Photo: Rotarians attending Peace Conference
 
The 2020 Rotary World Peace Conference held  January 17 & 18 in Ontario has successfully concluded.  Many Rotarians and Rotaractors from District 5340 attended this two-day event.  With 13 tracks and over 120 sessions, there were many opportunities to learn about being People of Action in Rotary's focus area of Promoting Peace.
 
The six general sessions provided attendees with a group of powerful and dynamic speakers from such organizations as the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, Women Across DMZ, the UN and the Peace Corp.  Session-goers also heard from people making a difference around the world, including Nobel Laureate Nominee, Dr. Fozia Alvi who discussed the Rohingya genocide, a series of ongoing persecutions by the Myanmar government against the Muslim Rohingya people, and Mark and Kym Hilinski from the Hilinski's Hope Foundation who discussed efforts to raise awareness about mental health in student athletes.  Participants had an opportunity to meet survivors of Hiroshima and the Holocaust.
 
The House of Friendship showcased over 65 organizations which  promote peace and awareness throughout the world, and gave participants an opportunity to learn more about what they do, providing  inspiration on how they too can make a difference in the world.
 
You can't come away from a conference such as this without being inspired to making a difference any way you can.  If you weren't able to attend this year's conference, then please mark your calendars now so that you can attend next year.  Next year's Rotary World Peace Conference will be held in Birmingham, Alabama on May 7-8, 2020.  To learn more you can go to www.peaceconference2021bham.org.
 
Photo:  Rotaractors attending conference.