellers, a Rotary District Coordinator for Zone 25a, began to use his connections to various agencies including the Panama Coast Guard, the Canal Authority, and the Ministry of Tourism. In Bob’s words, “the Rotary connection sent ripples (more like waves) through the agencies.”
Thanks to these efforts, once repairs were done, Chris and Cory were escorted through the canal by the Coast Guard. The authorities even found Stella on an uninhabited island nearby. The group went on to Miami via the Cayman Islands to make further repairs, having received an unbelievable amount of “boots-on-the-ground” support.
A few days after the incident, Rotary came to the rescue in yet another way. Chris was having difficulty getting an emergency replacement passport, and at Bob’s request I contacted our U.S. Congressman, who has a copy of The Four-Way Test on his desk. Within 30 minutes, the issue was resolved.
Reflecting on the incident, Bob said, “It isn’t just what we do as Rotarians, it’s who we know and the influence we have. When people ask me how they can help, I tell them (if they are members of Rotary), ‘just keep being Rotarians.’”
To all those involved – Javier Juarez, Marco Austin, Nick Taylor, Allan Sellers, Gregory Franks, and Johanna Martinez – thank you for all your help. When I tried to personally thank Allan, he told me, “No need to thank us, this is what we do.”
And that is why I will always be a Rotarian.
PHOTO: The Constellation full sail. Originally posted on
Do you have what it takes to become a dynamic leader and change yourself and the world?
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs and districts where you develop your skills as a leader while having fun and making connections.
What are the benefits?
Connect with leaders in your community and around the world to:
Build communication and problem-solving skills
Discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in your school or community
Learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors
Unlock your potential to turn motivation into action
Have fun and form lasting friendships
What’s involved?
RYLA events are organized locally by Rotary clubs and districts for participants ages 14-30. Depending on community needs, RYLA may take the form of a one-day seminar, a three-day retreat, or a weeklong camp.
Typically, events last 3-10 days and include presentations, activities, and workshops covering a variety of topics.
Your community might host a RYLA event for secondary school students to hone their leadership potential, for university students to develop creative problem-solving strategies, or for young professionals to learn ethical business practices.
On Tuesday - our Club is hosting the awards for our 8 RYLA students.
The month of May in the Rotary world is dedicated to Youth Services, and I thought I'd take this time to recognize a couple of our programs.
Our RYLA program finished up its second session in late April. While we haven’t fully recovered to pre-Covid levels of participation, we did have approximately 100 students in the first session and 140 students in the last session. The students came away very energized and ready to serve their schools and communities.
During the last session on Saturday, we were able to surprise District 6440 RYLA Chair, Sean Nelson, with the Rotary International Service Above Self Award in front of all the students and volunteers, for his dedication to the RYLA program over the last 20 years. The Service Above Self Award is voted on by the RI Board of Directors and is given out to no more than 150 people worldwide. Sean was recognized again this past weekend at our District Conference. Thank you, Sean, to you and your extraordinary team of volunteers for your dedication to our youth through the RYLA program.
This year also marked the introduction of a new award that was presented at the District Conference. The District 6440 Outstanding Interact Club Award was given to the Rolling Meadows High School Interact Club. Their chapter collected enough items to supply a local food pantry with 4 months' worth of food for over 500 families, raised over $1,000 for clean water and sanitation support in Cambodia, gathered over $400 within 48 hours for disaster relief in Turkey-Syria, held over a dozen other service and fundraising initiatives, and received the Bronze ShelterBox Hero Award.
Thank you to all of the Interact Clubs for your submissions and all the great work you are doing in your schools and communities. We look forward to seeing all that you will accomplish over the next year.
I would like to point out two other significant awards presented at the District Conference. Sarah Oliver received the Rotary Foundation Meritorious Service Award, which honors those who have been actively involved in service related to The Rotary Foundation. Bill Ferreira was recognized with the Service Award for a Polio Free World, which honors Rotarians who have made outstanding contributions to our polio eradication efforts.
