Rotaract Uruguay Bi-district Conference

“It’s white and sweet and you put it in the fire.” Ana and Nicolas’ blank looks confirmed that either I was terrible at charades or that they didn’t have marshmallows in Uruguay. We were huddled around the large stone fireplace of the Atlantida Country club, taking advantage of a break in the presentations ceremony at the gala dinner of the 6^th annual bidistrict Rotaract Uruguay Conference to warm up by the fire. It was a special event. Rotaract clubs from all over Uruguay had traveled hours to take part in the two-day conference and celebrate a year of community service and leadership development.

Rotaract is a special organization. Founded in 1968 as a youth program of Rotary International, Rotaract clubs help young people from ages 18 to 30 develop as leaders in their communities through service and trainings. Clubs meet weekly, host speakers, sponsor fundraising events, and face the challenges of running a successful organization. Rotaract has had its success; from the 1968 charter club in Charlotte, North Carolina, Rotaract has grown to 7,500 clubs in 156 countries, totaling 173,000 members worldwide.

The bi-district conference got underway Saturday afternoon in the large hall of the Atlantida Country Club with speeches from representatives of Uruguay’s three main political parties, including former Uruguayan Vice President Luis Hierro López. Speakers addressed an issue all civic organizations are facing today: how to recruit members without compromising the values and identity of the organization. Other plenary sessions were lead by Rotaractors, that is, members of Rotaract, and challenged participants to contemplate Rotaract as an institution and live Rotaract ideals on a daily basis.

But the real event was yet to come. That evening, the conference gala dinner kicked off with a 007 theme. With creative skits and periodic guest appearances from a Mr. Bean variation of James Bond, emcees presented clubs and individuals a variety of awards for service and achievement. The presentation culminated as the two district representatives passed their torches on to next years leaders. Emotional photo slideshows captured their hard work and the memories of friendship and personal growth during a year of Rotaract.

Having spent the better part of the night dancing to cumbia under the disco ball and rolling out of bed early for the final sessions, by Sunday afternoon conference participants were exhausted. But it was exhaustion accompanied by a sense of fulfillment. Like every good conference, the 150 Rotaract Uruguay attendees left not only proud of the year’s accomplishments but also rejuvenated to tackle the upcoming challenges of 2007-2008.

To view more conference photos, click here.

To read an interview with Andrea Sotelo, conference presenter and founding member of Rotaract Club of Itauzaingo, Argentina, click here.

A farewell to fond memories

When I was little, if you’d asked me where my dad worked, I probably would have told you he didn’t work, he just went to “the theatre.” While this might have attracted odd looks (and certainly a scoff from my dad), “the theatre” was its own little world amongst that group of familiar places that I knew, along with “the church,” “the grocery store,” and of course “the house.” My sister and I spend Saturdays and Sundays helping my dad and Arlie with set construction. This meant that when we had swept up the sawdust and separated spare nails into “straight” and “crooked” piles, we ran to the dressing rooms to get as gaudily clad as the theatre’s collection would permit, fighting as we went over who got to wear Anastasia’s tiara.

When I was old enough for summer children’s theatre, I was cast in Rapunzel as the pregnant, tantrum-throwing rampion-craving wife. At 8-years old, I had never heard of rampion, didn’t quite understand what it meant to “throw a tantrum,” and certainly couldn’t fathom pregnant cravings, but I dropped to the floor nonetheless, beating my arms and legs and screaming rampion fiercely enough that my pillow belly nearly popped right out. At the time, I and the 30 other kids participating didn’t recognize that we were building self-confidence and gaining a sense of responsibility, but we beamed with pride as we bowed for curtain call, more than a little shocked at our accomplishment.

Now that I'm older, I have developed a more “sophisticated” appreciation of the theatre’s contribution to the community. In 89 productions, the cast and crew have moved audiences to first shake with laughter and then discreetly wipe away tears, at times in the same scene. The theatre has presented classics, musicals, and even a Broadway hit to full-houses in a community that doesn’t boast a movie theatre. But perhaps most importantly, the theatre has created a place where ordinary people come together and use their talents to show how extraordinary they are.

This year, my dad is retiring as director of the Richmond Community Theatre, after founding it 30 years ago. I’ll miss the theatre for many reasons, but most acutely, I’ll miss it for what I loved most from the time I was little girl up until age 23—that the magic world of “the theatre”—the emotion, the surprise, the embarrassment, the discovery—existed comfortably alongside the world of the routine. And by doing so, it made everyday life more magical.