This week at Rotary, our guest speaker was David Hart from the Malden Rotary, where he has been a member since 2007. He is also has a Paul Harris Fellow recognition, has served as assistant governor for his district, and is currently on the district's DEI committee. One thing David noticed about his club is that it was no longer representative of the Malden community, which is a challenge for many clubs.
David got involved with diversity, equity and inclusion efforts because of his personal work and the diverse community of Malden. At the district level when he started this work, 38% of members were women. The district was very proud of this fact because it was twice the amount of women in clubs internationally, but David questioned what the representation was for other groups. This question led to him being asked to start a DEI committee at the district level.
David noted that every club’s largest problem is retention of members. North America is losing members while RI is increasing membership throughout the world. He believes equity can have a big impact on member retention and the sense of belonging a member has within a club. He added that there have been thousands of studies done at the business level that show how a diverse team results in more agile, stronger businesses and a wider customer base.
The district’s DEI Committee has 8-10 members and meets on the third Tuesday of the month from 6-6:30. They are always looking for and welcome new members. The committee has held panel discussions on DEI topics, created resources, a mission and values for DEI efforts in our district, and developed a citation for clubs to be designated DEI clubs.
He recommended that our club look at our city and business demographics and use that as a recruitment tool to attract more members. He also recommended that we look at club traditions to make sure they are not unintentionally alienating new or existing members from diverse backgrounds or different lived experiences.
The four way test
Randy Burba spoke this week about his thoughts on the Four Way Test. He noted that he was the first non-senior member to speak on the test in quite some time. Randy did make special mention of the concepts of building better friendships and goodwill. Salem Rotary has always done a lot of great work in the community. On a personal note, Randy mentioned how Rotary sponsors his work in Jamaica. This tradition of giving is what fosters goodwill. Scott Grover will speak next week.
A/V Jack made his triumphant return. Matt Condon, principal at the Collin Middle School was in attendance, as was speaker David Hart.
YOURS IN SERVICE
The Polar Plunge which will be taking place on April 2 at 11 am at Long Beach in Gloucester. We fully expect more plungers than usual due to the later plunging date. It is a flamingo themed event, so plungers should where their best flamingo hat, towel, or flotation device. . Sign up sheets for both plunging and donating continue to be passed around at Rotary. Feel free to contact Liz Bradt if needed. Apparently the district has backhandedly issued a fundraising challenge, so be sure to donate TODAY even if you have already done so!
Bill Keilbasa has a plan for the Community Board! Rich Eisner graciously volunteered to help him on April 2 (which unfortunately is the same day as the Polar Plunge). The Salem Little League sent a note of thanks for our continued sponsorship and Salem State sent a thank you note for the donation on behalf of Nelson Dionne.
Additionally, the Next Lifebridge Dinner is coming up in May. Many thanks to those that volunteered at the March dinner. A reminder that food insecurity is increasing due to recent economic changes.
SERVE TO CHANGE LIVES
ROTARIAN NEWS
Adria Duijvestein reported that Salem State announced a full slate for its upcoming speaker series, including David Ortiz and Amal Clooney.
Leslie Levesque was excited by the fact that the Phoenix School is going to the Everglades for a study trip! It's the first such trip in several years.
Jason Consalvo made a thinly veiled attempt to garner more attention for himself by encouraging all to read the Spoke, as he claims to be the target of the writer's ire. He was also proud to announce that Harrison had a wonderful recital at the Shalin Liu Performance Theater in Rockport.
Rinus Oosthoek was also excited by a return to events of years past, this time the Salem Chamber's Open House! While cleaning up in preparation for the event, he found several copies of the booklet commemorating 100 year anniversary of Salem Rotary. Feel free to reach out for a copy.
Bruce Whear is excited to be going to Key West with Heidi. He thanked Tim Clarke for the inspiration and recommendations.
Upcoming events
Bowling with the Peabody Club
April 26
MetroBowl
The date is tentative and time is TBD. That being said, put this in your calendar and practice your game. No mercy for Peabody!
Rotary Auction
May 20, 2022
Hawthorne Hotel
Please make note of the date change. The hope is that the later date will increase attendance. Sponsorship forms were handed out at Rotary this week and will be done again in the future.
Click the link below to log into the weekly club meeting via Zoom.
At Rotary, we understand that cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is essential to realizing our vision of a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.
We value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, across age, ethnicity, race, color, disability, learning style, religion, faith, socioeconomic status, culture, marital status, languages spoken, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as well as differences in ideas, thoughts, values, and beliefs.
Recognizing that individuals from certain groups have historically experienced barriers to membership, participation, and leadership, we commit to advancing equity in all aspects of Rotary, including in our community partnerships, so that each person has the necessary access to resources, opportunities, networks, and support to thrive.
We believe that all people hold visible and invisible qualities that inherently make them unique, and we strive to create an inclusive culture where each person knows they are valued and belong.
In line with our value of integrity, we are committed to being honest and transparent about where we are in our DEI journey as an organization, and to continuing to learn and do better.
DAVID HART
Bowling with the Peabody Club
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