President’s Message
Jane Johnson, Club President
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Salem, Virginia! We are “People of Action“, called to serve others, both in our community and world-wide. Originally chartered in 1949, our members have been making a difference in the lives of others both locally and internationally for nearly 75 years! We truly live up to the Rotary motto, “Service Above Self”!
This year is a special year for me to be leading our club. We have managed to grow our membership back to 135+ where we were pre-pandemic through Rotary’s “Each One Bring One” initiative. I plan to work hard to spread the message and mission of Rotary throughout our valley in hopes of continuing to attract people who wish to serve their community and the world. We will strengthen our fundraising efforts by growing Olde Salem Days, hosting Star-B-Q and the Old Dominion Athletic Basketball Tournament. These provide needed funding for our projects which include the “Sleep in Heavenly Peace” bed build, Christmas for Kids, and maintaining our Little Free Libraries around Salem. We will also continue to make significant financial contributions to many civic and community service organizations throughout the Roanoke 
Valley, Food and Winter Coats drives for those less fortunate, and care for our environment by participating in the Clean Valley Day – Roanoke River cleanup.
Our Club recognizes those who typify the values and ethics espoused by Rotary International through our Outstanding Citizen Award and by Scholarship Grants. We will have the opportunity to host a student from Italy this year through the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.
This year’s Rotary theme is “Imagine Rotary”. Our first-ever female Rotary International President Jennifer Jones recently said, “Imagine a world that deserves our best, where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference”. The members of our club are already making a difference while enjoying fun and fellowship at the same time. I invite you to come have lunch with us, or join us in a service project to see what we are all about. If you’d like to learn more, peruse our website or follow us on Facebook. Please feel free to Contact Us.
New Members
October 2020 – Dr. Timothy C. Carpenter, Assistant Professor, Business Administration & Economics, Roanoke College was inducted as a new club member today by Membership Committee Chairman Ray Byrd. He was introduced by Steve Baker of Center for Leadership & Entrepreneurial Innovation of Roanoke College. Dr. Carpenter will be working with the Rotaract students at the college. L-R Photo: Dr. Timothy Carpenter (New Member), Ray Byrd, Steve Baker
