As was announced by our District Governor Rich Kirkham, RYLA 2020 has been cancelled.
District 5400 Rotary Clubs
Monday, March 16, 2020
 
 
As was announced by our District Governor Rich Kirkham, RYLA 2020 has been cancelled. It is with a profound sense of sadness that our District 5400 RYLA committee has unanimously come to this decision in order to protect our campers, our leaders, and the legacy of this program.  
 
RYLA is committed to the emotional, physical, and mental safety of all those who participate - campers, leaders, and Rotarians. Our committee has valid concern regarding our ability to provide for and sustain a group of over 100 in the coming months. Logistically, we also do not have a venue to host our group and accommodate all the needs of our many activities. 
 
We recognize that RYLA is several months out, however, please consider that we begin enrolling campers in April and close enrollment in June. With schools closing across the state our ability to reach potential participants is also greatly impacted. We have also weighed parental concerns of sending children to a large group camp with very close contact with so many others. We have no way of controlling virus exposure, and this risk increases with any summer travels. 
 
As a leadership team, we have the ultimate burden of ensuring the safety of everyone involved. Because our camp is composed of mostly minors, this burden and liability falls even heavier. Our hearts are broken knowing that we can’t promise the level of safety that our leaders and campers deserve. We must honor our sponsors and parents who trust us with their children. We must honor national health regulations. We must honor the future of RYLA and the impact it can have on people, both positively and negatively. 
 
Please, know that our hearts are broken over this choice and truly weighed all options against the safety of all those participating, but we promise to do our best to make the future of RYLA better than it's ever been. We have the passion to reach for the stars and make amazing things happen between now and RYLA 2021 and we look forward to the support of Rotary District 5400 in the future.
 
Warm regards,
 
 
Victoria Byrd
RYLA 5400 District Chair