District Governor Alexander Falk of Marblehead visited the Salem Rotary Club this week. He spoke at length of his goals for this Rotary year.

 

Alexander began his speech by describing this year's Rotary International's logo and how it is meant to remind us that we are all part of one community. He then spoke about Rotary International President Jennifer Jones's initiatives. This includes a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and the Salem Rotary has already earned its DEI certificate. Another initiative is creating a welcoming Rotary experience through the concepts of engagement and belonging. An additional initiative is empowering girls and the recognition of October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child. Jennifer Jones and Alexander Falk are both encouraging clubs to have a day of service. A final presidential initiative is on expanding Rotary's reach, which can be done locally by engaging in the community through public relations. President Jones will also be visiting service projects throughout the year. 

 

Alexander then encouraged clubs to think outside the box. Rotary is an international club where we can visit other Rotary clubs either in person or online. Other options include Fellowships, Rotary Action Groups, Inter-Country Committees, and connecting with Rotary through social media. Fellowships are Rotarians around the area, around the country, and around the world who share common interests or passions. You can find out more information on Fellowships here. Rotary Action Groups are independent, Rotary-affiliated groups made up of people from around the world who are experts in a particular field, such as economic development, peace, addiction prevention, the environment, or water. You can dig deeper into Action Groups here. Inter-Country Committees foster good will and peace among nations as international service is a priority at Rotary International. You can find a list of ICCs here. Some recent international projects include TutuDesks, named after Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. TutuDesks are portable desks supplied to underprivileged children in sub-Saharan Africa who do not have access to desks at school. Alex encouraged Salem Rotarians to connect with other Rotarians like Gwen Jones, who has a podcast called I'm a Rotarian and Ron Mandy who has the I Love Rotary sunglasses that Alex is sporting in the featured speaker photo this week. 

 

Governor Falk moved on to two other items; Rotary youth programs and New Pollinator Initiatives. There are various youth programs run through Rotary, including long term youth exchange opportunities for Juniors and Seniors who can spend a year abroad and short term exchange programs which generally are family-to-family programs over the summer. Currently only six clubs in the District are participating. More can be learned by visiting the District's Rotary Youth Exchange's website. Another option is to encourage Interact clubs to get involved in funding small projects around the world through microfinancing options. Members can select causes and types of microloans to support them. In an effort to address the massive loss of pollinators in recent years and its impact on world plant populations, the District signed a pledge with the Essex Heritage Area to support protection for pollinators. The District Governor is asking clubs to consider additional pollinator projects like building pollinator gardens and participating in No Mow May.

 

Finally, Alexander encouraged everyone to stay on top of upcoming District events by checking out the calendar on the District's website.