Our Outbound Rotary Youth Exchange

Ashley Says "Good-bye"

This year, our club is sponsoring it's first Outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student in over ten years.  We first met Ashley Clinton back in August of last year when she approached our club to sponsor her for her senior year as a Youth Exchange.

Ashley attends Miami Arts Charter High School.  She has been selected to go to Stockholm, Sweden for her Senior Year.  Needless to say she is VERY excited.  She has two older sisters and a younger brother. 

She originally applied to go to Paris and study music but since her alternate language is Spanish, she really didn't qualify and was chosen for Sweden instead.  Her oldest sister was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student to Sweden herself some 20 years ago.  That was one of the reasons that Ashley was so intent on being part of the program ... the time that her sister spent in Sweden changed her life and she made friends - forever.  Ashley wants the chance to do the same thing.

George Clinton & Sally B. YEO

Ashley is scheduled to leave on Sunday and she is so excited that she's literally vibrating!  She took a few minutes to thank the Club for their support of her Exchange and told us about some of the training classes that she has attended and how well they have prepared her for this coming year abroad.  Her dad, George came to the meeting with her today and although he's going to miss his lovely daughter, he is so pleased that she will have the amazing opportunity that he is considering becoming a member of Rotary himself!

Of course when a club sends out a student for the year, we are expected to assume responsibility for an inbound RYE as well.  Ashley's parents have signed up to be a Host Family for a young lady from France for the year that Ashley's gone.  In essence they're just exchanging daughters!  So Mailys Ooghe, the inbound student arrives on August the 8th. 

Ashley promises to take lots of photos and blog to us over the course of the year.  We look forward to hearing all about her year when she returns next June.  Good luck and Godspeed  Ashley!  You will have the time of your life!!

Meet RI President Sakuji Tanaka 2012-2013

RI President Sakuji Tanaka

RI President: Through service, we can bring peace

It’s a great honor to serve as your 2012-13 RI president and represent you in Rotary.  Since joining this organization in 1975, it has changed my life and given me more than I ever anticipated. I look forward to sharing some of that with you.
Through Rotary, I learned the purpose of my life wasn’t to earn more, but to help others.  Through our service, we learn that the problems that may seem large to us are really very small.
I also learned that through Rotary, we could build peace.  As part of the first generation to grow up in Japan after World War II, I understand the importance of peace and its connection to our well-being.

Peace can mean many things for many people, but however we understand peace, Rotary can help us achieve it. Rotary helps us meet the basic needs of health care, sanitation, food, and education.  These can bring peace. In addition, we need peace as well for vaccinators to go into countries such as Afghanistan to prevent children from getting polio. It is through our work as Rotarians that we help to build the foundation for a more peaceful world.

Through service, we can bring peace. This is why our 2012-12 Rotary theme is Peace Through Service.
During my year as your president, I look forward to hearing from you on LinkedIn and when I post on the blog. I also hope to see you at one of my three Rotary Global Peace Forums.