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Continuing a tradition of at least 40 years, members of The Rotary Club of Salisbury have prepared and are planning to distribute dictionaries to third grade students in Wicomico County schools. Working with the club is the Salisbury Sunrise Rotary Club.

Thanks to the generosity of more than 100 local Rotary club members, our communities’ People of Action, the clubs have purchased the books, placed labels in them to acknowledge the role of the Rotary clubs, sorted them for distribution, boxed them, and have begun distributing the books to approximately 1,500 students in county public and private schools.

Project coordinator AB Brown, a long time Rotary Club of Salisbury member and a member of the Wicomico County Board of Education said “It’s very satisfying to see the children’s smiling faces when they open the dictionaries for the first time. For many students, this book might be the only one they own.”

The dictionary project is just one of several recent activities for The Rotary Club of Salisbury. Other recent community support programs have included ringing the holiday money-raising bells for the Salvation Army, renovating the Christian Shelter, participating in the “Walk with Me” fundraiser for the Easterseals Salisbury Children’s Therapy Center, and delivering Meals on Wheels as club members do year-round.

The Numbers Are In....

November 29, 2022

Well, the numbers are in and thanks to The Rotary Club of Salisbury, the Christian Shelter received more than $9,200 in donations thanks to the club's riders in the 2022 Seagull Century 63 mile bicycle ride. Club members donated to support the club's riders and guests.

This community support project was another example of our members being People of Action.

A Lucky Raffle Winner

November 3, 2022

Harriette Hammond tonight was presented her $10,000 first place payment by Rotary Club of Salisbury President Ford Waggoner thanks to her winning ticket in the club's annual raffle. Mrs. Hammond bought just one ticket and it turned into the winning one. Not only did she receive her check tonight, indicating she would use the money to repair her house roof, she also was a winner in the weekly 50/50 drawing. Talk about good fortune! After the meeting, club members gathered around her to get her thoughts on the winning numbers in the pending $1.2+ billion Powerball drawing.

And the Winners Are.......

October 27, 2022

Three community members are happy they bought tickets in this year's Rotary Club of Salisbury annual raffle with a top prize of $10,000. With the help of Fruitland, Maryland police officer Zach Douglas, three tickets were selected tonight from the 3,750 tickets that were sold over the last few months. This means that $26,000 are available to help the club support dozens of community projects and causes.

Winning the $10,000 top prize was Harriette Hammond, who bought her ticket from club member Robin Evans during the Wicomico County Fair. Liz Whaley won the $1,000 prize thanks to a ticket she bought from club member John Aukward. The $500 prize was won by Josslyn Lewis through a ticket sold by Bill Cropper.

Congratulations to these three winners and our thanks to the many persons who bought tickets to support our local community non-profit organizations.

Wicomico County Transportation Issues Discussed

October 29, 2022

Members of The Rotary Club of Salisbury tonight heard from David Ryan, Executive Director of the Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Ryan's emphasis was on transportation businesses in our area. A most enlightening presentation.

Interested in becoming one of The Rotary Club of Salisbury’s People of Action? Contact Ginnie Malone at 410-251-6188 or gmalone@cbmove.com.

Rotary Club of Salisbury Seeks to Support Community Groups

October 16, 2022

The Rotary Club of Salisbury, in its 103^rd year of service to the community, is seeking applications for its seventh annual 3-Point Initiative, a grant program with awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Funds will be awarded to local non-profits in early 2023 that promote Responsibility, Integrity, and Academic Achievement to area youth. The deadline to apply is Friday, November 11, 2022.

Funding for this grant comes from the Rotary Club of Salisbury and its partnering organizations that include: the Donnie Williams Foundation, the Richard and Patricia Hazel Charitable Fund, the Richard A. Henson Foundation, First Shore Federal Savings and Loan Charitable Fund, and the Wooten Community Fund, each of which made a generous donation. The Rotary Club of Salisbury's 3-Point Initiative last year donated more than $40,000 to nine organizations.

