5/6 Meadowfoam – An Unique Crop Grown in the Willamette Valley
What do a group of Willamette Valley farmers have in common with international iconic brands like Calvin Klein, Chanel, Estée Lauder, L’Oréal and many others? Kirsten French of Natural Plant Products will tell the fascinating story of the unique crop of meadowfoam and the small cooperative of growers who supply the world with a one of a kind product.
Program Chair – John McCulley
Meeting Location: Cedar Hall, Main Salem Alliance Building
President’s Message
Rotary Club of Salem’s Commitment to the Next Generation
Welcome to the month of May 2026. The Rotary theme for May is Youth Service. Our club is certainly focused on youth in a variety of ways:
Rotary Club of Salem is an annual participant in the Rotary Youth Exchange. This program is a two-way street that requires us to be both willing hosts of inbound students as well as sponsors of outbound students. In the coming Rotary year of 2026-27 we will receive a student from Chile, and we will send a South Salem High School student to Germany. This extends our long-time history of involvement in the Rotary Exchange program.
Rotary Club of Salem has supported RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) for many years. We recently had a luncheon program covering the RYLA program, and we heard firsthand from a RYLA participant, Avery Ackerman. This program continues this summer with a new funding formula wherein District 5100 Rotary Clubs and businesses are program sponsors at different monetary levels and RYLA participants attend, tuition-free. We continue to recruit and send deserving young people to this wonderful program. Thank you to Ida Lafky for her involvement and championing of this program.
Rotary Club of Salem has funded grants to many local organizations that focus on program services toward the youth of our community. During 2025-26 we have funded three large grants with a focus toward youth, we have funded twelve literacy grants which aim to give youth more opportunity at baseline learning and comprehension, and we have awarded nine small grants to organizations that focus their efforts on youth. The sum total of these 24 grants was $128,217.
Rotary Club of Salem has rekindled and ramped up its Hands-On Projects this year. I am so thankful for all of our Club members who have answered the call to participate. We have completed at least 12 Hands-On projects and benefited many youths in the process. The next time an opportunity arises for participation in a Hands-On project, please find a way to raise your hand and offer your time and effort to benefit the youth in our community.
Rotary Club of Salem has a very strong program of recognizing students of the month from our two affiliate high schools, North Salem and South Salem, plus our relationship with CTEC which operates 10 skill programs and attracts students from all six Salem/Keizer high schools. During each of the first three weeks of the months during the school year we recognize a student from one of these schools. We conclude each year with a program involving three students from these three schools in a panel, question and answer session that is one of the highlight programs of our Rotary year.
Youth is our focus; Youth is our future.
See you on Wednesday.
President Doug Parham
Rotary Club of Salem
2025-2026
