Our Indian exchange student, Nishka, will be finishing up her yearlong stay with us very shortly. While at the District Conference last month, Nishka participated in a speech contest with the theme, “Be a Gift to the World.” I can offer you no finer words than the text of her speech, which she gave permission […]

This past week, I attended the Salem Rotaract banquet and ceremony to mark the end of their Rotary year. This is “our” Rotaract Club, as we are one of the sponsoring Clubs along with South Salem. President Stephanie Bednarz gave a very nice outgoing speech. When she joined Rotaract, there were a total of 2 […]

The first time I heard of the “Presidential Citation,” I thought it was an award given to the Club President for doing such an awesome job. It’s not that at all! The Presidential Citation is earned by every one of you Club members throughout the Rotary year. We earned a Gold level citation this year, […]

Howard Baumann joined us at the May Rotary Club Board meeting. As Chair of the International Service Committee, he gave an update on the activities of the Committee this year – particularly with regard to outstanding financial commitments that will extend into future years. The International Service Committee is made up of 21 Club members […]

Thanks to your efforts this year, I believe the Salem area is slowly becoming more familiar with Rotary Club of Salem. This is starting to lead to more online inquiries about membership in our Club. What a great opportunity to expand our reach and our membership! And in turn, this has led us to adapt […]

Thank you to each of you Club members who have  sponsored a new member this year. Because of you, we now have 14 delightful new individuals to share membership with in our Club. These new members bring with them fresh energy, new ideas and a genuine desire to be included in all we do. Many […]

At a recent Club meeting, Shalisa Pierce shared a very informational piece on human trafficking in Oregon and around the world. I asked Jayne Downing, from the Center for Hope & Safety, to share some comments on how human trafficking presents itself in our community. Jayne wrote, “Unlike Portland, you are not likely to see […]

There is one thing that all new Rotarians can agree upon: Rotary is complicated. It takes a while to learn our acronyms, and to get a small sampling of all the things we’re involved in. Last Saturday’s District Training Conference was an opportunity to learn about Rotary beyond our luncheon meetings. The entire day was […]