Interact DG Madelynn's Final Monthly Message

Posted by Madelynn Mac Donald
                  Hello again! I do have some sad news; this is my last article as District Governor for the monthly Rotary Newsletter! But of course, with sad news, there is always a positive aspect of it! Ashton Bialek-Kling is taking over, as he is the new Interact District Governor for 2020-2021! I am very thankful for having the opportunity to be included in the Newsletter, as I hoped that in my year as DG, I could help build a better connection between Rotary and Interact! I would like to give a special shout-out to David Simmer, for being an amazing Rotary District Governor, PDG Jim Erickson, for letting me be included in the newsletter; and I am especially grateful for you, the readers, for being such a great audience to write to.
 
                  Though I am sad that this is my last couple weeks of being District Governor, I know Ashton and his Executive Team will make this next year of Interact great! They are all full of passion and interest for Interact and Rotary. 
I would also like to thank my Executive Team and Assistant Governors. They worked hard to make this year to be the best Interact year yet! My Executive Team (Asa Marette and Anna Kuzminsky) and I were able to plan an incredible retreat, where the new Assistant Governors were able to learn about their duties, eat s’mores, and act in skits. This is where we also introduced the first ever Team Leaders to help their AGs in the areas (East Valley, West Valley, and Outlying Areas). This retreat made it possible for the Interact District Council to host a great Fall Leadership Conference in Wickenburg and Interact District Conference in Waddell! 
 
This was also an exciting year for Interact as a whole. We were able to introduce the expansion of our Crutches 4 Africa and Ambassador program by adding a team to be sent to Central Mexico to hand out mobility devices! We were able to do this, because of the help of all the Rotary and Interact clubs that successfully collected mobility devices. We were also able to sponsor the new JR RYLA, a great camp to help introduce Jr. High students to the wonders of Interact, Rotary, and leadership. Sadly, because of COVID-19, both of these events have had to be postponed.  However, they have been planned, with key players recruited; and we are excited to start these next summer!
 
All these wonderful events would not be able to be as successful as they were without the adults that helped us throughout the entire year! Art Harrington, Ken Kelley, and John Wintersteen were a key to this amazing Interact Year. They helped everyone gain leadership abilities, were an awesome listening ear, and I could not have done this year without them. I also had an incredible Executive Leadership Team with Asa and Anna. They helped planned conferences, made sure everything ran smoothly, and were truly great friends! I hope to keep in touch with all of you, so feel free to email me anytime (macdonald.madelynn03@gmail.com)! I know together, Rotary and Interact, will change the world; and I cannot wait to see what we do next.