501(C)(3) organizations interested in applying must meet eligibility criteria that include being a government entity, faith-based organization, or a non-profit public charity that supports programs for youth on the Lower Eastern Shore. A written description is required detailing how the organization promotes the three tenets of the grant: responsibility, integrity, and academic achievement and how the money will be used.

The grant application is available in the Download section of this website. Questions may be directed to 3-Point Initiative Chairman Gus Lebois at GLebois0271@gmail.com or 443-859-3968.

Annually, The Rotary Club of Salisbury channels tens of thousands of dollars and countless volunteer hours back into our community through the support of agencies and causes. Recent support has been provided to Habitat for Humanity, Humane Society of Wicomico County, Wicomico County Fair, boys and girl scouts, The Christian Shelter, Easterseals, third grade students for dictionaries, MAC Inc. Meals on Wheels, Fruitland Little League, military veterans support groups, and others.

Two New Members...Longest Serving Member

October 13, 2022

Tonight, The Rotary Club of Salisbury inducted two members, Tony Hilligoss and Casey Jakubowski and honored our longest serving active member, John Snee. John joined the club in 1969 and served as president in the 1973-1974 Rotary year. John was recognized for his 95^thbirthday and received a cake delivered by club President-Elect Ernie Colburn.

Want to join our growing number of members? Contact Contact Ginnie Malone at 410-251-6188 or gmalone@cbmove.com.

Helping The Christian Shelter

October 12, 2022

The 103-year old Rotary Club of Salisbury continued its support of Salisbury’s Christian Shelter this month by providing volunteers and money to help renovate its Barclay Street facilities. The Christian Shelter is a temporary emergency facility providing safe shelter, nutritious meals, practical and spiritual direction, and life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ to people in crisis.

Using club money and money from Rotary District 7630, club members are helping with the expenses associated with the renovation. Following furniture removal and replacement of the floor, club members repainted the walls and cleaned the office space in anticipation of later replacing the furniture with all new desks, chairs, and filing cabinets. This work was needed and required to bring the facility into compliance with building and security standards.

In addition to this project to benefit the Christian Shelter, club members donated money to help with other modernizations. For years, club members have participated in the annual Seagull Century Bike Ride to support the Christian Shelter. That support continued during this month’s Seagull Century event. Club members donated money to support the riders’ efforts. The club’s goal was to raise at least $6,000 to help with the replacement of the walk-in cooler and freezers that must be replaced this year. Total cost for the project is $156,000.

An Update on City of Salisbury Projects

October 6, 2022

Salisbury Mayor Jake Day tonight provided members of The Rotary Club of Salisbury an update on the many growth and expansion projects planned by the City of Salisbury. Topics included the elimination of parking spaces downtown, the construction of a parking garage, new buildings, bicycle lanes, and other items. It appears there will be tremendous changes in the downtown area.

In a couple of weeks, we'll learn about other possible changes to our area when David Ryan from the Salisbury-Wicomico Economic Development agency visits the club.

Kindness at The Rotary Club of Salisbury Meeting

October 4, 2022

Striving to improve kindness in our community, the Rotary Club of Salisbury heard recently from Grace Murdock, the so-called Salisbury Secretary of Kindness. Salisbury is the first World Kindness USA city.

She has adopted several projects, one of which is promoting Buddy Bench of Kindness Mission -- where benches are placed at schools outside for children to sit on if they have no one to play with during recess. These benches address loneliness and isolation for children in schools, and are for other children to join that student and encourage them to join their play group.

To celebrate World Kindness Day, the 10^th annual Dance for Kindness event will occur globally. The Salisbury Kindness group has participated over the years, this year’s event is on November 13.

Rotary Supports Easterseals

September 10, 2022

Rotary, the international service and fellowship organization, helped form what now is known as Easterseals. Today, members of The Rotary Club of Salisbury joined with others in the community to help raise money by participating in the “Walk with Me” fundraiser for the Easterseals Salisbury Children’s Therapy Center.

Another example of our members being People of Action. Want to join our growing number of members? Contact Contact Ginnie Malone at 410-251-6188 or gmalone@cbmove.com.

