RYLA 5810 Alumni

- Here are some helpful instructions to make sure you don’t miss the social event of a lifetime…

- The deadline to get the Camp RYLA 20th Anniversary hotel room discount of $120 is Friday, May 21, 2010. Don’t be caught sleeping on a bench or in the backseat of Dana’s car. Call Tanglewood Resort on Lake Texoma at 1-800-833-6569 to make your reservation.

- If you would like to split/share a room with another RYLA alum (and who wouldn’t), please contact Beth Anderson (formerly Beth Digby – sorry fellas, she’s off the market) at 214-908-0838. She’ll help you make arrangements.

- Make sure you (and your spouse, partner, guest, etc.) register for the reunion today. There is a registration fee of $50 for RYLA alums and $75 for couples. Technology has advanced to the point where you can register on the RYLA alumni website. We couldn’t do that twenty years ago…

Need the paypal link? Clickity click right here:

https://ryla5810.camp-master.com/rylaReunion.aspx

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Dear RYLA Alumni,

Through the years, Camp RYLA has provided worthwhile experiences, essential life lessons and great friendships. We are the lucky few who were able to be a part of this wonderful opportunity. Now you have a chance to give something back.

After twenty years of RYLA in Rotary District 5810, enough alumni exist to create an award funded solely by past RYLA participants. As the activities of RYLA Alumni continue to evolve, the creation of this award has been one of the most meaningful.

RYLA awards recognize the performance of returning alumni and provide financial awards for their outstanding effort. These awards can be used for college tuition, student loans or any discretionary use of the recipient.

Last year, through the generous support of many we provided two $1,000 awards to very deserving members of our RYLA family. We able to grant two awards to members of the alumni staff whose hard work and commitment to Camp RYLA has been distinguished. The 2009 recipients were Alumni Staff members Michelynne McNeeley and Allison Bennett. You can read about their camp experiences and their thoughts about receiving the award on our RYLA alumni webpage at ww.ryla5810alumni.org.

If Camp RYLA has made an impact on you, then it isn’t a matter of if you will contribute but a matter of how much you can give. Any size contribution will help reach our goal to raise $2,000. From college students to community leaders with established careers, we all can play a role in making this award a reality.

I encourage you to help make this endeavor a success and to lay the foundation for what is a new Camp RYLA tradition. When the award winner is selected they will receive a letter recognizing all contributors and anyone you wish to recognize in tribute to your contribution. I implore you to make a small gesture that will leave a lasting impact on the lives of many.

Please download the donation form for donation instructions!

RYLA Alumni Award 2010 Donation Information & Form

Reach for the future.

Sly Majid
RYLA Alumni Scholarship Chair

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Thank you everyone for your patience!  The reunion registration/payment site is now available.  Simply follow this link, and have your wallet ready!

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Hey everybody!!  Hopefully you’ve recieved a flier in the mail about the all-RYLA reunion this summer.  If not, please click here to view it!  This is a family-friendly non-exclusive event, and many people are working very hard to promote and put on this fabulous weekend.  STAY TUNED for registration information!!  Coming soon, I promise!!

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Hey folks!  You came to the right place–but give us a few more days and we’ll have all the information you need and registration will be available.  After Wednesday, April 21, we should have everything ready to go!

Note:  We’re challenging ourselves to more than 200 attendants–though we can handle upwards of 350–so please pass this information along to all alumni you know!  Due to changes in addresses, etc., we’re afraid some people won’t be receiving their flier–so, HELP!  :)

Get your pennies together and be ready to register!  Can’t wait to see everyone!!!

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You remember the parent meeting you attended before your camper year. It was the meeting where you watched a video that actually revealed nothing about camp’s shenanigans, you got your first glimpse of fellow campers and, most importantly, put your parents at ease about handing you over to strangers for a week. Well, they’re coming around again and it’s really important that you be there. Parents and campers need to hear about the program from former campers. Meetings begin May 11 and only require about an hour of your time. To find a meeting near you, check out the meeting schedule on the Camp RYLA website.

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Hey everyone!  Here’s an update from the North Texas Pioneers at Central Rotary Club–that’s right, we have a name!  It’s not official yet, but Mark, Jim, Beth, and many others have been working hard to get us on the map.  PAC (Pioneers at Central) have been making great progress recently.  We have elected our first officers–the board consists of Beth Anderson, Blanca Espinosa, Michelynne McNeeley, Blake Martin, Jeff Egger, and Becca Lowder.

