Every year Rotary International Districts throughout the USA organize a 3 to 4 day event, depending on the District, called the Rotary Youth Leadership Award Conference also known as RYLA. Each Rotary Club in any given District is allowed to send 2 high school youths, primarily juniors, to this Conference.

The main purpose of RYLA is to bring high school juniors and seniors together who have demonstrated at their respective high schools to have future leadership potential. During the Conference the participants will be introduced to concepts like quality of leadership, team-building and time and stress management among other things.

The RYLA Conference for District 7710 of which the Fuquay Varina Rotary Club is a member took place from April 18 through April 20, 2008, at the Summit Environmental Education Center at the Haw River State Park in Brown Summit, NC.

Students Randy Bailey, a senior, and Ashley Carpenter, a junior, at the Fuquay Varina High School had the honor to represent their High School at this year’s RYLA Conference. They were selected from among a number of candidates by the selection committee of the Fuquay Varina Rotary Club.

Randy Bailey and Ashley Carpenter joined 110 other high school students from District 7710  at this RYLA Conference.

Last Thursday, June 19, 2008, both Randy and Ashley made a presentation about their RYLA experience at the regular meeting of the Fuquay Varina Rotary Club.