We Welcomed a New Member Tonight

September 1, 2022

Dorchester County educator Paula Turner-Coleman became the newest member of The Rotary Club of Salisbury tonight. She was inducted into the club by President Ford Waggoner with the help of Rotary District 7630 Governor Cliff Berg.

Dr. Turner-Coleman, following a stint in the pharmaceutical and medical sales industry, became involved in the education arena while serving in numerous community groups. Her background allows her to fit right in with the club's People of Action.

Physician Recruitment to Salisbury

August 25, 2022

Member of The Rotary Club of Salisbury tonight heard about a fairly new program of TidalHealth to recruit physicians to our local medical center. Dr. Hameem Kawsar, Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency, TidalHealth Regional Hospital, spoke about the hospital's program to attract physicians through a new residency program. He explained the challenges of bringing and keeping physicians to our largely rural area. It was a very enlightening presentation about a challenge facing our community.

Club President-elect Ernie Colburn, Dr. Hameem Kawsar, and club program chairman Jeff Merritt who extended the invitation to Dr. Kawsar.

Club member Stacey McMichael was awarded her first Paul Harris Fellowship, a recognition of her first one thousand dollar donation to the international Rotary Foundation. The club's foundation chairman Ken Montville, made the presentation.

Interested in becoming one of The Rotary Club of Salisbury’s People of Action? Contact Ginnie Malone at 410-251-6188 or gmalone@cbmove.com.

Rotary at the Wicomico County Fair

August 22, 2022

Thousands of persons attended the just completed Wicomico County Fair and The Rotary Club of Salisbury, a fair financial sponsor, was there to share information about the club and to raise money to help the club's many community service projects.

Club members sold tickets for the October 27^th raffle with a top prize of $10,000.

Food, Fun, and Fellowship Tonight

August 11, 2022

It was food, fun, and fellowship tonight for members of The Rotary Club of Salisbury as the annual crab feast drew members, spouses, and guests. And while those things are important parts of the club's mission, they are not the only things that members enjoy.

The club is a membership organization whose product is service. Several upcoming events will keep club members busy as they share information about the club while helping other organizations with their programs.

At the Wicomico County Fair August 19-21, club members will have a presence to share information about the club with visitors. As a sponsor of the fair, the club is supporting the agricultural community in Wicomico County.

The following weekend, club members will be at the National Folk Festival in downtown Salisbury serving purchased beer to festival guests. Money earned by the club for its participation will be used by the club to support its dozens of community service projects.

On September 10, club members will be raising money for Easterseals during the Walk with Me event in the city park.

These events clearly demonstrate that members of The Rotary Club are People of Action. Interested in becoming one of The Rotary Club of Salisbury’s People of Action? Contact Ginnie Malone at

410-251-6188 or gmalone@cbmove.com.

Homelessness in Salisbury

August 4, 2022

Homelessness in our area was the topic at tonight's meeting of The Rotary Club of Salisbury. Christine Chestnutt, the City of Salisbury's Housing and Homeless Manager, spoke about the growing problem of homeless persons and steps being taken to help them find homes and improve their situations. It was an enlightening presentation.

Christine Chestnutt with Rotary Club of Salisbury President Ford Waggoner.

Interested in becoming one of The Rotary Club of Salisbury’s People of Action? Contact Ginnie Malone at 410-251-6188 or gmalone@cbmove.com.

How To Win $10,000

July 18, 2022

Need some extra money? $10,000, $1,000, or $500? You can be a candidate for such winnings by being part of the annual Rotary Club of Salisbury raffle. Tickets will remain on sale until the drawing on October 27th. Each costs just $10 and no more than 4,000 tickets will be sold.

See any member of The Rotary Club of Salisbury to buy tickets. Proceeds will be used to support dozens of community groups and projects that work with the club.

Rotarians Help Local Veterans Assistance Groups

July 11, 2022

Though the hundreds of American flags displayed between Memorial Day and Independence Day along U.S. Route 50 near the Arthur W. Perdue Stadium east of Salisbury have come down, five organizations will benefit from them for years to come.

