This week at Rotary, time was set aside for Salem Rotarians to catch up with one another as there was no speaker. There was a Board of Directors meeting prior to dinner this week. Speaking of dinner, the meal was served buffet style like our luncheons based on feedback from several Rotarians who preferred a full meal as opposed to the tapas style dining that has usually accompanied the evening meetings.
Several important items were discussed at the Board meeting. First, final numbers are being tallied for the auction, but it looks like we have raised in the neighborhood of $17,000 for scholarship. Congratulations to all involved in that wonderful evening! The Scholarship Committee is reviewing the 27 applicants in an effort to trim the number of students to interview. There was a reminder to donate to the Annual Fund as well since we have a goal of raising $1,000. Traditionally that money has been raised through the Polar Plunge, Every Rotarian Every Year, and individual donations. If you do donate to the Annual Fund, please notify Rinus Oosthoek or Bill Henning. The Board approved of next years officers and Board, so stay tuned for that official announcement!
Thomas, Bill, Jane, and Hannah Beth represented Salem Rotary during a rewarding volunteer shift at the Salem Pantry Market this past Thursday. The team spent the day helping distribute fresh food and essentials to members of the community, contributing to the Pantry’s vital mission of addressing food insecurity in Salem. We’re proud to support such a dedicated organization and grateful for the opportunity to give back. Salem is fortunate to have the Salem Pantry, and Salem Rotary remains committed to lending a helping hand wherever it’s needed.
Salem Rotarians volunteered at the Salem Pantry's Market on the corner of Leavitt and Congress. This storefront allows easy access to healthy food for all.
CALENDAR WINNER!
Indira sold by Heather Lang
50:50 RAFFLE
Pot: $60
Players: Joe Amico and Claire Kallelis
No Winners This Week!
Dad Jokes:
What kind of noise does a witches' vehicles make?
BROOM BROOM
What do you give a sick lemon?
Lemonade
VISITORS AND GUEST ROTARIANS
Gary "Evening Meeting" Stirgwolt joined us as usual
ROTARY NEWS
RYLA Sponsorshsips
Why Your Support Matters
RYLA remains completely free for all students, ensuring that every student has equal access regardless of their financial situation. To maintain this commitment, we rely entirely on the generosity of Rotary clubs within our district and individuals like you who understand the program's value. But the cost for the staff and family advisors is an out-of-pocket expense. This is where we could use your help!
Your Donation in Action
Every contribution, no matter what size, makes a huge difference. Here's how your donation can directly support this year's program:
$25-50 Helps provide session materials like notebooks, art supplies, and team-building resources
$125 Sponsors a facilitator or volunteer for one day
$200 Funds lunch and supplies for a Family Leader training session (there are 6 of them leading up to the RYLA weekend!)
$300 Covers the cost of our camp nurse for the weekend
$375 Sponsors a family leader, advisor, or facilitator for the entire weekend
$700 Provides all session-related supplies (art products, role play props, s'mores materials, etc.)
$1,000 Funds t-shirts for all participants
The RYLA Impact
RYLA is more than just a weekend away. It's about building confidence, developing leadership skills, creating lasting friendships, and inspiring young people to become agents of positive change in their communities. I have personally witnessed breakthroughs in participants who had life transforming experiences during the weekend!
Your contribution, no matter the size, helps continue this legacy of leadership development for the next generation.
How to Donate
Scan the Venmo QR Code
Send a check to
Kathy Morris
Rockport Rotary Club
2A Jerden’s Lane
Rockport, MA 01966
Can't donate right now? You still have time.
Annual Fund Dollars Saving Ipswich River Watershed
We closed out the grant and wanted to give an update. Over two years, this grant reached over 7500 people via stakeholder trainings, outreach and social media and educated all regarding the need for water conservation as well as providing strategies for individuals and communities to reduce water use. We also developed the water conservation toolkit including creating a website to serve as a landing page for water conservation tools specific to the Ipswich River Watershed in Northeastern Massachusetts. In addition to compiling the material on one webpage, we also developed:
• The Recipe for Resiliency, a ten-step guide to enhanced water conservation for municipal water
• tabling materials to help people engage with the water conservation message at in-person events
• water use stats in each community that uses the Ipswich River Water that can be updated annually
• creation of social media posts highlighting the need for water conservation. These social media
posts were shared with towns to be posted on their social media accounts increasing viewership
• an ArcGIS survey to measure water usage and a dashboard to share the results of household water
use patterns
• personalized flyers for their top 100 water users in Wenham to educate them about their above-
average water usage and strategies to reduce water use in the summer
• And we tracked water use patterns via survey and local water supplier data to understand long-term
trends in community water use patterns.
