THE SPOKE
Official Newsletter of the Salem Rotary Club

This week at Rotary...

December 15
SALEM HIGH HOLIDAY CONCERT
Cynthia Napierkowski, Lianne Goodwin, and Salem High Musicians
The pandemic did not prevent our Club for hearing the talented student musicians from Salem High School. Cynthia Napierkowski brought news and music from the Salem High Jazz Band with videos from recent performances. She also brought some of her students who shared their experiences playing instruments during this public health crisis, including a demonstration of how they play while wearing masks. Cynthia shared how important it is to the teachers and students to keep traditions going during the pandemic and that they were pleased to be able to play, in one form or another, to the Salem Rotary Club.
 
Lianne Goodwin described how the Chamber Choir is coping with the pandemic. She noted that the rules for singing are not as far along as those for band and that students are singing remotely. Lianne receives raw footage from each student with their singing and then needs to compile them into one video for a full performance. This is a challenging and time consuming process but seeing the raw footage of each student allows Lianne to hear each student individually, which is a new and rewarding experience as compared to seeing the group sing all together. Lianne shared a couple of compilations with the Club.
 
December 18
SALEM ROTARY HOLIDAY PARTY
In true Salem Rotarian fashion, we made the best out of these unusual times and had a blast with our virtual holiday party on Friday, December 18. There were contests, prizes and even a visit from Santa himself! The best part was getting to know more about our fellow Rotarians and their significant others and friends. These events serve as a nice reminder of how wonderful Salem Rotarians are and also as a hint of how much fun we will have together in service and fellowship when we can be in-person again!
 
December 22
PATRICK CORNELISSEN
General Manager, Alden Biesen
Live from Belgium, former Salem Rotarian Patrick Cornelissen joined us to share stories of his new adventure managing one of the largest castle domains in Northern Europe, particularly amidst the challenges of the pandemic. He started with news of how COVID-19 has spread throughout Belgium, noting that they have seen a lot of per capita cases and have been labeled the “worst hit” country in the world. Part of this is due to how Belgium reported its numbers and how deaths in senior living spaces were counted. There is also a difference within the country between the north and the south, and Patrick noted that the southern part of the country was initially impacted more, likely because it is customary to kiss people hello in that region. The country has been in and out of lockdown, which has greatly impacted the hospitality industry, but they are adapting to the regulations and taking advantage of the downtime to address deferred maintenance projects.
 
Alden Bissen was founded in 1220 by the Order of Teutonic Knights and is one of a few remaining sites still in existence. The castle has been government-owned since 1971 and currently serves as a cultural conferencing and events center, hosting over 500 events and receiving 250,000 visitors a year. For the last two and a half months, they have focused on renovation projects and adapting to hosting meetings and events in a COVID environment, making changes to capacity and service.
 
Besides managing this 800-year-old property, Patrick still enjoys photography and classic cars. He is also a member of the Arendonk Rotary Club. The club hosts 2 main fundraisers, a Champagne Drive that sells over 3,000 bottles each year, and the “Motary,” a classic car rally that literally allows car owners to drive through factories and companies of major sponsors.
 

VIsiting rotarians & Guests

Nicolas D’Onofrio, Foster Family Parent

We were pleased to welcome Nicolas to our meeting who shared an experience he and his family had at the Santa’s Drive Through event with DCF a few weeks ago. His nine-year-old son noticed the volunteers and pointed out how much Rotarians care for others, which reminded Nicolas of the first pair of boots he received in the United States from a Rotary Club in New Hampshire. He had reached out to Beverly Rotarian Dave Olson to find a connection to our Club so he could personally thank us for our efforts. His heartwarming story had several members in tears and was a perfectly timed reminder of why we do what we do, especially during the holiday season.

CALENDAR WINNER!

12/15   Dorothy Fisher of Salem 
             Sold by Rich Eisner
12/22  Brenda Lewis of Salem 
             Sold by Joe Amico

Why I am A SALEM Rotarian

This segment now kicks off our meetings so we can learn what makes Salem Rotarians stay engaged, continue to log into Zoom, financially support our work, or put a mask on to volunteer for Rotary. Through a pay-it-forward system, the sharer from one week will choose who shares the following week.
 
