Jason Carlstrom, President of the Iowa Great Lakes Rotary club, shared with Rotarians his trip to Birmingham, England, for the 2009 Rotary International Convention held in June.
 

Along with photos and stories, Jason spoke about the 2009 RI Convention at the regular Rotary meeting on Wednesday, September 23. The RI Convention was held in Birmingham, England, and consisted of 30,000 attendees from 147 countries.

Highlights of the Convention for Jason and his wife Carrie included:

   - The House of Friendship, a gathering place for Rotarians from around the world

   - Opening/Closing Ceremonies, complete with entertainment, flag ceremonies and speeches from DK Lee (Outgoing RI President) and John Kenny (Incoming RI President)

   - Jane Goodall's speech  

   - Tourism attractions like Warwick Castle and Stonehenge

   - Breakout sessions including ones on RYLA, Rotaract and Interact