Our reach was far beyond local, however. For a global grant through The Rotary Foundation, we needed an international sponsor. That sponsor was Ipswich East Rotary in Ipswich England. They visited us in the Fall of 2022 and had their own training session on water conservation. They have brought this message back to their own club and this grant will be featured across England and Ireland in a Rotary Foundation publication to emphasize the need for water conservation in those countries.
Thank you again for all of your support!!! We know a clean, safe and abundant water supply is society's most important resource. We still have a way to go but through our continued collaboration we can make the Ipswich River strong and viable for generations to come!
Heather Lang is excited and relieved that after years of waiting, taking classes, and dealing with DESE changing requirements she has obtained my Academic Teacher, World Language American Sign Language Teacher Licensure. This means that can teach ASL all day if the school has enough students sign up for the course and is the first person/only person in the district who has this license. She has also moved on as a semifinalist for Massachusetts Teacher of the Year in is excited for the honorees dinner coming up next month. Congratulations!
Jane Stirgwolt saw a photo of herself when she saw Prince Charles while wearing a dress she made herself back in her days in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She also rode in the anniversary parade with the Prince and sat next to him. Her message is that this is an important year for Salem with the 400+ celebration on the horizon.
Joe Amico had an amazing time in Florida with Jim, and even saw a launch from Cape Canaveral. He also shared the sad news that Pastor Emeritius Elizabeth King passed away from a sudden heart attack. The memorial service will be at 3 pm on Sunday at Tabernacle Church.
Matt Calcutt contributed his first happy dollars by sharing some music news that The Who fired and rehired their drummer Keith Moon. Matt had previously met Keith Moon once backstage at a festival. In a less than sober state he asked Moon if he would buy Matt a drink, and was told to f*ck off.
Amanda Thompson thanked the Salem Rotary for giving to the LEAP Gala, as well as all who attended the event which raised over $300,000. Obviously she is ON the Auction Committee.
Jason Consalvo quite literallyjust wanted to hear himself speak. He was then coaxed into saying something of substance on behalf of Phoneix School who had a wonderful event at House of Seven Gables. All were impressed by the former students who spoke about their experiences. The Salem Pantry fundraiser Shelf to Table in March raised 100k at The Ledger.
Liz Bradt let Bart reserve the flights for their upcoming trip to Bali. He thought he saved $1000 by getting a flight on Turkish Air only to learn that it is departing Manchester, England. Whoops!
Dan Sullivan shared an update on Joanne Scott's impending retirement. Her successor Sue Gabriel from Beverly Bootstraps.
Carolyn Shapiro had an encouraging update about her brother who had caught Covid. He needed gall bladder surgery as the organ was gangrenous. Afterwards he was unable to eat. Doctors then uncovered a massive gallstone blocking liver function, which will be handled.
Club Announcements
Service Opportunities
"Get the Plants Out of My Yard"
Ooshtoek Household
TBD
Rinus wants our plants out of his yard ASAP. Vegetable planting season is coming up soon. We will likely need more pots to temporarily house the plants in while the new location is prepared on the corner of Washington and New Derby
Fun and Fellowship
Dutch Drinks
Hotel Salem (The Roof or the Counter
May 2 at 5 pm
The actual location of this Fun and Fellowship event will be determined by the weather. Hopefully it's nice and we can meet up at the Roof!
Boys and Girls Club
Joanne Scott announced that she will be retiring in the near future. Congratulations! There are a few events that she wanted to update the club on:
June 30th- Annual Golf Classic at the Ferncroft
September 10th- Champion for Kids Celebration at the Ledger
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 p.m.
If you are interested in learning more about Salem Rotary, please email president@salemrotary.com.
"Get the Plants Out of My Yard"
Dutch Drinks
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