This Week at Rotary
Our meeting was interrupted this week by the Salem Fire Department! Luckily, all was well. We are also fortunate that Jen Close has talents in the evacuation area and got our group out in a safe and orderly fashion. She has now been dubbed the Club’s Safety Officer, because President Ryan thought she needed a little more to do for us. A flamingo pink safety vest is on order!
After we were able to return to our meeting, President Ryan recognized Scott Grover with a 15-year certificate. Scott has been having so much fun as a Rotarian, he didn’t realize he has been in the Club that long! Congratulations, Scott!
Jen Close shared some images from the Great Salem Maritime Cardboard Boat Regatta. Captain Ryan joined Jen aboard the Spoke & Feathers and hit some rough waters. While this is the first year our Rotarian mariners took a swim, they were able to make it around the giant pizza buoy on the fourth try! Bringing the flamingo back for another ride, our team did win the Iris Apfel Best Costume trophy. Boat design is already in the works for next year, which will be a larger race as it coincides with the Salem 400+ celebration and Heritage Days parade. Save the date for August 1, 2026!
Matt(hew) Callcut: A Human Being
Salem Rotarian Matthew Nigel Callcut (as called by his mum), 
Senior Product Owner at EBSCO, gave his classification speech today, focusing on his journey around the world and how he got to Salem, Massachusetts.
Matt used a series of maps to illustrate the places he’s lived, starting with his native home in the United Kingdom. As shown here, he describes the UK as an old man riding a pig, noting he was born and raised on the pig’s backside in Cambridge. He spent his first 33 years living in various places in the UK before moving to China.
Matt lived in China, which he describes as the well-regarded rooster, for over five years. He lived in Bejing, the neck of the rooster, where he worked for Microsoft. Matt explained how it is a humbling but wonderful experience to live as an ex-pat in a country where everything (language, alphabet, culture) is different from your own. He described the Chinese people as very warm and helpful. Matt also met his current wife, Allie, in China.
Following China, and Allie, Matt moved to the United States to live in the mitten of Michigan. Living in Ann Arbor for six years, Matt noticed that while Michigan is larger than the entire UK in mass, there are seven times more people in the UK than in Michigan. While the Dutch influence and expansive space of Michigan may be nice, he missed the people and socialization of a denser community.
With that in mind, Matt and Allie were in search of a new place to live. They settled in New England, specifically Salem. While Matt did not have an animal or article of clothing to describe New England's shape, he felt at home here as it resembles England in its organic, unplanned, dense configuration. A highly social creature, he loves the walkability and the people and is proud to have obtained his citizenship in Salem, a community he describes as progressive in an approachable and genuine way.
Matt lives in Salem with his wife Allie and their two children, Eve (11) and Ewen (8). He loves to travel, plays guitar and video games, is an avid photographer, and loves to do anything that involves the chance to socialize with other people.
During the Q&A portion of the presentation we learned two interesting things. One is that when Bob Anthony was a travel guide in China, many people asked to take his photo near the KFCs, because of his resemblance to Colonel Sanders. The other is that Mary Ellen Lahey realized during the presentation that she worked with Matt at EBSCO when he mentioned his love of video games. She had been on a Zoom meeting with him and heard him speak with their other colleagues about gaming for quite some time. From that conversation, she bought stock in Game Stop and ended up earning more than $30,000 from the sale.
Thank you, Matt, for your humor, stock tips, and wonderful presentation, and thank you Hannah Beth for introducing him to our Club!
Our DCF picnic is rapidly approaching. The DCF Picnic is an annual event put on by Salem Rotary to celebrate the foster families of the North Shore and to allow foster children the opportunity to interact with each other and often their siblings who are not able to be housed in the same foster home. This fun evening allows these children to be kids and enjoy many activities including a bounce house, outdoor games, a delicious BBQ and more. There are many ways to help! Volunteers are needed for setup, grilling, food distribution, fun facilitation, and cleanup. Email President Ryan if you are able to help!
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. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to make a real impact on people's lives, this is it. Volunteers pick the recipe, get the ingredients, prepare the meal, and help serve it. Many hands make meal service easy, so if you are interested in helping but are not able to shop or create the menu, you are still welcome to sign up to help. You are also welcome to bring family members and friends to volunteer with you. Meal prep typically starts around 4/4:30 PM, with dinner service at 5:30 PM. 
