From Thursday to Sunday of last week, 10 Mid Island student leaders, and three Rotarians including me, left home for Tacoma Washington to attend a conference where they were inspired to make a difference in Third World Countries, their local communities and also in own lives and the lives of people around them.

This wonderful learning opportunity is offered to high school students every year thanks to six local Rotary Clubs and the Rotary Club of Tacoma.

This year forty or more Vancouver Island students were joined by 60 or more students from North West Washington State.

The Tacoma Rotary Club organized the first RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program) 39 years ago, and they have been there for students ever since.

The event begins at 6 pm on Thursday and ends at noon Sunday and focuses on inspirational speakers and mini workshops. There's no doubt the students get a lot out of it.

Two years ago eight Nanaimo students returned from RYLA and formed an Interact Club, s student Rotary Club. They raised over $10,000, which they used to pay school fees and provide food for AIDS orphans at two schools.

The next Interact Club was also led by RYLA graduates. They also are in the process of raising $10,000 or more for the same cause. And now the 2008 graduates have already begun making plans for next year.

Given the incredible inflation that Zimbabwe is suffering, the current Interact Club executive were in the final stages of making a decision to stop paying school fees and buying food in favour of helping the orphans, and the Interact Clubs in our two partner schools, to start a chicken and egg business - We have people in Zimbabwe that can help them. Our goal is to help them become self sufficient.

However, when I got home Sunday night, I got this email from one of the teachers we work with.

"It is with a heavy heart that l write this message. I understand the problems that you are facing at your end in the effort to assist the children But!!!!! If ever we have need of your help it is now that our children are collapsing in class because their little bodies can take it no more, when they have to spend the night at my home because they are too weak to walk the 5 kilometres and l can only offer a plate of porridge. Please Bill HELP!! l CRY OUT HELP!! Yes the fees have been paid BUT THE CHILDREN HAVE NOWHERE TO TURN TO. The rains have not done anything to help either. The garden we started can do only a little. Thandy"

I suspect our local Interact Club will choose to send money to buy food for the orphans as soon as possible.

If you would like to help purchase food, or better yet, help the Zimbabwe students start a chicken and egg business, please send a check made out to the Nanaimo Interact Club (Zimbabwe), 322 Kennedy Street, Nanaimo, BC  V9R 2J1. Let us know which cause you would like to support.

These monies will go through Rotary so we can guarantee that 100% will get to the orphans.