December 15
Jason Consalvo shared that he didn’t have firm roots in our mission until he joined the Salem Club and served on the Scholarship Committee. One memory that sticks out for him as an inspirational moment was when he added the question to the interview list asking students to tell the committee one more thing that would make them stand out from their peers. The salutatorian that year answered that her father was out of work and that they just lost their home. She quickly added that they were fine because they had a new apartment and were all still together, which was the only thing that mattered. Her story reminded Jason why he is a Rotarian, and he is happy to be part of a Club that supports people like this student who are likely to make a difference in the future. Jason selected Marie Cardillo to share the following week.
 
December 22
Marie Cardillo shared that her inspiration comes from all members in the Salem Rotary Club and the great energy we bring when we are together, either having fun or working on a project. Whatever we are doing, we are attempting to make life better for someone, some place or some group. She can’t imagine a better feeling than what she has from the connection and sense of community she receives from working with our Club. She has a lot of gratitude for finding her “tribe” and to be part of this worldwide team of Rotary. She knows that we will continue on, pandemic or not, to improve the lives of others. Marie selected Rinus Oothoek to share the following week.

RotarIAN NEWS...

 
December 15
  • Siddhartha Shah shared that his opening at the PEM went very well and that they have never seen so much positive feedback from an opening in the history of the museum.
  • Gerrit Bradley shared that his wife doesn’t like inflatable lawn decorations, and he and his kids were going to surprise her with a 12’ Santa as a joke but they were out of stock.
  • Kristen Armstrong noted that she had to put her motorcycle away for the season but was glad it fit in her shed.
  • Jason Consalvo shared that he and his family have been taking 15 to 20-minute drives around Beverly to see Halloween, then Christmas, decorations since October. The rides are getting longer because the kids remember where all of the decorations are and ask to drive past specific houses.
  • Bruce Whear played the role of St. Nick at a drive-by event for children in Marblehead, but families were not allowed to decorate their cars because the town would have considered that a parade, which are not allowed right now.
December 22
  • Joe Amico celebrated his birthday with a parishioner singing “Happy Birthday” during his Zoom service, a take-out lunch, and a steak dinner made by Jim. Joe also shared that Ryan Guilmartin posted a photo while volunteering at the Salem Pantry with his Rotary mask on.
  • Jason Consalvo noted that the kids are getting antsy with remote learning but are excited for Christmas.
  • Tim Clarke shared that he was blown away by Nicolas’ remarks and that it is a nice reminder of why we do what we do.
  • Gerrit Bradley observed that turkeys prefer to walk on cleared sidewalks and not in the snow.

Club Announcements

Passing of Scott Grover's Mother
Scott's mother, Ruthanne (Carey) Grover, passed away peacefully in her home on Cape Cod, surrounded by loved ones earlier this month at the age of 90. A private family Service for Ruthanne was held at Mosswood Cemetery. A Celebration of her Life will be held at a later date. Donations in her memory can be made to the Cotuit Library, 871 Main Street, Cotuit, MA 02635. 
 
Annual Meeting - December 29, 2020
To wrap up the end of the calendar year, we will use our final meeting of 2020 as our Annual Meeting. This meeting allows the entire membership to learn more about our Club finances, funds allocations and committee work. We will use our regular Zoom link for this meeting.
Birthdays 
Member Birthdays
John Neely
December 12
 
Deborah McNulty
December 13
 
Bruce Whear
December 17
 
Nicholas Helides
December 17
 
Raymond Hodge
December 18
 
Joe Amico
December 20
 
Roberta Crosbie
December 28
 
Malia Griffin
December 29
 
Board of Directors
President
 
President Elect
 
Vice President
 
Immediate Past President
 
Treasurer
 
Secretary
 
Director
 
Director
 
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Director
 
Director
 
Director
 
Director
 
Director
 
Director
 
Membership
 
Foundation
 
Public Image Chair
 
Russell Hampton
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Tuesdays at 12:15 PM
Hawthorne Hotel
18 Washington Square
Salem, MA 01970
United States of America
We are currently meeting via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to returning to the Hawthorne Hotel soon! In the meantime, please email president@salemrotary.com for our Zoom link.
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