Also, as we all know, philanthropy is the essence of Rotary–but in order to kick-start our giving, we need to have something to give!  Right now, all we have is time and energy, so we are planning to invest those resources into a fundraiser, which (hopefully!) will yield a cash return, with which we can pursue the betterment of our community and world.  Our first fundraiser is going to be a Derby Ball of sorts–that’s right, a fancy-dancy Kentucky Derby watching party, complete with fun, food, and maybe a little bit of speculation, if you will, as to the winner of the big races.  Mark it on your calendars–May 1, the first Saturday in May–and we will get you more information as it comes.

Right now, we are hugely enjoying getting together every Wednesday evening at the Bavarian Grill in Plano.  Those of us who want to enjoy a fabulous German meal arrive around six, and the rest of us are there in time to start the meeting at six-thirty.  Please mark you calendars to come out and join us sometime.  It is always fun to see other RYLArians, and we are also often joined by many great young people who are completely new to Rotary.  We are only a few member applications away from the twenty-five we need to charter our club, so come join us and be a part of something special!

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You’ve seen her as a staff member, a counselor, an assistant camp director, and now you’ll see her as a mommy-to-be. Emily Spivey, formerly Emily Nelson, took a few minutes to catch up with the RYLArian Informant.

RYLArian Informant: Congratulations, Emily! When are you due? Girl or boy?

Emily Spivey: Girl. I’m due on March 21, but it looks like they are going to induce on March 14. Apparently I’m carrying a giant.

RI: How exciting! Have you settled on a name?

ES: My husband, Blake, and I are naming her Molly Rose Spivey.

RI: Because you’ll have a newborn, does that mean you won’t be able to come to camp this year?

ES: Yes, I’ve been coming to camp for ten years, but I’ll have to miss this year.

RI: About camp, why do you keep coming back?

ES: It’s my favorite week of the year!  I’ll be back as long as they will have me!  It is not work to go to RYLA, it is pure vacation and rejuvenation every year.

RI: What impact did RYLA have on your life when you were a camper?

ES: RYLA definitely helped me to come out of my shell. I was always the quiet one, and I knew I had good ideas, I just didn’t know how to get people to listen to me.

RI: And when were you a camper?

ES: 1999.

RI: How does RYLA continue to influence your life today?

ES: It is so refreshing to go each year and see kids that have such potential and promise.  And to see high school students in a totally different way than I do at school…it does help remind me how great kids can be.  And occasionally I get to see one of my own students go through the program, so to see a student that I know personally grow and change in the process of a week is so rewarding.

RI: So you’re a teacher? What do you teach?

ES: I teach algebra and math models at Rockwall High School.

RI: What do you love most about your job?

ES: Well, with teenagers, it is definitely always interesting…they keep me on my toes and always entertained with their antics.

RI: Is Rockwall your hometown?

ES: Yes, I attended high school there and went to college at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, which is now Texas State.

RI: Were you involved in anything at Texas State?

ES: I was a member of the Strutters — the university’s dance team — and Chi Omega.

RI: When did you and Blake get married?

ES: July 12, 2008.

RI: Any hobbies?

ES: Playing golf, reading, cooking, gardening, sewing.

RI: Okay, last question: In what ways are you excited about camp’s future?

ES: I am really excited to see how we continue to grow and change as rolls are handed down.  It is bittersweet to see the program begin to change hands.  I don’t want to see people that have been a part of the program for 20 years leave because I want things to always be the same, but it is also exciting to see new people that I love step into new rolls of leadership with the program.

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A note from Becca:

I uploaded all the pics to snapfish and created a RYLA alumni account that we can use in the future.

The account’s details:

First name: RYLA

Last name: Alumni

email address: info@ryla5810alumni.org

password: alumni

Everyone is free to upload and order from this site! I recommend everyone act with caution, as typically these sites try to save credit card information–so everyone needs to protect themselves from that!! Also, the first 20 pics printed are free, so whoever wants those should jump on it!! If anyone wants to upload more pics in the future (or now) I recommend making a new album within the account and including the photographer’s name in the title or description, so it’s easy to sort through. Enjoy!

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APPLY FOR CAMP!
 

Camp is coming soon, and we need every willing and able body to apply to come back!  Don’t miss out on this special opportunity.  New camp applications are out, so get to it!  Applications are due to Mark Healy by 5 p.m. on  April 10, 2010.  Don’t delay; fill out today!

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