Thanks to individual and organization donors, the flags were put on display by the three Salisbury-area Rotary clubs (The Rotary Club of Salisbury, the Rotary Club of Wicomico County, and the Salisbury Sunrise Rotary Club) to raise money for groups serving military veterans. The purpose of this project was to thank and honor those who have helped and protected our community, sometimes at great sacrifice. Each organization has received $1,000 during this, the 7^th year of the local Flags for Heroes program.

Receiving Rotary-raised money to help with their veterans assistance programs are

Operation We Care, U.S. Kennels, Inc., Heroes Haven, Inc., and DAV Eastern Shore Chapter 34.

Operation We Care provides care packages to members of the armed forces who are serving overseas.

U.S. Kennels, Inc. is an organization that assists veterans battling Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, brain damage, and other combat related disabilities by adopting rescue dogs and training them to become service animals.

Heroes Haven, Inc. transports injured veterans, police officers, emergency medical service personnel, and fire fighters to the Eastern Shore of Maryland for a hunting experience and Eastern Shore hospitality.

The DAV Eastern Shore Chapter 34 mission is Building Better Lives for America’s Disabled Veterans and Their Families. A key activity for this group is transporting veterans to their medical appointments - including to the Perry Point VA medical center in Cecil County,

In addition to these veterans’ assistance groups, $1,000 were donated to the memorial fund to aid the family of murdered Wicomico County sheriff’s deputy Glenn Hilliard.

The Rotary Club of Salisbury Continues to Grow

July 4, 2022

In its 103rd year of service, The Rotary Club of Salisbury continues to grow. The recent new member orientation attracted five members who recently joined the club. Shown left to right are Sydney Tilman, Jay Pearce, Carole Krueger, Luanne Dashield, and Henry Tilman. We welcome them as People of Action who will work to benefit our community.

Rotary Club of Salisbury Honors an Outstanding Community Member

June 23, 2022

The Rotary Club of Salisbury, in its 103^rd year of service to the community, has recognized JoAnn Blackmon of Hebron, Maryland as the recipient of its prestigious Four-Way Test Award. The award is presented annually to a non-Rotarian whose life exemplifies the tenants of the Rotary Four-Way Test that asks persons of the things they think, say, or do:

Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Goodwill and better Friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

JoAnn Blackmon, on the left, was presented the award by club member Stacey McMichael.

JoAnn Blackmon was the 2013 founder and is Executive Director of the Epoch Dream Center to help at-risk youngsters break out of the generational bonds of poverty, unemployment, and crime. While driving through her hometown of Hebron, she noticed young children out on the streets after school and after dark. She had two young children at home and wondered if the children she was seeing outdoors had the same benefits and privileges her own children had: help with homework, an attentive parent or two at home, adequate clothing and school supplies, and a warm dinner meal with family around the table.

As a former school teacher, she knew what children need to be motivated and ultimately, to be academically and socially successful. A typical day at the Epoch Dream Center consists of character-building exercises, physical activities, hobbies, creative experiences and academic development, including time for homework.

The nominating form read “JoAnn has developed with community support a program that embodies the tenants of the Four-Way Test. She values truth, fairness, and goodwill for all. She leads her organization with integrity to enhance friendships among the staff and students. The program is equally beneficial to the students it serves as well as their parents, families, and teachers at the partner schools. With Epoch, the community of Hebron has benefitted as well as the larger community that surrounds it.”

More about the Epoch Dream Center can be found at https://www.epochdreamcenter.com.

A list of all recipients of the award since 1963 is shown elsewhere on this website.

Rotarian of the Year Named

June 16, 2022

The Rotary Club of Salisbury tonight recognized its Rotarian of the Year. Marie Calafiura was selected based upon her multiple contributions to and tremendous support of the club. President Bill Satterfield listed some of her attributes when naming her tonight.

