The 2026 Salem Rotary Raffle Calendars are ready for pick up! If you haven’t gotten yours, they are waiting for you at the Hawthorne Hotel.
For those of you who are new to the calendar sales, each Salem Rotarian is asked to sell or purchase a minimum of 10 calendars (these calendars make great holiday gifts!). Calendars cost $20 each, and the bottom tab on the back of the calendar needs to be completed for the weekly calendar raffle.
Please return your all of your tabs with the funds collected at the same time, and by the beginning of January, so your calendar entries can be included in the raffle to win the weekly $100. The first draw from these calendars will be January 6.
This Week at Rotary
Rev. Holly Brauner, End of Life Doula
Rev. Holly Brauner, ordained minister, hospice volunteer, and our very own Bruce Whear’s sister-in-law, joined us this week to talk about her unique career as an end of life doula. Holly began by thanking the Rotary group for their willingness to engage in a conversation about death—an often-avoided topic that touches every one of us. Her own calling into this unusual field deepened profoundly after the death of her father last year. Even with professional hospice guidance and siblings experienced in medicine and elder care, she found herself unprepared for the emotional reality of watching a loved one’s body steadily shut down. That experience left her wishing she had understood more and convinced her of the importance of companionship and knowledge during the dying process.
Holly invited the audience to reflect on their own relationships with death or other difficult times in life. Who guided them? Did they have someone to coach them through uncertainty? She reminded them that death, like birth, is simply a part of life. Historically, families lived in close quarters across generations, and death unfolded within the home. Children saw it, participated in mourning rituals, and understood it as part of the family story. Over time, however, modern living and medicalization pushed death out of the household and into institutions. Today, although death is our one universal experience, it remains a mystery—and often the elephant in the room. We avoid discussing it, hide it behind euphemisms, and fear making one another uncomfortable.
Holly then explained the role of an end-of-life doula: a non-medical, compassionate presence who accompanies individuals and their families during the transition of dying. Doulas are not doctors, nurses, or relatives; instead, they offer neutral, steady companionship. According to Inclusive Educators in Hospice, Nursing, Psychotherapy, and Chaplaincy (INELDA), they provide emotional, spiritual, and practical support, helping people navigate mortality with dignity. They educate families about the dying process, lessen caregiver burden by gathering resources, and create space for life review, meaningful conversations, and the resolution of unfinished business. They support planning, memory-making, and can sit vigil as a person dies, remaining with family in the immediate hours after death. Unlike hospice, a doula’s involvement does not require a terminal diagnosis; they can be included in the circle of care at any point.
Holly encouraged listeners to think about their own concentric circles of care: Who will be closest to you at the end? Who will you invite—or not invite—into that space? Who will carry out your final wishes? She closed with a reminder from Frank Ostaseski that death is not a distant event but a constant companion, a teacher hiding in plain sight. By acknowledging death’s presence, we can discover what matters most—long before our final moments arrive.
Calendar Winner!
We had two calendar draws this week due to the Thanksgiving meeting being in Danvers. Winners are:
June Armstrong sold by Kristen Armstrong
Madelene Pario sold by Natalie Blue
50:50 Raffle
$390
Dan Sullivan and Carol Lang
No Winners!
Visitors and Guest Rotarians
This week, we welcomed Carol Lang, Jason's mom.
Volunteer
Let’s not forget our motto, Service Above Self! The Community Service Committee is working hard this year to find more opportunities for Salem Rotarians to serve in our community.
WRAPPING OPPORTUNITIES
DCF Gift Wrapping Wednesday, December 3 | 5:30 PM | All Saints Church, 13 Holten St, Danvers If you love to wrap, join Jen, Leslie and Adria (Salem Rotary’s resident elves) in this fun night of preparing the gifts from Santa for the DCF party!
SPUR Holiday Cheer Drive – Gift Wrapping (Marblehead) Friday, December 5 | 3:15 – 4:15 PM Want to wrap a bit more? Eight people are needed to help wrap gifts for more than 600 children and adults who otherwise would not receive gifts this holiday season. All gifts have been donated by community volunteers, and our help ensures they’re wrapped and ready for distribution. Reach out to Hannah Beth to sign up!
DCF HOLIDAY PARTY
Saturday, December 6 | 11 AM – 4 PM | Salem High Field House We will once again be participating in the DCF Holiday Party, which serves foster children across the North Shore. This event allows foster children the opportunity to celebrate the holidays with their foster families and often their siblings who are not able to be housed in the same foster home. There are many opportunities to get involved, with multiple volunteer shifts on the day of the event. Reach out to Hannah Beth to sign up!
ENGLISH LANGUAGE FRIENDS PROGRAM Ongoing through December 12 (Flexible) | House of the Seven Gables The House of the Seven Gables is seeking volunteers for its English Language Friends program! The goal of the program is to help students practice conversing in English outside of the classroom. Volunteers will be matched with 1-2 adult English-learning students. After the initial meeting at our office, we ask volunteers to commit to 2 hours of English conversation per week from October 20 - December 12. You decide with your friends when and where to meet. Meet-ups can be a walk, over a coffee/tea, going to a park, etc. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to Dakota Russell.
Club Events
Why should you go to fellowship events?
Because they’re fun!
SALEM ROTARY HOLIDAY PARTY Saturday, December 13, 6 PM | Jim Rose's House, 25 Linden Street, Salem See President Ryan's email for details!
SAVE THE DATE: Salem Rotary Holiday Party TBD
SAVE THE DATE: Salem Rotary Mad Hatter’s Tea Party Auction and Gala Friday, March 13, 2026 | Hawthorne Hotel As we prepare for this year’s Mad Hatter Tea Party Gala & Auction, we are excited to bring our community together for an evening of fun, creativity, and impact. One of the highlights of the night will be our auction, which helps raise the vital funds that fuel our Rotary Scholarship Fund. Together, we can make this auction unforgettable and raise the resources needed to continue the incredible work of Salem Rotary. We are anticipating this to be a crowd drawing event, so be sure to get your tickets early and please share the event and ticket links on your social media platforms. Thank you for being part of the magic—we can’t wait to celebrate with you at the Mad Hatter Gala! Please let Jason Lang or Heather Lang know what you can contribute, or who we can reach out to, by February 1, 2026.
RI & District News
DISTRICT EVENTS
Feb. 12 World Peace and Understanding Event
Mar. 21 “Spring into Action” Polio Fundraiser
May 16 District Conference
Jun. 13-17 RI Convention in Taipei
Salem Rotarians Say . . .
With such an engaging topic and a great presentation, there was no time for news this week!
18 Washington Square
Salem, MA 01970 United States of America
NOTE: The fourth Tuesday of the month is an evening meeting, beginning at 5:15 p.m.
If you are interested in learning more about Salem Rotary, please email president@salemrotary.com.
