Former club member, president and District Governor and now a member of the Sunup Rotary Club in Palm Springs, California, Bill Chase (shown at right below with President Rod) took to the podium today and spoke to members about the Rotary World Peace Conference 2016 he chairs that is scheduled for January 15-16, 2016 in Ontario, California.
 
Bill mentioned that the peace conference planning began a little less than 2 years ago. It was initially meant to be a conference for Southern California Rotarians primarily. However, as then incoming R.I. President Ravi Ravindran was planning his year to incorporate his 5 Presidential Conferences, one of which was to be focused on peace, he received word that Bill’s District 5330 was already way ahead of the game in planning theirs. Once Ravi found out, he called Bill’s incoming District Governor, Rudy Westervelt, to ask if he could piggyback onto ours. So the rest is history. Of the 5 Presidential Conferences scheduled for this Rotary year, Bill’s conference is the only one that will be held in the Western Hemisphere, and is focused solely on PEACE.
 
There will be 104 break-out session speakers, experts in their own fields, from bullying, to sexual harassment in the workplace, to human trafficking, to issues regarding religion, and illiteracy, to name just a few. Keynote speakers will include global peacekeepers, names that will familiar to all. There will even be a House of Friendship where NGOs as well as for-profit vendors will have the opportunity to display their programs and wares.
The Early Bird registration fee is $249 until October 1, after which time the fee jumps to $299. Lunch is included for both days. There is a discounted fee for Rotaractors and other college-enrolled students. The peace conference IS OPEN TO ROTARIANS AS WELL AS NON-ROTARIANS. Everyone will benefit! You may register on-line and also reserve your rooms at:  www.peaceconference2016.org. Also scheduled are both a pre and post bus tour around Hollywood, the cost of which is yet to be determined.
 
There will be 2 formal dinners, one Friday evening and one Saturday evening. These will be limited attendance functions. You may register for one or both of these dinners, at $100 each, on-line too. Bill mentioned that there is a Saturday evening concert open to all paid registrants featuring a world renowned 14-piece Russian Violin Ensemble.
 
The convention can only hold 3,800 people so register early!! Bill hopes to see as many of you there as can make it. Thanks for sharing your great work with us, Bill. Best wishes for a very successful conference!