Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending Mid-America Region’s (MAR) Fall Regional Convention (FRC) in Omaha, Nebraska The convention was coordinated by St. Louis Council’s Leah Levenson and Omaha Council’s Leo Kohl. The coordinators and steerer members put in a lot of time and effort making this year’s FRC one of the best I’ve seen in all of my years in BBYO.

The convention was held at Gene Eppley Camp just 16.5 miles (26.55 km) south of Omaha, Nebraska which featured multiple cabins, a basketball court, a dining hall, a chapel, and a set of pavilions all around a mid-sized body of water.

At this convention, we had one of the most important AZAA basketball tournaments in MAR history. The winning chapter, also known as the reigning champions Esperanto AZA #2486, donated $100 to the International Service Fund (ISF) on behalf of the region. I hope other chapters in my region and many other regions use charity athletic competitions as a way to raise money for the ISF.

Later on in the weekend, my region held a silent disco instead of a normal dance. The dance was incredible. We were all shocked by how fun it was and made everyone want to do it again at another convention.

Our community wouldn’t be together again until Winter Regional Convention in Kansas City. After everyone said their goodbyes, I took a moment to reflect on the incredible weekend.