SEASIDE – The weekend of April 29 to May 1, the clubs of Rotary District 5100 held their annual conference at the Seaside Convention Center. District 5100 is comprised of clubs in Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon, totaling 75 clubs. The registration and participation of 507 Rotarians and 147 Youth Exchange, Interact and Rotaract young people made this the best attended conference in recent memory.

In addition to the conference activities for club members, Rotarians and those in the Rotary youth programs from around the district participated in community projects in Seaside. Among these community projects were painting the Head Start classrooms, preparation of community gardens for planting and beach cleanup.

On April 27, 93 youths from around the world and the USA participated in a speech contest where they spoke about what the international theme “Building Communities and Bridging Continents” meant to them. On April 29, a youth talent show demonstrated the hope and leadership potential youths bring to the future of the world. The Rotary Youth Exchange, Interact and Rotaract programs continue to build understanding between countries, one person at a time.