9-20-2012 meeting of the Rotary Club of Chickasha

The Sept. 20, 2012 meeting of the Rotary Club of Chickasha came to order after a prayer, pledge and a couple of songs.

Patty Chan of Oklahoma City was a guest.

Prayer concerns included Bob (aka, Bill) and Janice McVey.

President Cody White made the following announcements:

-- The Rock Island Arts Festival needs volunteers on Sept. 28-30.

-- The club is matching points through the end of September on Paul Harris Fellowship donations.

Lynn Bailey was inducted as the newest member of the club. His sponsor was Charlie Burruss.

Kory Kirkland was Rotarian of the Day but was absent. Program chairman Michael Oberlender introduced Bob Usry of the Norman Sooner Club as our guest speaker.

Bob and his wife have been involved in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program for 19 years.

Bob said he continues to direct the camp because "we love young people." He said he has worked with well more than 1,000 kids during his tenure at the camp.

RYLA is Rotary's leadership training program for young people. Rotary International District 5770 Camp RYLA is a five-day leadership training camp, which imparts to approximately 60 high school leaders the many facets of leadership through cabin activities, speakers, athletic events and team building exercises.

Campers must be between their Junior and Senior years of high school.

Through Camp RYLA, “Leaders of Tomorrow” have a forum through which leadership skills and principles are learned, developed and enhanced.

"We help kids become better people by teaching them to rely on each other, to build trust and to work together on projects."

He talked about one exercise where barefooted and blindfolded campers are directed through a minefield of mousetraps by another camper. Bob said only three toes have been caught in a trap.

Usry is a former member of the Rotary International RYLA committee. He said the Oklahoma camp has a reputation of being one of the best around.

He said the camp builds a bond between the students that goes beyond the camp. He has maintained contact with several of the campers through the years.

Usry encouraged the club members to recruit youngsters for the camp and for members to become involved. He said Chickasha Rotarian Ron Sanders helped at the camp for several years.

The meeting adjourned after recitation of the Rotary 4-Way Test.