Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well.
 
            In any year, there are always struggles maintaining membership in an Interact club, and this is especially true right now. As our Assistant Governors work with their clubs, many find that the clubs are struggling because of a lack of membership, lack of leadership, and lack of service projects. On top of this, some clubs are in the process of rebuilding after years of inactivity. This is why we are especially hopeful for the Virtual RYLA and Virtual Fall Leadership Conference. 
 
            Our Fall Leadership Conference has the theme “Together We Can,” and we aim to give club officers and advisors the much-needed tools to lead their clubs this year. One of the tools we will be presenting at the conference is a website made by one of our own AGs called Volunteer Hero. Volunteer Hero is a website that advisors can use to track community service hours done by club members. Using a centralized system to track hours makes everything more accessible and more efficient, and members still have a way to submit hours, even if they are not at school in person. This year, FLC will be condensed into a three hour morning session, and while it does seem short, our committee is working very hard to make sure our clubs get all the information they need to function.
 
            As I have been talking at Rotary meetings and workshops, I am super excited to see how many Rotarians are interested in youth services. Whether you are helping at a RYLA, sponsoring an Interact club, or helping at an event, your participation is what makes Rotary Youth Services as meaningful as it is. Your support allows high schoolers like me to really grow as both a leader and as a person. If you would like to connect with your Interact clubs, we can connect you with the club and the Assistant Governor assigned to the club. You can always contact me at ashtonkling34@gmail.com or Art Harrington at arthts@msn.com. Don’t forget that Interact is the start of the chain that leads all the way to Rotary.
 
         Thank you, and stay safe!