Another great RYLA in the books! With the support of 33 clubs from around District 6900, RYLA 2025 directly impacted the lives of 104 students and we have high hopes for the positive change they will bring back home to their schools, teams, clubs, and communities.

The days were packed with a wide range of learning experiences on aspects of leadership such as communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, trust, and how personalities influence interactions. Students were given opportunities to build confidence in themselves while expanding their comfort zones. With the help of the Americus Rotary Club, we were once again able to bring in “Rise Against Hunger” for a meal packing service project that produced 14,256 meals for families in need. We fought with the South Georgia summer weather, but with a staff always prepared to pivot to Plan B we managed to complete all activities with minimal interruption. There was enough good weather to be outside when we needed to be and enough air conditioning to cool us off afterwards.

We had 67 Rotarians participate in the event, with several helping out on the club level by helping to nominate and select the students to represent their clubs at RYLA. And we were fortunate once again to have support from the very top of the District, starting with DG Gordon Owens for working the entire event as a Counselor and assisting with setting up events. We also enjoyed having DGE Steve Ivory, DGN Cynthia Edwards, and DGND Buck Buchanan come visit with us during RYLA, staying in the dorms as chaperones, and partnering up with our teams to see what RYLA is all about.

The RYLA Family (staff) absolutely loves being able to pour ourselves into this program to build the next generation of leaders. We wait all year every year to give our energy, creativity, and passion to RYLA and we so appreciate the support we get from district clubs and district leadership. Let’s do it again next year!! Mark your calendars for June 6-10, 2026 and we’ll be ready!