We had a near full house last week as we had the privilege of hosting our Annual Scholarship Celebration in person again this year! The Salem Rotary Club should be extraordinarily proud that the pandemic did not prevent us from maintaining our traditional level of awards this year. With much gratitude for the foresight of those who created the Salem Rotary Foundation and for the generous donations made by the many who have contributed to it over the years, we awarded $46,000 in scholarships to 17 graduating seniors from Salem!

 

Senator Joan Lovely and Mayor Kim Driscoll joined the celebration and offered congratulations to the students and the Club. Following their remarks, President-Elect Joe Amico, with assistance from Beth Alexander Stevenson and Scholarship Committee Co-Chair Leslie Levesque, presented the scholarships asking each student to identify their high school, introduce their two guests, and tell us where they will be pursuing their college degree. These students had a challenging end to their high school careers with the pandemic but were so happy to celebrate with their families and friends.

 

The following students received scholarships this year:

• Superintendent Stephen Zrike, Salem Public Schools
• Superintendent Heidi Riccio, Essex North Shore Agricultural & Technical School
• Melissa Lassen, Salem Academy Charter School
• Manny Cruz, Salem School Committee

Randy Burba shared why he was a Rotarian this week, giving our guests an insight into what Rotary is all about. Randy grew up in Salem and joined his father’s dental practice in 1995. He worked across the street from Buck Alexander who tried to wrangle Randy into Rotary. Unfortunately, their Rotary paths did not cross, but Randy’s patient, Tom Leonard, recruited him and brought him to a meeting about a year after Buck’s passing. Rotary was not new to Randy, because his grandfather was a Rotarian who had perfect attendance for about 50 years, including a meeting that took place in his hospital room so that his streak would not be broken. His uncle was also a Rotarian. While he knew of Rotary, he did not have a firm understanding of what it was about when he joined. Initially, like many, he joined to build connections with other businesses and the community. Once he joined, he realized Rotary was so much more than a networking opportunity. Things like the scholarship committee, Friends Forever, and service projects in the community and the world showed Randy the impact Rotary and Rotarians can have. He is grateful to the Club for supporting his annual service trips to Jamaica where he provides free dental care to those in need. Randy has been a member of the Salem Rotary Club since 2001 and has made many friendships over the years. He is proud to be able to give back to a community that has given so much to him.

President-Elect Joe wants to hear from you! Please complete this survey so that you can help him shape our Club for the next Rotary year. He wants your input on activities and committee preferences, among other things. Please complete asap!!!

 

May, June 25, 6PM – Club Leadership Transition Event
In lieu of an installation, president-elect Joe Amico has decided to graciously share the spotlight of the celebration of his transition to club leadership with me as I pass the reins over to him to end this Rotary year. Please save the date for this in-person event at the Hawthorne Hotel. More details will follow.