District 6440 is forever grateful to Sarah and Bill for their selfless service to The Foundation and eradicating Polio.
I’ll let Bill Kmiecik fill you in on the rest of the highlights from the District Conference but, until then, will say a big thank you to all those who attended.
By Casey Jones, Programs and Communications Specialist, Rotary Programs for Young Leaders
May is Rotary’s Youth Service Month! Throughout the month, Rotarians, Rotaractors, and younger members of the Rotary family, including Interactors and RYLA and Rotary Youth Exchange participants, celebrate the service, leadership development, connections, and FUN of Rotary’s programs for young leaders.
Every year, over 350,000 young leaders participate in Rotary’s youth programs across Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and Rotary Youth Exchange. Rotary’s Youth Service Month is an opportunity to promote our young leaders’ local and global impacts and the Rotary and Rotaract clubs that make these programs possible.
Excited to celebrate? Here are four ways to participate:
1. Partner with young leaders. Invite youth participants to your Rotary or Rotaract club meetings and together create opportunities for collaboration. Young people are looking for a way to make a difference. Show them how Rotary equips them to do so and join forces as you serve your shared community.
2. Start your service-learning journey. Rotary’s approach to youth service, service-learning, is youth-led, hones life skills, and has a lasting impact on communities. Interactive courses and downloadable workbooks are available in Rotary’s Learning Center for adult advisers and youth participants ages 16 and older. Watch this informative video and get started on your service-learning journey today at rotary.org/learn.
3. Attend a webinar. As part of the Cultivating Effective Projects webinar series, Rotary International is hosting a webinar on Thursday, 18 May at 18:00 (UTC-5) titled Expanding Reach: Partner with Youth in Service. Learn how to connect and collaborate with youth to increase the impact of your projects and develop youth into leaders.
4. Follow along for youth-centered stories. Throughout the month of May, Rotary’s young leaders will be featured across multiple Rotary International platforms. Read the Rotary magazine feature about Interact’s 60th anniversary, subscribe to the Young Leaders in Action newsletter, visit Rotary’s blogs Service in Action and Rotary Voices each week, and follow Rotary’s social media channels to hear directly from youth participants about their Rotary experiences!
Share how you’re celebrating Rotary’s Youth Service Month on social media with #RotaryYouthService.
Thursday morning I was joined by Sandy Frum, Donna Gulley and Jodi Joffe at the new location of CATCH (southeast corner of Sanders and Lake Cook Roads) where we worked with about 20 other volunteers stuffing mental health bags for students experiencing traumatic situations in their lives. Everyone there was very appreciative of our efforts.
“On behalf of the entire CATCH team I want to thank you so very much for showing up today to help pack Trauma/Comfort Kits. We packed 500 kits in 1 hour and 25 minutes. That is a CATCH record!
My heartfelt hope is that these kits will never be needed, but it sure feels good to know that they are ready to go at a moment's notice. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making mental health a priority today. I truly appreciate each and every one of you!” states Donna Sabin, CATCH.
Coming up on Thursday, 05/25/23, the Satellite Club is sponsoring an event from 7:00 to 8:30 PM at Feed My Starving Children, 742 East Park Avenue, Libertyville.
The volunteers will hand-pack nutritious meals specifically designed to assist in reversing and preventing undernutrition. These meals are sent all across the globe to children in need.
To volunteer and find out about optional dinner plans earlier in the evening, please contact Jodi Joffe, 847-207-2007, jojo3735@comcast.net.
All are welcome.
Our Spring Blood Drive is set for Saturday, 06/17/23, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, at Sunset Foods in downtown Northbrook. Culver's once again will generously donate a pint when you give a pint of blood.
To make an appointment to donate you can either call 877-258-4825 or visit vitalan.org and use code: ORDONV32.
To volunteer during this event, please contact me at gary3540@aol.com.
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