Students attend Life Leadership three-day conference

July 2, 2009 · Filed Under Top News Stories 

This year's Rockford students selected to attend the Life Leadership conference are (back, l–r) Ryan Romain, Stephen May, Brandon Roberts, Drake Veitenheimer; (front) Marissa Saladin, Lindsey Blodgett, Margaret Smiley, Alison Prus and Kelsey Schwiebert, along with (far right) Rotarian Rick Ehinger. The three-day conference is designed to build on the students’ qualities of leadership.

This year's Rockford students selected to attend the Life Leadership conference are (back, l–r) Ryan Romain, Stephen May, Brandon Roberts, Drake Veitenheimer; (front) Marissa Saladin, Lindsey Blodgett, Margaret Smiley, Alison Prus and Kelsey Schwiebert, along with (far right) Rotarian Rick Ehinger. The three-day conference is designed to build on the students’ qualities of leadership.

Rockford Rotarians had to raise a little extra cash this year to send a record number of Rockford High School students to a three-day Life Leadership conference at Kettunen Center in Tustin, Mich. According to Rotarian Rick Ehinger, “This is the most we’ve had going from our district in the entire 61 years of this program.” Nine students were accepted to attend the conference, which Ehinger described as “life changing.”

“Rotary was founded with the idea of service, and Rockford Rotary serves our youth in many ways,” Ehinger said.

In addition to the Life Leadership conference, Rockford has long offered tours of the Little Red Schoolhouse, which was restored and is maintained by Rotary. Rockford Rotary Club also funds a literacy program, which provides books to Rockford-area schools. Rotary has provided Rockford’s schools with plaques of Rotary’s four-way test: Is it the truth?-Is it fair to all concerned?-Will it build better friendships?-Is it beneficial to all concerned? Rotary also provides parenting books for women in high school who are pregnant while continuing their education.

The Life Leadership conference was started in 1948 and is held once a year. Students enjoy lectures on leadership in small groups with a Rotarian facilitator. They stay at a dorm-type facility and also participate in other fun activities, such as swimming and evening campfires.

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