Pleasanton North Rotary owe a debt of gratitude to members Mark Linsky, Ryan Spuller and Jim Ott for assisting the recent successful conversion of the Rotary 5170 Area Four’s Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest into a multi-club, virtual Zoom event.
Mark and Ryan joined with representatives of the Dublin, Castro Valley, Hayward, Livermore, Livermore Valley, Pleasanton, and Tri-Valley Evening clubs to overcome substantial technical and logistical challenges to make the event possible.
Mark served as event co-chair with Bryan Benton of the Rotary Club of Dublin and Pamela Philbert of Tri-Valley Evening Rotary. PNR’s Jim Ott was one of five judges who assessed pre-recorded speeches from eight contestants. They were presented and the competition results were announced at Zoom event March 18.
Olivia Fryling, a senior at Redwood Christian Middle and High School, San Lorenzo, earned top honors with a presentation paying homage to individuals who devote themselves to serving others. They were crucial to helping her overcome emotional challenged during her sophomore and junior high school years.
Fryling, who represented the Rotary Club of Castro Valley, will move on to Northern Regional competition April 2 for an opportunity to become one of four finalists to compete for a $1000 cash prize April 24 at the District 5170 Training Assembly. Brooke Nunes, a senior at Moreau Catholic High School, Hayward, placed second, and Regina Molitoris, a junior at Granada High School, Livermore, was third.
