Weekly Newsletter | August 14, 2018

August 15 – Salem Convention Center

Program – Union Gospel Mission

Dan Clem, executive director of Union Gospel Mission, will be sharing a unique perspective on the issues of homelessness and its impact and effect on the local community, in particular Salem’s downtown businesses. Additionally Dan will introduce us to their good neighbor initiative to improve collaborative relationships with businesses, churches, other nonprofits and the general public. Part of that plan includes the building of a new men’s mission. We’ll get a glimpse of the facility, scheduled to open in late 2020, and the difference this new building of hope will make in providing additional and more effective services to our homeless men, women and children. Finally, we’ll hear about the life-changing programs of Union Gospel Mission of Salem.
Program Chair: Shaney Starr
Message from President Rus

Happy middle of August to all. I’m a month and a half into my year driving the Salem Rotary bus and, thanks to all of you, this is proving to be a joy beyond my wildest expectations. The energy in our club is amazing and truly an inspiration. Three Red Badgers, yes three, at the head table last week, another inspiring moment and indication of the incoming excitement to our great club. Thanks to Heather Cordon, Marshall Roche, and Mark Hunter for your participation. You are going to hear it from me over and over the importance of assuring our new members quickly become comfortable in our large environment. It is one of the most important paths to engagement and sustained membership in our club. Please give them a moment of your time and ask how Rotary is going so far.

Talking about inspiration, what a response to the dictionary project! Julie Hilty launches the fundraising and you immediately respond buying 30 cases of dictionaries. Our club share for the dictionary project is about $5,000. To those of you stepping up last Wednesday, my thanks, but wait, there’s more. We have submitted for a $2,000 grant from District 5100.  Just think, with District’s help, for every three dictionaries, you buy, they give us two. We are still climbing the hill to reach our goal, so I hope you will consider buying a case, half case, or partial. That’s a 67% return on your investment in our local children.  If you really want to feel the buzz, please volunteer to label and if you really, really want to feel it, volunteer to personally hand a dictionary to a fourth grader.

That is Impact.

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