He cited her work just in this year as club Treasurer, Rotary District 7630 Assistant Governor, coordinator of the club's Meals of Hope project, organizer of material in the club board room, coordinator of donations of club materials to the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture at Salisbury University, editor of the weekly Cog newsletter, post office box checker, active in re-writing the club bylaws and Standing Rules and Procedures, elector at the District Conference, new member recruiter, ClubRunner administrator, and advisor to the president. We thank Marie for all she does.

Rotary Club of Salisbury Inducts Three Members

June 9, 2022

Tonight, three persons joined The Rotary Club of Salisbury, continuing a trend of growing membership this year. Long time members cannot recall when three persons joined the club at the same time.

Henry Tilman, Lynn Derickson, and Carole Krueger were welcomed to the club and encouraged to become involved with club activities to benefit the local community.

Interested in becoming one of The Rotary Club of Salisbury’s People of Action? Contact Ginnie Malone at 410-251-6188 or gmalone@cbmove.com.

Rotary Club of Salisbury Helps Clean County Park

June 7, 2022

Rotary International has selected The Environment as its newest area of focus and today members of The Rotary Club of Salisbury worked alongside of folks with the Lower Shore Land Trust to remove wisteria, an invasive vine species, from Pemberton Park near Salisbury.

Club President Bill Satterfield, Gus Lebois, and our newest member Jay Pearce were there cutting and hopefully killing the vines.

Another example of our members being People of Action.

Rotary Club of Salisbury Members Learn about a Youth Development Program

June 2, 2022

A relatively new youth services program in the Salisbury area was the subject of tonight's meeting of The Rotary Club of Salisbury. Vanessa Lyon with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Baltimore joined us to enlighten us about this new organization to help children become better human beings.

During the last Rotary year, dozens of veteran club members shared their life and Rotary stories during our Get Acquainted...Get Reacquainted presentations. Club members who joined between 1969 and 1997 spent a few minutes to allow new members know who they are while helping longer-time members learn more about them. It proved to be a popular part of our weekly meetings. Our final presenter was Kathleen McLain, a very valuable member who joined the club in 1997.

Next week our members will be involved in the removal of wisteria at the Pemberton Park and in the dedication of a Rotary Club of Salisbury-sponsored peace labyrinth in downtown Salisbury. Rotarians...People of Action.

Hundreds of American Flags on Display in Wicomico County
to Help Military Veterans

May 25, 2022

Local military veterans support groups will benefit from the newly installed display of hundreds of American flags along Route 50 east of Salisbury. Again this year, members of the three Salisbury-area Rotary clubs are participating in the Flags for Heroes project across Hobbs Road from the Arthur W. Perdue Stadium.

Community members and businesses financially have sponsored flags for persons they consider heroes. The thousands of dollars raised will be distributed to several military veteran support groups that are selected by the Rotary Club of Salisbury, the Rotary Club of Wicomico County, and the Salisbury Sunrise Rotary Club.

In less than one hour, dozens of Rotarians on May 25^th installed nearly 400 flags that will remain on display through Independence Day. This project is another example of Rotary club members being People of Action.

Interested in becoming one of The Rotary Club of Salisbury’s People of Action? Contact Ginnie Malone at 410-251-6188 or gmalone@cbmove.com.

A Twofer Rotary Club of Salisbury Meeting

May 19, 2022

Members of The Rotary Club of Salisbury this evening had a dual purpose event; a visit to the US Kennels, Inc. where service dogs are trained to work with disabled military veterans and a visit across the street to the MAC, Inc. Center that provides a large variety of services to persons aged 50 and more on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore. Both visits were hosted by club members; Chris Hardy at the US Kennels, Inc. and Dave Hanlin, chairman of the Board of MAC, Inc. Both visits were quite enlightening.

We also inducted a new member. Sponsored by club members BJ Summers and Dan Williams, Jay Pearce returned to the club after several years of living away from Salisbury. He's the second new member in two weeks with three more members slated to be inducted in early June. We're growing and this allows us to do more to help our communities. Interested in becoming one of the club’s People of Action? Contact Ginnie Malone at 410-251-6188 or gmalone@cbmove.com.