Return your 2026 Salem Rotary Raffle Calendar stubs so your recipients are entered into the drawings for the new year! The first winner was pulled today!
This Week at Rotary
Jennifer MacAllister Classification Talk
The General Manager of the Salem Inn, Jenn joined Salem Rotary in 2023. So far, she has enjoyed getting to know fellow Rotarians, hear from the speakers, and learn more about where Diane Pabich escaped to every Tuesday. Happy dollars are her favorite!
A Lynn native, Jenn moved to Salem in 2021 with her son Nick. She is an extraordinarily proud single mom who shares a special relationship with her son, who is successfully pursuing a degree in physics at Northeastern University. She notes that he is her greatest accomplishment, and they have a cat named Loki. She is one of four sisters who also share a very special bond. They just had their annual Thanksgiving celebration with 25 people including her mom and 10 nieces and nephews.
Jenn began her career at the Salem Inn when she was 14. She started in the laundry room, where she learned how to fold a fitted sheet (a subsequent training will take place at a future meeting), before moving onto housekeeping. When an opening became available in the office, she jumped at the opportunity to learn more about innkeeping. Working nights and weekend day shifts to start, she transitioned to day reservations when an opening was available there. She valued the mentorship she received from Diane and the previous general manager. Jenn was offered the position of general manager at age 25 when the prior GM moved back to Australia. She has served in this role for the past 18 years, and her favorite part of her work is meeting people from all over the world and seeing repeat customers who have become friends. A fun fact about the Salem Inn and Jenn is that the Salem Inn was incorporated, and Jenn was born, on February 11, 1983.
Jenn shared this was her first time public speaking, and she was nervous. She shouldn’t have been. She did a fantastic job and will make a great Rotary President some day!
Calendar Winner!
This was our first winner of the 2026 calendar! Gabriella Fajardo sold by Adria Duijvesteijn
50:50 Raffle
$775
Tyler Hains & Claire Kallelis
No Winners!
Visitors and Guest Rotarians
This week we welcomed AG David Deustch, Marblehead Rotarian Heather Gold, Dick Pabich, Gary Stirgwolt, and prospective Rotarian Chealsea Bishop.
Volunteer
Let’s not forget our motto, Service Above Self! The Community Service Committee is working hard this year to find more opportunities for Salem Rotarians to serve in our community.
LIFEBRIDGE DINNER Wednesday, January 14 | 4 PM | Lifebridge Lifebridge helps the folks in our community who are most in need with important basics like shelter and food. Once every two months, volunteers from the Salem Rotary Club make dinner. Meal prep typically starts around 4/4:30 PM, with dinner service at 5:30 PM. Email Hannah Beth Hembree if you’d like to volunteer!
Club Events
Why should you go to fellowship events?
Because they’re fun!
ACCIDENTLY ON PURPOSE FUNDRAISER FOR SALEM ROTARY FOUNDATION Saturday, January 24 | 7:30 PM | Hawthorne Hotel Thanks to fellow Rotarian Bruce Whear, the Club has the opportunity to have some fun while raising some money for our own Salem Rotary Foundation. Proceeds for up to 40 tickets to this performance of his comedy troupe “Accidentally on Purpose (AOP)” purchased by Rotarians will be matched by Bruce and donated to the Foundation. Part of Salem’s annual “Comedy and Spirits Festival,” AOP is the hottest improv comedy troupe on the North Shore. They specialize in short form improv comedy and travel through New England to perform both public and private shows as well as offer custom improv based corporate trainings. Tickets are $25 each. If you are interested, sign up with Rinus Oosthoek.
SAVE THE DATE: Salem Rotary Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Auction and Gala Friday, March 13, 2026 | Hawthorne Hotel As we prepare for this year’s Mad Hatter Tea Party Gala & Auction, we are excited to bring our community together for an evening of fun, creativity, and impact. One of the highlights of the night will be our auction, which helps raise the vital funds that fuel our Rotary Scholarship Fund. Together, we can make this auction unforgettable and raise the resources needed to continue the incredible work of Salem Rotary. We are anticipating this to be a crowd drawing event, so be sure to get your tickets early and please share the event and ticket links on your social media platforms. Thank you for being part of the magic—we can’t wait to celebrate with you at the Mad Hatter Gala! Please let Jason Lang or Heather Lang know what you can contribute, or who we can reach out to, by February 1, 2026.
RI & District News
DISTRICT EVENTS
Feb. 12 World Peace and Understanding Event
Mar. 21 “Spring into Action” Polio Fundraiser
May 16 District Conference
Jun. 13-17 RI Convention in Taipei
Salem Rotarians Say . . .
Joe Amico is competing with Jason Consalvo for mic time and may be winning! He shared that there will be a Celtic Candlelight Concert on Saturday, January 10 at 7 PM at the Tabernacle Church featuring Bob and Jen Strom and others. Donations of $20 can be offered at the door. Those interested should use the Federal Street entrance. All are welcome.
Sue Gabriel was happy to have had a really great holiday season. All of her family was together for the first time in a while, and they enjoyed playing games and having holiday cheer!
Gary Stirgwolt (who should just join Rotary already!) shared that our very own Tim Clarke received an award for being his helpful, awesome self at their Manchester Yacht Club.
Natalie Blue was happy that she spent two weeks away from work and had amazing quality time with her kids. From driving around Christmas Eve to look at Christmas lights, to opening the traditional Christmas Eve pjs, to an overnight in Boston that included the Puttshack (highly recommended), Ice Cream Museum and loads of fun, it was a rejuvenating and welcome experience!
Jason Consalvo shared two stores, in an effort to compete with Joe. One was a story of years past when Jane may have caught him get a little handsy with his wife at the Hamilton Hall Ball, and the second was a nice shout out to Natalie’s singing chops as he praised her performance on December 20 when she sang Hard Candy Christmas.
Tyler Hains is happy to have his kids back in school and away from holiday break video games. He was also happy to have some quality time with his family over the holidays at their annual caroling party, where the older kids’ friends actually know how to sing now, and on a trip to the Newport Mansions. Fun fact! House of Seven Gables members can get into the Newport Mansions for free through a reciprocity agreement (we wonder how much Dakota paid Tyler to share that!).
Hannah Beth Hembree also took two weeks off from work and spent most of them in South Georgia visiting family. She was happy to share that her high school football team, in a town of roughly 3,000, won the state championship last year!
Ryan Guilmartin closed out happy dollars with tales of his kids’ whirlwind four Christmases tour. They started at their mom’s house, then went onto Ryan’s brothers, then Ryan’s, and finished in Jacksonville at their grandparents’. Ryan arrived to the last stop a little late due to a boiler issue in Salem which has luckily been repaired!
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.
