Our speaker at Rotary this week was Marven Hyppolite. Marven is a resident of Lynn who is deeply committed to serving and empowering his community. His experiences include working at Congressman Seth Moulton's office. During the past fall, Marven journeyed to Haiti, the country of his early childhood, to study syntropic farming and agroforestry.
Marven was inspired to go to Haiti because he was bothered by the ongoing conditions there. He did lots of research on his family history, discovering that his grandfather was a farmer and ran a local cooperative. He booked his flight to Haiti and tried to return via the Dominican Republic, which was unsuccessful. He described the difficult conditions in Port-au-Prince which had been overrun by gangs. Marven was thankful that his friend had an armored truck to drive around. He eventually got to his family's home in Lavalle de Jacmel. The area is pretty dependent on the Dominican Republic for trade and supplies which were cut off while Marven was in Haiti.
Around this time, the leaves were turning colors in an unnatural way because of a pest infestation. He found that the local politicians had not been paid in a long time and were paying for things like trash pickup out of pocket. Marven was able to track down an expert who advised letting the infected trees die out. Marven worked with local organization called ASDIE to address the dying trees. The project that Marven created is designed to replant trees in the area using a tree nursery growing more resistant types of trees. They hope to target the most impacted people in Lavalle. The steep slopes and mudslides in the area have made replanting difficult. Additionally they will be attempting to educate locals on how to create a natural pesticide to prevent future infestations. They will be soliciting funds and donations in the future to fund the project.
Marven found that there were many Americans living in Haiti who had moved there to help rebuild after natural disasters. He also found that many Haitians had been deported back from the United States which is exacerbating problems there due to the additional mouths to feed and the dwindling supplies available.
Following this meaningful experience, he has taken the initiative to launch a project in Lavalle de Jacmel, Haiti. Marven hopes that this project sparks a wave of sustainable development for the region, making a lasting positive impact on the community.
AS THE ROTARY WORLD TURNS...
Salem Rotary Board of Directors for the next Rotary year will be announced soon!
The legislative speaker calendar is coming together.
In November, the nomination committee selected Terry Curran, from the Parkway Rotary Club as the District Governor Nominee Designee (DGND). An eBulletin went out to the entire District in November indicating her selection and asking for any challenges. No challenges were submitted by any club in our District by the December 31st deadline.
Therefore, we are excited to announce Terry has been elected to be the DGND for District 7930 and will serve as our District Governor 2026-27!
Congratulations Terry!
Terry joined the Parkway Rotary Club of West Roxbury, Roslindale and Jamaica Plain in 2007 and served as President of the Club multiple times from 2011-2013, 2014-2015, and 2016-2018. She proudly served on the Club’s Board of Directors for ten years and also served as Club Membership Chair, Public Image Chair, Webmaster and Foundation Chair a position she still holds.
President Jen Close
with her flamingo
and Bob "You Should See the Other Guy" Anthony
Visiting Rotarians & Guests
Future Rotarian Fred, Darleen Melis with the Salem Tree Commission, Hannah Beth Hembree from the Salem Pantry, and our speaker Marven Hyppolite.
Calendar Winner!
New calendar stubs are in the pot! Take this as a final reminder to get your Calendar money in.
MaryAnne Curtin sold by Claire Kallelis
50:50 Raffle
Pot $680
Jason Lang and Mike McLaughlin played. No winners this week!
ROTARIAN NEWS
Tim Clarke's son Sam had son of his own recently named Theo. This means that there will be another generation of Clarke siblings in Salem. Watch out!
Claire Kallelis was excited to announce that she is Into the Groove and attending a Madonna concert tonight. These tickets are very hot right now, dare I saw en Vogue. Claire is feeling like a Lucky Star on Holiday attending her sixth show. Since she is a Material Girl, Claire reserved parking and is contemplating getting an Uber from her car to the show to avoid the storm that might result in a Drowned World. She is asking for our (Like a) Prayers tonight and hopes she will Live to Tell the story.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dutch Drinks
January 12
Location TBD
Polar Plunge
January 27
Dead Horse Beach
Everyone's favorite frigid event is BACK. Get those speedos out of storage and mark your calendars. More details to follow. This potentially be re-labeled with the more festive name of Frozen Flamingo Frolic. The Mayor of Salem will be plunging...
18 Washington Square
Salem, MA 01970 United States of America
NOTE: The fourth Tuesday of the month is an evening meeting, beginning at 5:15.
If you are interested in learning more about Salem Rotary, please email president@salemrotary.com.
50:50 Raffle
Dutch Drinks
Polar Plunge 
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