Preconvention Highlights

June 21, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized

This past weekend, I took a trip up to Montreal, Canada, with our newly-elected President, Shauna, for the annual Rotaract Preconvention. Despite the cultural differences, mainly French being the primary language and use of the Metric system (the speed limit on the highway is, in fact, 100 k/hr, not mph…), the trip was a resounding success.

We attended seminars on a number of things that will help our club out, including: leadership skills; public relations; fundraising; and international projects. The trade show floor, the “House of Friendship,” provided us with many ideas for future projects as well. We also made friends with a Rotaract chapter in Scranton, PA, which was amusing considering the fact people were there from all around the world. Who knew we’d find a club similar to our own who reside a mere 1.5 hours away?

One major thing I realized this weekend was just how much Rotaract is capable of. We watched presentations on chapters that won service project awards, which included things such as clean water education in foreign countries; literacy awareness; and relief programs. We also listened to a presentation by Ramesh Ferris, polio survivor, who has been working across Canada to promote Polio awareness and raise funds for vaccines. He received a resounding standing ovation as he walked to the podium with help of his crutches.

In all, the preconvention was a great experience and the things we learned will greatly help our little club expand and do greater things. I’m already itching to register for next year’s convention in New Orleans.

I didn’t take too many photos this weekend, but what I did can be found on our Flickr page.

No Comments

Leave a Reply