Founder and President of Seaglass Village and Marblehead Harbor Rotarian
Heidi gave a passionate presentation about the Seaglass Village, a 501C3 that she helped formalized on 12/31/2020. The organization strives to bring elders together with volunteers that can help them age at home. The premise is to have community members assist members who need help with transportation, grocery shopping, light house and yard work, and small handyman tasks. In addition to the volunteer arm of the program, Seaglass will also offer social programs and vendor referrals.
The Village movement began in Beacon Hill in 1999 and swept across the United States. Currently there are 350 villages in the US, 28 in Massachusetts and another 11 in development. California has a robust program that Heidi and her team are hoping to emulate on the East Coast.
Right now, Seaglass is planning to assist seniors (50 years old and above) in the towns of Marblehead, Nahant and Swampscott, with hopes to grow to include members in Salem and Lynn. Then the sky is the limit. Membership to the Village ranges in price from $30 a month for a single membership to $45 for a family. The team is working to have scholarship programs so no interested person is turned away.
For more information on the program and the movement please visit www.seaglassvillage.org or call Heidi at 781-718-9584.
CALENDAR WINNER!
Betty Csogi of Peabody
Sold by Scott Grover
VisIting Rotarians & Guests
John DiPiano of the DiPiano Family Law Group joined us again this week.
ROTARY MINUTE
The auction committee will be meeting on Friday, February 19 at 11 AM to discuss next steps in planning for the spring.
The scholarship committee will be meeting Monday, February 22 at 2 PM.
Why I am A SALEM Rotarian
Tim Clarke shared that in 1986 at age 25, he joined what was then a group of mature gentlemen for lunch. He did this to meet people he may not have met otherwise. He reminisced that back then, there were those in the group who would meet in the Tavern for an adult beverage before heading over to the ballroom for lunch. He also shared that this was a time before women were involved in Rotary and that he was proud to be part of the Club when women were admitted, noting it was the best decision Rotary International ever made. He has seen ups and downs in the Club over the years and noted that you have no sense of what Club leadership is like until you do it, but it is a rewarding experience. He closed by sharing that when he started Rotary 35 years ago, the room was filled with big egos and now it is full of members with big hearts and friendship, which is why he continues to be a Rotarian today. Tim has selected Suzanne O’Brien to share next week.
RotarIAN NEWS...
Jason Consalvo and his kids were talking about how computers were made, and Harrison guessed they were made from stone. This opened up a club discussion on typewriters!
JohnDiPiano introduced Hayley, a Villanova grad and legal assistant in his office, who received a Salem Rotary Scholarship in 2016. She learned today that received a full scholarship to New England Law.
Heidi Whear praised Joe who worked with her sister for 2 years and was part of her ordination last Wednesday. She is now a full reverend. Bruce added that Joe gave the best speech of the ceremony!
John Fisher got his second COVID vaccination this morning and so far no ill effects.
Siddartha Shah has been assisting with interviews of outbound Rotary Youth Exchange students and was asked to speak with a candidate from Salem.
Gerrit Bradley shared that Liz helped her sister give her chocolate show, and she gave Liz a tapestry that he would like to show to Siddartha to see if it would be of interest to the PEM.
Club Announcements
Calling All Spoke Note Takers
Jason Consalvo is looking for members to assist with notes for the Spoke. Adria will still compile the bulletin each week but could use some help with the notetaking during the meeting. Taking notes for the Spoke is a great way for new Rotarians to get to know our members! Please email Jason if you are able to help. Kristen Armstrong was the wonderful volunteer this week!
Go By Boat Available for Pre-Order
Dr. Chuck Radis, our first speaker of this Rotary year, shared stories and anecdotes with us from his new book Go By Boat. The book went to the printer a few weeks ago and is now available for preorder. Dr. Radis is giving 50 percent of the profits from the book to minority student medical school scholarships and to a non-profit he works with in the Kiryandongo UN refugee settlement in Uganda. For more information on how to preorder, visit his website.
Salem Rotary Scholarship Applications Are Posted!
The 2021 scholarship applications are now available on our website. The Scholarship Committee is already working to promote this opportunity to seniors. Please help get the word out in any way you can and direct interested applicants to the “download files” section of our homepage on the bottom right for the applications. Applicants must be residents of Salem, Massachusetts and may not be the child, grandchild, niece, nephew, great niece or great nephew (this includes adoptive or step relationship) of any current member of Salem Rotary, or any person that has been a member of Salem Rotary within the past five years. These scholarships are available to grade 12 high school and trade school students pursuing college or a vocational trade. Applications will be accepted from February 24 through April 10, 2021.
Lifebridge Dinner Wednesday, March 10
Thank you to the volunteers who worked with Claire and Kristen to prepare a delicious lasagna dinner for Lifebridge for this past Wednesday! The next dinner for Lifebridge is scheduled for Wednesday, March 10. Again, a recipe will be provide to volunteers so the meal will be consistent, and volunteers will make a portion of the dinner in their home kitchens. Please contact Kristen Armstrong or Claire Kallelis if you would like to volunteer in March or in the future.
18 Washington Square
Salem, MA 01970 United States of America
We are currently meeting via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to returning to the Hawthorne Hotel soon! In the meantime, please email president@salemrotary.com for our Zoom link.
HEIDI WHEAR
Tim Clarke shared that in 1986 at age 25, he joined what was then a group of mature gentlemen for lunch. He did this to meet people he may not have met otherwise. He reminisced that back then, there were those in the group who would meet in the Tavern for an adult beverage before heading over to the ballroom for lunch. He also shared that this was a time before women were involved in Rotary and that he was proud to be part of the Club when women were admitted, noting it was the best decision Rotary International ever made. He has seen ups and downs in the Club over the years and noted that you have no sense of what Club leadership is like until you do it, but it is a rewarding experience. He closed by sharing that when he started Rotary 35 years ago, the room was filled with big egos and now it is full of members with big hearts and friendship, which is why he continues to be a Rotarian today. Tim has selected Suzanne O’Brien to share next week.
Calling All Spoke Note Takers
Go By Boat Available for Pre-Order
Salem Rotary Scholarship Applications Are Posted!
Lifebridge Dinner Wednesday, March 10
